Mitchell Sabre MS-2115

     Notes: This is a somewhat fancier Mitchell shotgun, semiautomatic and with a 22-inch barrel.   The barrel has an aiming rib and the shotgun is normally sold with barrel adapters that allow for full, modified, or extra full chokes.  The Escalade and Sabre are very similar, otherwise.

     Twilight 2000 Story: This weapon does not exist.

Mossberg M-712

     Notes: The M-712 replaced the M-5500 in the Mossberg line of semiautomatic shotguns.  Instead of being an improvement of modification of the M-5500, the M-712 instead uses a modification of the Mossberg’s M-1000 shotgun’s gas system.  While the M-712 was not designed as a combat shotgun, it is quite flexible in its ability to digest different types of ammunition, comes in several standard barrel lengths, wood or synthetic stocks, and with several different types of sights from rifle-type to ventilated sighting ribs.  In addition, virtually all of the barrels, stocks, and accessories which may be used by the M-500 can also be mounted on the M-712 (though, as far as I know, it cannot be made into a Camper or Bullpup version).  The standard barrels for the M-712 (which may be 24, 28, or 30 inches) may accept Mossberg’s Accu-Choke II interchangeable chokes, making just about any sort of choke available.  Extended magazines are also commonly available for the M-712, with capacities of up to 9 rounds.  Metalwork is steel, with a variety of finishes available (including camouflage); the stocks, if synthetic, may also have a variety of colors.

     A special version, the M-712 Slug, has a 24-inch barrel which is drilled and tapped for scope mount.  It is identical to a 24-inch-barrel version of the M-712 for game purposes.

Mossberg M-930 SPX

     Notes: This shotgun, an evolution of earlier Mossberg designs, is designed for police and military concerns as well as home defense.  It is part a family of designs which include hunting and skeet/trap versions.  The SPX differs from them by being all-business in design instead of having the sort of feature set that might be found on hunting or target weapons, and in being designed for conventional as well as magnum ammunition. It is short, with high capacity.

     The SPX is clad almost entirely in black, with black synthetic furniture and black external metalwork.  The fore-end and pistol grip wrist have checkered surfaces and the fore-end has a swelled underside.  The butt has a ventilated recoil pad.  Atop the receiver is a MIL-STD-1913 rail for optics; the iron sights is a ghost ring rear and a low front fiberoptic post sight.  Controls are oversized, with a centrally-mounted tang fire selector which is also oversized.  The SPX does not, however, have a front-mounted sling swivel, causing the need for an aftermarket kit if one wants a sling.  Barrel length is 18.5 inches, and there is no provision for interchangeable chokes; the standard choke is Cylindrical.  Versions exist which are ported to further reduce recoil. The SPX can take any sort of ammunition, including riot control, exotic, and subloaded and hot-loaded ammunition.  Operation is via a self-regulating gas system, with the gas system adjusting for fouling and other dirt concerns, helps keep down stress to other firing components, and helps mitigate recoil.

     In 2012, Salient Arms, with Mossberg’s approval, introduced its own modified version of the M-930SPX.  One it’s features is its ability to take interchangeable chokes, and is therefore able to fire any choke type usable by a Mossberg shotgun.  The barrel is 18 inches long, with a vent sighting rib, or 18.5 inches long, rifled, and with a solid sighting rib; another version is designed for 3-Gun competition and has a 22-inch barrel with a vent sight rib. A fourth version is the same, but has a 24-inch barrel and an extended magazine and using speed loaders, and a red-dot optic.

     The Salient package of improvements include a lightened and coated bolt, beveled loading port, trigger adjustments, polished and tuned internal mechanism, a new magazine spring, and a Teflon-coated follower. Atop the receiver is a section of MIL-STD-1913 rail, just enough to mount just about any optic most shooters will want. All have a thick rubber recoil pad, though some hot-loaded 3” rounds will still exhibit severe felt recoil.  The shotguns can take a full magazine, plus one in the chamber, plus one on the lifter.

     New for 2016 is the M-930 Pro Series.  There are three types in this series: the Sporting, Waterfowl, and Jerry Miculek Competition.  They differ from the standard M-930SPX in having boron nitride coated working parts for greater wear resistance, carefully-measured and slicked-up shell stops, and stocks adjustable for drop.  The Sporting has a Cerekote metal finish and is designed specifically for clays shooting, with a fast-loading feature, satin-finished walnut stock with a thick recoil pad, HiViz rear sights, TriComp fiberoptic front sights (interchangeable for color), a ventilated sighting rib, and a set of three Briley choke tubes (Skeet, Improved Cylinder, and Modified). The Sporting Gun has a 28-inch barrel.  The Waterfowl is similar, but has the choice of a Mossy Oak Shadowgrass Blades Camo Pattern all over the external surfaces. For game purposes, it is identical to the Sporting gun. The Jerry Miculek gun uses shorter barrels (22 and 24 inches), and has a number of other refinements including a fast-cycling gas system (no effect in game terms), a beveled loading gate for faster reloading (shooter may reload 4 rounds per phase), a trigger adjustable for overtravel, and a knurled charging handle for faster actuation. Other refinements are as the Sporting gun.  Furniture is synthetic, either black or Kryptek Typhon. External metalwork is matte blued Cerakote.  They all have huge extended magazines and muzzle brakes designed for use with shotguns; the extended magazine projects far beyond the muzzle. The Ventilated sighting rib is removable, allowing for the use of other types of sights. Due to the muzzle brake installation, interchangeable choke tubes are not normally supplied, though the brake can be removed.

Mossberg M-935 Magnum

     Notes: Designed specifically for hunting, this is a semiautomatic recoil-operated shotgun.  It is designed specifically for magnum loadings; due to the recoil operation, 2.75-inch shells are not recommended by Mossberg, but weapon experts have discovered that high-brass, heavy loadings in 2.75” shells will properly cycle the recoil mechanism.  A line for 2.75” shells is shown below, but unless this sort of special 2.75-inch loading is used, the M-935 has a 25% chance per shot fired to jam.  The stock and fore-end of the M-935 are made of synthetics, with a checkered pistol grip wrist and fore-end.  The butt has a thick rubber recoil pad.  The entire gun is finished in a camouflage pattern (many are available), including the barrel and receiver cover.  The M-935 is equipped with interchangeable chokes for Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder. The barrel is vented near the muzzle to further reduce felt recoil.  There are several versions available:  The M-935 Waterfowl has either a 26 or 28-inch barrel and a sighting rib above the barrel; the Flyaway has a 28-inch barrel only and has fixed chokes of the customer’s choice (and is identical to the 28-inch-barrel version of the Waterfowl for game purposes); the Turkey gun has a 24-inch barrel, a fixed choke of Ultra-Full, and adjustable front and rear fiberoptic sights; the Grand Slam Turkey is similar, but has a 22-inch barrel, and a padded sling.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This shotgun does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*The M-935 requires special loads to reliably cycle 2.75-inch shells; see the Notes section above.

Mossberg M-5500

     Notes: This model of shotgun was added to the Mossberg line in 1983, and then quickly withdrawn, being out of production by 1986.  A “Mk II” version was introduced in 1988, with several reliability improvements as well as an increased ability to accept a variety of optics and after-market add-ons, but it too was off the market by the mid-1990s. (For game purposes, the two are identical.)

     The M-5500 is basically a variant of the Mossberg M-500.  The Model 5500 was primarily designed for sporting and due to its small magazine is not really suitable for combat use.  Various barrel lengths are available, but the 4-round tubular magazine was standard for all versions, though a variety of extended magazines with capacities of up to 9 rounds are available.  Magnum and standard-length cartridge versions were built, though they are separate versions of the M-5500.  The furniture of the M-5500 is synthetic, with metalwork being largely of various grades of steel.  The reliability of the M-5500 is considered excellent, as is the workmanship, and those found today still function just as well.  Unfortunately, the small standard magazines limited their sales.

     Nonetheless, Mossberg did come out with a stockless version for home defense and police use (the Cruiser) with an 18.5-inch barrel, and a “combat” model known as the Guardian (that is not significantly different from the standard 5500 other than a shorter barrel length of 18.5 inches).  Folding stock versions (based on the Cruiser) are also seen regularly, though these are the result of after-market modifications and not of Mossberg manufacture.

Mossberg M-9200

     Notes:  The civilian M-9200 shotgun was introduced in 1992.  It was designed for those who have a lot of problems with the recoil of traditional shotguns, and therefore has not only a thick rubber recoil pad on the butt, but Mossberg’s “Soft Shooting System,” which is a mechanism that further decreases felt recoil.  This also allows the use of many different standard and Magnum loads.

     The M-9200 has metalwork largely of steel (except for minor parts like the trigger guard, and furniture of walnut or synthetic material.  (Synthetic stocks and fore-ends are standard, however).  A Bantam stock can also be had for smaller shooters; this stock has a 1-inch shorter length of pull.  Finishes for the metalwork include a matte black finish which Mossberg calls the “Viking” finish, blued, Parkerized, stainless “Marine” finish, and several camouflage patterns.  Colors for wooden furniture range from a light tan to dark red; finishes for synthetic furniture is normally black or in a variety of camouflage patterns.  Sights range from a ventilated sighting rib with a bead near the muzzle to rifle-type sights and Ghost Ring sights.  There are several barrel lengths available, and there is also a Trophy Slug variant of the M-9200 with a 24-inch rifled barrel (and is, in effect, a large-caliber rifle, through which firing shot is not recommended).  This model has fully-adjustable Ghost Ring-type sights, and is available only with a synthetic stock.

     The M-9200A1 is a military version of the M-9200.  It was used extensively by US Special Forces operating in Central and South America during the US involvement in Central America and Columbia, and thus acquired the nickname "jungle gun."  The primary differences between the civilian and military models are the folding stock (fixed stock versions are also made), the extended magazine, and the gas system, modified to accept a wide variety of standard ammunition types. 

     The M-9200A1 was tuned especially for military 2.75-inch 12 gauge loads, and while it can use a wide variety of 2.75” loads and special ammunition, it is not designed for Magnum ammunition.  (That said, one can chamber and fire Magnum ammunition through an M-9200A1, but it will eventually destroy the gun.)  The finish is in non-reflective black or dark green (or camouflage), and the sights are adjustable rifle-types.  The trigger housing is of aircraft-quality aluminum, while the furniture is synthetic (except for the folding stock, which is largely of aluminum alloy with a rubber butt).  The M-9200A1 uses an 18.5-inch barrel, and the folding-stock version is available only to military, police, or government concerns.

Mitchell Sabre MS-2115

     Notes: This is a somewhat fancier Mitchell shotgun, semiautomatic and with a 22-inch barrel.   The barrel has an aiming rib and the shotgun is normally sold with barrel adapters that allow for full, modified, or extra full chokes.  The Escalade and Sabre are very similar, otherwise.

     Twilight 2000 Story: This weapon does not exist.

Mossberg M-712

     Notes: The M-712 replaced the M-5500 in the Mossberg line of semiautomatic shotguns.  Instead of being an improvement of modification of the M-5500, the M-712 instead uses a modification of the Mossberg’s M-1000 shotgun’s gas system.  While the M-712 was not designed as a combat shotgun, it is quite flexible in its ability to digest different types of ammunition, comes in several standard barrel lengths, wood or synthetic stocks, and with several different types of sights from rifle-type to ventilated sighting ribs.  In addition, virtually all of the barrels, stocks, and accessories which may be used by the M-500 can also be mounted on the M-712 (though, as far as I know, it cannot be made into a Camper or Bullpup version).  The standard barrels for the M-712 (which may be 24, 28, or 30 inches) may accept Mossberg’s Accu-Choke II interchangeable chokes, making just about any sort of choke available.  Extended magazines are also commonly available for the M-712, with capacities of up to 9 rounds.  Metalwork is steel, with a variety of finishes available (including camouflage); the stocks, if synthetic, may also have a variety of colors.

     A special version, the M-712 Slug, has a 24-inch barrel which is drilled and tapped for scope mount.  It is identical to a 24-inch-barrel version of the M-712 for game purposes.

Mossberg M-930 SPX

     Notes: This shotgun, an evolution of earlier Mossberg designs, is designed for police and military concerns as well as home defense.  It is part a family of designs which include hunting and skeet/trap versions.  The SPX differs from them by being all-business in design instead of having the sort of feature set that might be found on hunting or target weapons, and in being designed for conventional as well as magnum ammunition. It is short, with high capacity.

     The SPX is clad almost entirely in black, with black synthetic furniture and black external metalwork.  The fore-end and pistol grip wrist have checkered surfaces and the fore-end has a swelled underside.  The butt has a ventilated recoil pad.  Atop the receiver is a MIL-STD-1913 rail for optics; the iron sights is a ghost ring rear and a low front fiberoptic post sight.  Controls are oversized, with a centrally-mounted tang fire selector which is also oversized.  The SPX does not, however, have a front-mounted sling swivel, causing the need for an aftermarket kit if one wants a sling.  Barrel length is 18.5 inches, and there is no provision for interchangeable chokes; the standard choke is Cylindrical.  Versions exist which are ported to further reduce recoil. The SPX can take any sort of ammunition, including riot control, exotic, and subloaded and hot-loaded ammunition.  Operation is via a self-regulating gas system, with the gas system adjusting for fouling and other dirt concerns, helps keep down stress to other firing components, and helps mitigate recoil.

     In 2012, Salient Arms, with Mossberg’s approval, introduced its own modified version of the M-930SPX.  One it’s features is its ability to take interchangeable chokes, and is therefore able to fire any choke type usable by a Mossberg shotgun.  The barrel is 18 inches long, with a vent sighting rib, or 18.5 inches long, rifled, and with a solid sighting rib; another version is designed for 3-Gun competition and has a 22-inch barrel with a vent sight rib. A fourth version is the same, but has a 24-inch barrel and an extended magazine and using speed loaders, and a red-dot optic.

     The Salient package of improvements include a lightened and coated bolt, beveled loading port, trigger adjustments, polished and tuned internal mechanism, a new magazine spring, and a Teflon-coated follower. Atop the receiver is a section of MIL-STD-1913 rail, just enough to mount just about any optic most shooters will want. All have a thick rubber recoil pad, though some hot-loaded 3” rounds will still exhibit severe felt recoil.  The shotguns can take a full magazine, plus one in the chamber, plus one on the lifter.

     New for 2016 is the M-930 Pro Series.  There are three types in this series: the Sporting, Waterfowl, and Jerry Miculek Competition.  They differ from the standard M-930SPX in having boron nitride coated working parts for greater wear resistance, carefully-measured and slicked-up shell stops, and stocks adjustable for drop.  The Sporting has a Cerekote metal finish and is designed specifically for clays shooting, with a fast-loading feature, satin-finished walnut stock with a thick recoil pad, HiViz rear sights, TriComp fiberoptic front sights (interchangeable for color), a ventilated sighting rib, and a set of three Briley choke tubes (Skeet, Improved Cylinder, and Modified). The Sporting Gun has a 28-inch barrel.  The Waterfowl is similar, but has the choice of a Mossy Oak Shadowgrass Blades Camo Pattern all over the external surfaces. For game purposes, it is identical to the Sporting gun. The Jerry Miculek gun uses shorter barrels (22 and 24 inches), and has a number of other refinements including a fast-cycling gas system (no effect in game terms), a beveled loading gate for faster reloading (shooter may reload 4 rounds per phase), a trigger adjustable for overtravel, and a knurled charging handle for faster actuation. Other refinements are as the Sporting gun.  Furniture is synthetic, either black or Kryptek Typhon. External metalwork is matte blued Cerakote.  They all have huge extended magazines and muzzle brakes designed for use with shotguns; the extended magazine projects far beyond the muzzle. The Ventilated sighting rib is removable, allowing for the use of other types of sights. Due to the muzzle brake installation, interchangeable choke tubes are not normally supplied, though the brake can be removed.

Mossberg M-935 Magnum

     Notes: Designed specifically for hunting, this is a semiautomatic recoil-operated shotgun.  It is designed specifically for magnum loadings; due to the recoil operation, 2.75-inch shells are not recommended by Mossberg, but weapon experts have discovered that high-brass, heavy loadings in 2.75” shells will properly cycle the recoil mechanism.  A line for 2.75” shells is shown below, but unless this sort of special 2.75-inch loading is used, the M-935 has a 25% chance per shot fired to jam.  The stock and fore-end of the M-935 are made of synthetics, with a checkered pistol grip wrist and fore-end.  The butt has a thick rubber recoil pad.  The entire gun is finished in a camouflage pattern (many are available), including the barrel and receiver cover.  The M-935 is equipped with interchangeable chokes for Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder. The barrel is vented near the muzzle to further reduce felt recoil.  There are several versions available:  The M-935 Waterfowl has either a 26 or 28-inch barrel and a sighting rib above the barrel; the Flyaway has a 28-inch barrel only and has fixed chokes of the customer’s choice (and is identical to the 28-inch-barrel version of the Waterfowl for game purposes); the Turkey gun has a 24-inch barrel, a fixed choke of Ultra-Full, and adjustable front and rear fiberoptic sights; the Grand Slam Turkey is similar, but has a 22-inch barrel, and a padded sling.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This shotgun does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*The M-935 requires special loads to reliably cycle 2.75-inch shells; see the Notes section above.

Mossberg M-5500

     Notes: This model of shotgun was added to the Mossberg line in 1983, and then quickly withdrawn, being out of production by 1986.  A “Mk II” version was introduced in 1988, with several reliability improvements as well as an increased ability to accept a variety of optics and after-market add-ons, but it too was off the market by the mid-1990s. (For game purposes, the two are identical.)

     The M-5500 is basically a variant of the Mossberg M-500.  The Model 5500 was primarily designed for sporting and due to its small magazine is not really suitable for combat use.  Various barrel lengths are available, but the 4-round tubular magazine was standard for all versions, though a variety of extended magazines with capacities of up to 9 rounds are available.  Magnum and standard-length cartridge versions were built, though they are separate versions of the M-5500.  The furniture of the M-5500 is synthetic, with metalwork being largely of various grades of steel.  The reliability of the M-5500 is considered excellent, as is the workmanship, and those found today still function just as well.  Unfortunately, the small standard magazines limited their sales.

     Nonetheless, Mossberg did come out with a stockless version for home defense and police use (the Cruiser) with an 18.5-inch barrel, and a “combat” model known as the Guardian (that is not significantly different from the standard 5500 other than a shorter barrel length of 18.5 inches).  Folding stock versions (based on the Cruiser) are also seen regularly, though these are the result of after-market modifications and not of Mossberg manufacture.

Mossberg M-9200

     Notes:  The civilian M-9200 shotgun was introduced in 1992.  It was designed for those who have a lot of problems with the recoil of traditional shotguns, and therefore has not only a thick rubber recoil pad on the butt, but Mossberg’s “Soft Shooting System,” which is a mechanism that further decreases felt recoil.  This also allows the use of many different standard and Magnum loads.

     The M-9200 has metalwork largely of steel (except for minor parts like the trigger guard, and furniture of walnut or synthetic material.  (Synthetic stocks and fore-ends are standard, however).  A Bantam stock can also be had for smaller shooters; this stock has a 1-inch shorter length of pull.  Finishes for the metalwork include a matte black finish which Mossberg calls the “Viking” finish, blued, Parkerized, stainless “Marine” finish, and several camouflage patterns.  Colors for wooden furniture range from a light tan to dark red; finishes for synthetic furniture is normally black or in a variety of camouflage patterns.  Sights range from a ventilated sighting rib with a bead near the muzzle to rifle-type sights and Ghost Ring sights.  There are several barrel lengths available, and there is also a Trophy Slug variant of the M-9200 with a 24-inch rifled barrel (and is, in effect, a large-caliber rifle, through which firing shot is not recommended).  This model has fully-adjustable Ghost Ring-type sights, and is available only with a synthetic stock.

     The M-9200A1 is a military version of the M-9200.  It was used extensively by US Special Forces operating in Central and South America during the US involvement in Central America and Columbia, and thus acquired the nickname "jungle gun."  The primary differences between the civilian and military models are the folding stock (fixed stock versions are also made), the extended magazine, and the gas system, modified to accept a wide variety of standard ammunition types. 

     The M-9200A1 was tuned especially for military 2.75-inch 12 gauge loads, and while it can use a wide variety of 2.75” loads and special ammunition, it is not designed for Magnum ammunition.  (That said, one can chamber and fire Magnum ammunition through an M-9200A1, but it will eventually destroy the gun.)  The finish is in non-reflective black or dark green (or camouflage), and the sights are adjustable rifle-types.  The trigger housing is of aircraft-quality aluminum, while the furniture is synthetic (except for the folding stock, which is largely of aluminum alloy with a rubber butt).  The M-9200A1 uses an 18.5-inch barrel, and the folding-stock version is available only to military, police, or government concerns.

Pancor Jackhammer Mk3A2

      Notes:  The Jackhammer is an automatic assault shotgun designed primarily for military CQB work, but Pancor will also sell it to police departments.  It has a number of novel features, and though it has not had the best sales in the world, it is reportedly in use by several unnamed special operations units worldwide and is supposedly also popular with survivalist-types.  The Jackhammer is compact (though a bit heavy, especially when loaded), reliable, and has a cyclic rate low enough to make it controllable.

     Most of the Jackhammer is built of DuPont Rynite SST (a tough fiberglass-reinforced plastic); this makes the Jackhammer virtually weatherproof as well as giving it the ability to float if thrown in water.  The design is a bullpup form, with a partially-skeletonized stock.  Early versions had no safety or selector lever; this was quickly remedied.  Perhaps its best-known and most unusual feature is its ammunition cassette – instead of a magazine, it employs a rotary cylinder which is loaded into the weapon sort of like some Old West-type revolvers with removable cylinders.  The Jackhammer is cocked after loading by pulling a pump slide on the fore-end back, and the empty cylinder is released by pushing the pump slide forward.  Stoppages due to dud rounds can be easily cleared by pulling back on the pump slide again, advancing the cylinder.  (This may also be used to skip shells if desired.)  The cassette and the rotation mechanism work in a manner quite similar to that of the old Webley-Fosbery semiautomatic revolver.  When firing, the spring-loaded barrel itself moves forward and back, with the breech of the barrel surrounding the cylinder containing the shell.  (This also allows the cassette itself to be made of Rynite SST, allowing it to be lightweight.)  The 20.67-inch barrel is tipped with a simple muzzle brake, though it also greatly increases the muzzle flash.  (Prototypes used an even shorter 17.96-inch barrel.)

     The cassettes are in a further category of unusual; they may be used as antipersonnel mines in a pinch.  The cassette is placed facing up (with the shells pointed up), a pressure plate is attached, a knob is turned, and when stepped upon, all remaining shells in the cassette fire directly upwards into the hapless victim.  When used in this manner, the cassette is called the Beartrap.