Mossberg 990 Aftershock 12 Gauge: A Hand Cannon Review

Introducing the Mossberg 990 Aftershock

• 🚀 The Mossberg 990 Aftershock is a new semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun designed for fun and serious use.
• 💡 This firearm comes with a bird's head grip and is compatible with Mossberg 590 A1 and 500 series furniture, allowing for customization with pistol grips or stocks (with appropriate paperwork).
• ⚠️ It is a smoothbore firearm and transfers as a standard firearm, not an NFA item, unless a stock is added.

Upgraded Features and Ergonomics

• 🛠️ The 990 Aftershock includes sensible upgrades like a tactical bolt handle, enlarged bolt release, and enlarged safety, all designed for easy operation even with gloved hands.
• 📍 It features M-LOK accessory slots on the forend for attaching accessories like flashlights.
• 🎯 The shotgun has a capacity of 5+1 rounds (five in the tube, one in the chamber) and is described as very light and handy.

Ammunition Performance and Recoil

• 💥 The shotgun handles a variety of ammunition, including heavy combat loads, buckshot, and slugs, though heavier loads can be a handful due to its lightweight design.
• 📊 Tested loads included Hornady Critical Defense double op buckshot (8-pellet, 1600 fps), Federal Power-Shot buckshot (12-pellet, 1290 fps), and Remington low recoil buckshot (8-pellet, 1200 fps).
• 🎯 The gun also accommodates 3-inch shells, such as a 41-pellet #4 buckshot load (1100 fps), though capacity may be reduced to four rounds.

Slugs and Breaching Rounds

• 💣 The review includes testing with shotgun slugs, specifically Berniki 1oz slugs, and old-school Poly-Shock breaching rounds from the 80s.
• ⚠️ The semi-automatic cycling of the breaching rounds was inconsistent, which was not surprising given their nature.
• 📈 The presenter plans to revisit the shotgun after installing a proper stock to further test its accuracy and performance.