The email was telling.

 

I had been invited by Mossberg for their media event which begins today at the famed Gunsite Academy, just a few hours north of me. And, I don’t mind saying I was feeling pretty proud of myself for being on the list of ‘go to’ media for such a major manufacturer.

 

It’s another indication that I have indeed arrived. Yay me!

 

And then…reality set in.

 

 

 

 

There it was, the cold hard fact that not only wasn’t I the first choice, or the second choice, but the choice you make when there ain’t nobody left to invite. I was Ricky Bobby’s trademarked motto brought to life.

 

“If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

 

No worries. It’s not like I haven’t suffered my fair share of indignities, and in the end I was still picked to go.

 

I enjoy going up to Gunsite for these media events. It’s a great opportunity to shoot new products and do so while under the watchful eyes of Gunsite’s instructors. If you are one of those people that has never been to Gunsite but always wanted to go, you definitely should. Take a look at the long list of classes they offer and find one that suits you and sign up.

 

For this media event we will apparently be checking out some firearms for the law enforcement segment of the market. That’s why Rich Grassi, editor of The Tactical Wire, got the nod over me. That totally makes sense…but it still stings.

 

The funny thing about Mossberg shotguns and me is that I wasn’t always a fan. Allow me to explain.

 

You ever go into a gun shop and talk to a guy behind the counter whose entire opinion is based on branding image and lacks any kind of hands-on expertise? Well that was me way back about 23-24 years ago.

 

I was working at a Gander Mountain in Utica Michigan – shoutout to anybody reading this that remembers the store and the solid crew that worked there – and my entire opinion of American made shotguns was Remington was the king of the hill and Mossberg was a distant second.

 

Just looking at the catalogs for the two companies at that time indicated a difference with Remington’s looking much better and Mossberg’s looking, well, bland.

 

Let me be very clear about this. If your opinion of a company’s products is based heavily on how their catalog looks, and just a greater brand awareness of one over another, you are an idiot. I know because I was that idiot.

 

My opinion of Mossberg changed during one simple customer interaction with a Michigan waterfowler who waxed poetic about his Mossberg. He had me laughing as he described how unbeatable it was, going so far as to tell me he could use it as a boat oar and it would never miss a beat.

 

This guy, some 20-plus years ago was an actual, honest-to-God influencer and he didn’t even know it. In just a couple minutes he sold me on Mossberg as a rock-solid brand of shotgun. Within a few months I ended up buying the discounted model 835 pump that had been sitting in the Gander Mountain rack quietly collecting dust.

 

As time went by, Mossberg’s brand grew in prominence as I learned more about the overall firearms industry. The guy I replaced at a Maryland ad agency had gone on to work in marketing at Mossberg. The graphic designer I worked with at that agency (excellent work, highly recommend) went on to handle much of Mossberg’s design work. And my good friend Mark Kresser, who I worked with at Sig, went to Mossberg to be their VP of Marketing and Sales.

 

Suddenly I knew a lot more about the company than one gets from an old, dated looking catalog and being more familiar with its main competitor. And my appreciation for their product line grew to the point I’d recommend a Mossberg firearm in a heartbeat if asked.

 

In fact, I have one of their 590A1 Magpul edition pumps which I am pretty sure hits like God’s own hammer. I have a 590S Shockwave because, well, why the hell not. I even borrowed tactical shotguns, a 590S and a 940 Pro Tactical, and took them dove hunting with Jeremiah Polacek of Wolfe Publishing. We had a blast. He’s out hunting right now so I can say this with complete confidence: I definitely out-shot him.

 

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Mossberg, the company I once thought was a second fiddle to Remington, is now the biggest shotgun maker and going strong.

 

‘Big Green’ ain’t so big anymore after Cerberus Capital Management acquired it for $370 million in 2007, ran up dept to the tune of $950 million by 2018, dealt with the Sandy Hook lawsuits and subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2020 before selling off its various components in an auction.

 

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

 

Later today I’ll be having dinner with the folks from Mossberg and the cadre of media types that attend the company’s new product reveals. Some writers I will know, others I may be meeting for the first time. Luckily they give you name tags to use out of the range so remembering who’s who shouldn’t be a problem. I’m just hoping my name tag doesn’t read “Last Choice Paul.”