Mossberg Reinvents Itself With Bold New Guns

By Cameron Hopkins (RSS)

November 10, 2011

Don’t look now, but a brand-new 90-year-old gun company is reinventing itself. O.F. Mossberg & Sons has become a dynamo of innovation, far removed from the staid, stodgy pump-shotgun maker that you might have previously thought of the Connecticut-based manufacturer. Today’s Mossberg is not your great-grandfather’s Mossberg.


Oscar Frederick Mossberg immigrated to the United States from Sweden in 1886 and went to work for Iver Johnson in a bicycle plant. Iver Johnson went on to become well-known for affordable revolvers. In 1919, the senior Mossberg, with his sons Iver and Harold, founded O.F. Mossberg & Sons with a four-barreled .22 caliber handgun known as the “Brownie.”


Ever versatile, O.F. Mossberg branched out into manufacturing everything from target rifles to sailboats, but firearms remained its core business. Today, the company remains the oldest and largest family-owned gunmaker in America.


At the NASGW Show last week, there was word that Mossberg would soon unveil two new lever-actions—a tactical gun with rails, and a Zombie gun based on the 464— that will really show how the company is rebranding itself as a market-driven force.


Of course, earlier this year Mossberg announced its MMR (Mossberg Modern Rifle), an AR-15 derivative with all the tacti-cool bells and whistles.


Even more exciting things are waiting for SHOT Show in January with rumors of a new handgun floating around the NASGW floor. Mossberg’s Vice President of sale and marketing Tom Taylor allowed a sly grin when asked about it.


“All I will say is that there are lots of rumors about what Mossberg will be introducing for 2012 at the SHOT Show,” Taylor said. “I get kick out of hearing [rumors about new products].”


Nothing would surprise me at this stage, not from this brand-new 90-year-old company.


Tags:  blogs,  industry insider,  mossberg firearms,  mossberg zombie killer,  o.f. mossberg,  tactical lever action

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3 Responses to Mossberg Reinvents Itself With Bold New Guns

mangiarotti wrote:
May 09, 2012

CAC 45-1 Combat Model Only one item exist? Bruxelles 2010.07.29 Vittorio Mangiarotti 204/13 avenue de Tervuren 1150 Bruxelles Belgium E.U. mangiarotti@base.be The project was developed by Bo Clerke for C.A.C Corporation in 1978 and restarted in 1979 by A.I.G inc. (associated with the Mossberg line) under the “ X-2 A.I.G's Combat .45” denomination. A non functioning prototype n°0001 was presented at the 'Shot-Show' in 1979 The prototype was the subject of an article written by Ralph Glaze in the 1979 annual edition of 'Guns & Ammo' A functioning second prototype was launched exclusively to the army and so we have lost track of them. According to an old employee of Mossberg only one or two prototypes were made and the pistol never entered into production. The National Association of Mossberg Collectors of Missouri can't find any trace of more than two prototypes. Two pictures appear in the Mossberg catalogue in 1980 exhibiting a price tag of 349,50$ The first photo show a similar gun but with rounded 'finger guards' and finely checkered grips without any markings. The second one illustrates the pistol we have but marked "Military 45 Acp- Combat Model" and with horrible Colt grips. The gun is also reviewed on page 219 of Selearmi (Mondadori edition 1980) It is interesting to see that the photos in Selearmi and Guns & Ammo show exactly the same gun, number 0001 with highly modified Colt 1911 grips, side extractor, non checkered safety. To sum up, unless there has been a bit of photo manipulation in the Mossberg catalogue, we have: 1. The first prototype n°0001, non functioning and labelled "A.I.G Corp." 2. A second gun substantially different but without any labels or distinguishing marks in the Mossberg catalogue. 3. A third gun, in the Mossberg catalogue labelled «Military 45 Acp - Combat Model» 4. Our gun which is apparently identical to 3. but with grips which are very differents and ma

ripjack13 wrote:
March 25, 2012

Denise, I would contact Mossberg again, and tell them you want a return shipping label and a new part. Do not except anything else. If that person you spoke to will not give in, go to the next up in charge.

Denise wrote:
November 23, 2011

I would be careful buying certain Mosberg rifles and where I just purchased one and it only fired 2 shels and now wont fire anything the bolt is faulty I had it checked and the company wants to charge me additional money to send another bolt at my expense