The tactical black shotgun has been built in numerous configurations and companies have picked up on our desire to make them our own. Mossberg now offers a staggering array of options on their 500 platform. But what do you do if you have a stock shotgun and you want to dress it up? No worries. Advanced Technology International is here to help you out.
Advanced Technology International
ATI makes a wide variety of the extras. The company makes excellent after market parts here in the United States (this is important for AK fans concerned about 922r compliance).
The Mossberg 590A1 as it comes from Mossberg.
I’d picked up a Mossberg 590A1 for review a month or so ago. The gun itself is a beast. If you’ve ever handled a 500, you would have a reference point for the 590 line. They feel like a slightly heavier 500. They are even more sturdy (if that’s possible). But I had specifically requested the A1, with its basic furniture, knowing that I was going to be changing things.
The first thing to go was the 590’s stock. ATI’s Talon Tactical Shotgun Stock resembles extendable AR stocks, and allows the length of pull to be modified easily. The height of the cheek rest is clearly meant to be used with optics, and would be ideal for a red dot, though it makes using iron sights a bit more complicated.
The forend of the Mossberg was a simple plastic piece with deep grooves. ATI makes a number of for ends, but the Talon Five Sided Forend may be the most useful. It is aluminum, and is tapped to accept any number of add-ons. The snippets of rail are dovetailed, and tapped.
A SureFire Scout Light on an ATI Talon Forend on a Mossberg 590A1
I like hand straps on shotguns with shorter barrels. They are just an extra measure of insurance, and allow shooters to move fast with the assurance that their hands will stay safe. The five-sided forend allows for the strap to be put on countless different ways.
The small rails are especially useful on the 590, as it has a bayonet lug. Most shotgun lights are positioned directly below the magazine tube, in line with the tube and the barrel. But this is where the bayonet goes, too. And unless you want to illuminate the hilt of the bayonet, a light needs to hang off one side or the other. The Talon forend allows you to mount an external light at several different positions.
The heatshield is a bit more complicated. The bayonet lug on the 590 prevents the Halo Heatshield from attaching in the right spot. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit. It just doesn’t fit exactly like a heat shield should. But only on this one version of the 590, with the extended tube and the bayonet lug.
On the 500 pictured here, it fits exactly right. The rear snaps over the barrel, just above the receiver. The front end is held in place with bolts that thread into two additional pieces of rail. The result is a secure connection that will help prevent burns. If you use your shotgun for any sort of tactical purposes, or competitions, a hot barrel can be dangerous (or just damn annoying).
As the heatshield covers up the Mossberg’s bead sight, it is equipped with a ghost ring sight that works well.
One thing that I would mention. Adding these extras increases the weight. The 590A1 isn’t Twiggy. And when you add a rails, a light, a bayonet, the heat shield, etc., the barrel gets harder to hold up. At the dress rehearsal for this piece, we had eight shells in the gun, and more on the front strap. The 590 didn’t kick up quite like it did when it was naked, but it weighed a lot.
The Talon Forend sells for $79.99. The Talon Stock sells for $99.99, and the Halo Heat Shield for $49.99.
A shotgun is, after all, a tool. It should do the job it is designed to do to the best of its ability. Mossberg has taken care of most of that. But the rest is up to you. An adjustable stock will assure a proper fit. The Talon forend allows for versatile positioning of the extras. A heat shield will help with comfort and safety.
ATI’s furniture helps shooters reach that delicate balance of form, fit, and function. And they make add-ons for much more than shotguns. AKs, AR-15s, shotguns, Enfields, Mausers…the list is surprisingly inclusive. So if you have something you want to dress up, check out ATI.
Special thanks to Bob Lawman at Firearms Novelity for the use of his range.
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