There are a lot of affordable 12 gauge shotguns on the market today but perhaps the best value of them all might be the Mossberg Maverick 88 - especially when bought as a security/field combo with interchangeable barrels. In this video we discuss the pros and cons of the 88 and why even if you own other shotguns today that this should be added to your collection.

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Over the past few decades there have been a lot of very affordable firearms coming onto the market – ranging from handguns, bolt action rifles, and shotguns. Lately, many of the Turkish variants (made by Akkar) have hit the market under a number of brand names. My favorite of these, the CZ 612 shown here - which is an 870 action variant, is an amazing value for a lower-budget self-defense shotgun. But Turkey was not the first to start producing low-cost shotguns. In fact, a lot of this started back in 1988 at a boarder town in West Texas - that continues to be as popular today as it was over 25 years ago.
The Maverick 88 12 gauge shotgun started production in 1988 – hence how it got its name – along with the fact that Eagle Pass is located in Maverick County Texas.
The Maverick 88 is basically a less expensive version of the Mossberg 500 – which is one of the most popular pump shotguns of all time. The major differences between the 500 and the Maverick are a trigger guard mounted cross bolt safety (versus Tang), simple steel bluing (versus parkerized finishes), and although assembled in Texas, it has a number of parts built in other countries – namely Mexico - to help keep costs down.
Today Maverick is owned by Mossberg and the majority of Mossberg’s manufacturing has also moved down to Eagle Pass – thanks in large part to the continued migration of gun companies out of hostile blue states.
The version I bought: Security / Field Combo: 18.5” (Security) and 28” (Field) barrels.
Leight Weight - Maverick 88: 6.25 lbs
- Aluminum receiver (Show flashlight)
- Thin-walled barrel
- Polymer Stock
- Poly Trigger housing
- Makes felt recoil pretty pronounced (which are more manageable with lower-recoil loads). This is why I recommend that casual shooters who shoot shotguns under 7 lbs start shooting low-recoil slugs and buckshot loads (show examples) - most of these rounds still shoot at around 1200-1300 fps - which is still faster than most 9mm rounds so even with a lower roil load, it is no slouch.
Trigger pull weight: 4lbs, 6oz (on my Lyman Guage)
Length of Pull: 14inches (same as CZ 612) – I prefer a 12.5” on a tactical/defense shotgun.
• Many after-market stock options: Favorite: Magpul SGA Stock (shim to your desired length of pull
18.5 inch barrel - basic blued finish
• The 8-round model has a 20” barrel
• Field Barrel: 28” with vented ribs and two beads
ACTION was a little clunky and stiff new
Safety is small and in front of trigger (harder to reach and not flush when depressed) vs standard 500/590 in back of receiver -
The 88’s DO NOT have a drilled and tapped receiver to mount a rail and optics (unlike the 500/590)
Accuracy: With stock bead sight – tends to shoot high at 25-50 yards (see option below)
• I wanted a little higher and more visible sight post so I installed: XS Big-Dot Epoxy Tritium Sight over the bead (Higher Post – better impact point)
UPGRADES:
INTERCHANGEABLE Barrels, chokes, stock, front sights, etc. with 500-590
Forend grip is hard to change: grip is pinned in place to the action bars (versus 500/590) – don’t need to change unless wanting to add a light mounted grip.
Now, if you want to really dress-up your Maverick with Magpul furniture, mounting a rail and red dot, new forends, etc. - then spend the extra couple hundred dollars difference and get the model 500/590 instead. The only changes I recommend are:
• Adding a shell card to the receiver (Better than the old hard-shell carriers)
• Adding XS sights
• Adding a Magpul SGA stock if the LOP is simply too short for you
But if you want a solid starter gun for defense and hunting, a Truck gun that you don’t care if it gets beat up, or a home security gun that sits in your house, then it is hard to argue against the value of the Maverick 88.
• Typically half the cost of a 500/590
• Are very reliable action with decades worth of use
• Based on a proven Mossberg design
• At roughly $250 for the combo seen here – you would be hard pressed to find a better and more versatile value on the gun market today.
So, if you have a chance to pick one of these up at a great price, don’t pass up on the chance. As you have seen from my previous videos, I love pump shotguns for their simplicity, versatility, various levels of lethality, and in the case with guns like the Maverick 88, their incredible value.

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