I recently went shooting with a friend who had put a Kicklite Recoil Reduction stock on his Mossberg 500. I liked the feel of the AR-style stock, and the recoil reduction did feel nice with heavier loads. After thinking about it, I figured I’d accessorize my old Mossberg 500 Cruiser a bit, for my audience’s benefit, of course. While I was looking, I decided I didn’t need to spend the extra money on the recoil reduction system, but Kicklite also makes a “Field Series” that has the same great feeling butt pad (seriously, this thing is really soft in the right places) but without the recoil absorbing system in the “buffer tube” that’s in the more expensive models. I ran across a kit with a few extras for the same $69.95 MSRP as the Kicklite Field Series and free shipping.
It includes the Kicklite Field Series stock, a Shell Holder that can be attached to either side of the stock, and a TruGlo Fiber Optic sight (though it may be a knock-off, works all the same).
Anyway, here’s the rundown of my thoughts on it:
Stock feels nice, is just as adjustable as a standard 6-position AR stock, is angled down just slightly making a decent cheek weld easier, pistol grip feels fine, the whole package is solid. As mentioned before, you won’t believe how nice that buttpad feels on your shoulder, even after a while of shooting.
The Shell Holder could be better, as it’s just hard rubber, but it’s easy to mount on either side of the stock, and for my purposes it seemed to hold the shells nice and tight, but reviews on Amazon are mixed- I pretty much considered this just a bonus though, and as I said, it worked just fine for me.
The Fiber Optic front sight is pretty awesome, much nicer to look at from behind than stock gold bead on there. Held on just fine, despite what some of the other reviewers had said. Also very easy to mount- more on that in a moment.
Installation Guide
First up, the stock. This may vary a tad depending on your current configuration, as this was written based on a Cruiser model (pistol grip only). The only tools here that you’ll need with the kit are a 1/4″ Hex Key and a regular sized Phillips Head Screwdriver.
Unscrew bolt on the rear of the grip with Hex Key as shown. Be sure to hang onto the washer and crush washer (if applicable). The new stock lines up perfectly, though took a bit of a nudge to get it all the way on there (fits pretty tight).
Replace the Hex nut w/ washers into the same location, and tighten. The angle is a bit odd, so it may take a series of short turns and re-positioning, but it’ll eventually get on there nice and securely.
The Shell Holder comes with a couple of small screws, and is pretty self explanatory. Just line up the holes in the Shell Holder with the pre-made holes in the stock on the side of your choosing, then screw in the provided screws until tight.
Lastly, the Fiber Optic sight, which was a tad confusing, but only because I felt like I was going to break it putting it on. It’s tougher than it looks, however. Basically, just get it in place above the barrel where it’s going to go, lining up the front notch with your front bead sight. When in place, push down with your thumbs with an even pressure on the front and back, and it’ll snap on there.
If you didn’t get it right the first time, it’s seriously difficult to move due to how tight it fits, it’s better to pop it back off from below and try again.
Well that’s that. Oh, maybe not, the links in this review were specific to the 12ga Mossberg 500. If you have a 20ga Mossberg (500C), use this link. The whole package here is complimentary, the stock along with the front sight is great, and the shell holder is a nice bonus. Also great for the price. I’ve only had it to the range once, but it feels pretty solid. I’ll update if that changes.