Today we're looking at another Mossberg Shotgun. The 935 Magnum is their 3.5-inch semi-auto. This shotgun has been around for quite some time. We don't always pick up a 3.5-inch shotgun as our first choice, but some of y'all love a 3.5-inch, and our reviews are for you, the viewer! So we're going to break down this shotgun, see what it's all about, and hopefully help you determine whether or not this 935 Magnum Mossberg is worth considering. Let's get into it.

If you have experience with Mossberg shotguns please let us know your thoughts on the TFL COMMUNITY!   

The 935 was designed to be a waterfowl shotgun (Pictured: 935 Magnum Waterfowl in Mossy Oak Shadow grass) The Mossy Oak 935 is $917

MOSSBERG 935 MAGNUM

Here is what Mossberg has to say about the 935:

• Specs

  • 12 Gauge gas driven semi-auto - Only available in 12ga. (There are turkey version available in sub-gauge with shorter barrels)
  • 3.5" chamber.
  • 28" barrels.
  • Comes with 3 flush chokes (IC, M, F) This runs the Accu set choke system. Looking for aftermarket chokes? Check out Carlson's Chokes Use Code "targetfocused20" for 20% off.
  • 8lbs - This shotgun is a bit heavy. But when it comes to waterfowl hunting, this is no issue. Especially when shooting those bigger loads.
  • Our average trigger pull weight was 4lbs 9oz. Quite impressed with the weight of this crispy trigger pull.
  • Length of pull is 14" - There are no spacers with this shotgun. 14" is short for us. We'd add a Falcon Strike to add length, and mitigate recoil in the process. However, Mossberg does include a shim kit to adjust drop.
  • Drop at comb in 1 3/8"
  • Drop at heel is 2 1/8" 
  • MSRP is $832
  • The 935 lineup includes a couple of turkey options, as well as couple of camo options, including their Magnum Waterfowl PRO which is just a couple hundred dollars more.

• Ergonomics

  • This is a budget waterfowl shotgun through and through. The entire shotgun is synthetic/plastic. This is apparent when you feel the gun.
  • The recoil pad actually has some decent squish to it unlike many shotguns at this price point.
  • The stock is completely composite with no cheek piece.
  • The pistol grip has a very aggressive grip to it. This gun isn't going anywhere in the hands, but without gloves you'll find the grips to be sharp.
  • Mossberg is famous for rockin' a top tang safety on most of their shotguns. We think that this is great ergonomically speaking. Mossberg recently updated their safeties to include more of a cutout for your thumb. This was an awesome upgrade and makes the safety very easy to use. Their older safeties didn't have much geometry to them.  
  • The 935 trigger guard is also a polymer/plastic material. There is definitely adequate room in there if you were to shot the 935 with gloves on. This trigger group is unique in the sense that it has a small indicator on the inside that will pop out when the bolt is in battery and ready to fire. Once the chamber is empty, the indicator will disappear.
  • The receiver is very basic, but is drilled and tapped on top for an optic.
  • The bolt handle is not over-sized. It's very standard, but adequate.
  • The bolt release button is also not oversized, but big enough to be easily functional.
  • The loading port is not milled out (like you'd find on a 940 pro)
  • This shotgun has swivel studs for a sling.
  • The rib is flat off the receiver and vented. The barrel sports a medium red fiber on front.
  • Mossberg claims this shotgun to be "Smooth" - We find that this will likely be true as it is quite forward heavy due to its gas system. The Mossberg gas system is fantastic which we'll look at later in build quality.

• Recoil and Reliability

  
  
  • Sometimes 3.5 inch shotguns will have trouble with cycling light target loads. This Mossberg gas system had no trouble pumping out our Federal Top Gun.
  • On top of that, the target load recoil was basically non-existent. We felt that this 935 was really steady and smooth. Not a lot of muzzle jump.
  • We often will opt for a gas gun over an inertia gun. Yes their dirtier, and yes, there are more moving parts, but when it comes to recoil, reliability, and actually shooting the gun, we appreciate a good gas system. Mossberg has definitely dialed in their gas system to create a great shooting experience.
  • We also shot Federals new Ultra Steel round through the 935. Recoil was great. It went straight back into the shoulder, and cycled without an issue.
  • We don't say this often, but the recoil with our 3.5" shells was not bad at all. The 935 managed recoil very well. So far, this may be the highlight of the 935.
  • If you can speak to the reliability of a 935, please let us know how it's held up on the  TFL COMMUNITY!    

• Breakdown/Quality of Build

  • The question with any shotgun is "How does the build quality hold up relative to price?" You'd often assume that a cheaper gun will have a lower quality. However that isn't always the case.
  • The 935 has an over-bored barrel. The circumference of the 12 gauge is closer to that of a 10 gauge. This is suppose to create better patterns, and lead to less deformation/wear and tear of the barrel over time. A lot of companies are offering this now and the logic certainly makes sense to us: More material=more structural integrity=better longevity of the gun.
  • Like we said, gas guns are heavier out front because of the increased number of internal components. This makes break-down a bit more complicated as there are more parts to keep track of.
  • With that said, this Mossberg gas system is not nearly as complicated as other gas guns on the market.
  • The trigger group pops out with a two pin design. Speaking of the trigger, yes, its is mostly constructed of plastic, but out of the box it was very light and very crisp.
  • The first thing we noticed with the gun taken apart was that a lot of the internals dirtied up more than we would have expected with only a couple boxes of ammo through this shotgun. Even the trigger group had some build up.
  • We found that some of the internals, and particularly the receiver resembled that of the Mossberg 940 shotguns. We've had a lot of experience using and abusing the 940 platform for live shows and have had good experiences over all with the build quality over time. (Assuming you take care of and clean your gun) We believe that the internals of the 935 should hold up about the same.
  • For the money, we think that this 935 is build pretty good. When it comes to the looks/aesthetics, we don't love the straight black polymer. However this is just personal preference. Any way you go should be about the same quality wise. It certainly won't win any beauty contest, but we think the 935 will win you over when you consider that you're getting a well build 3.5 inch work-horse that runs reliably for a very attractive price.

• Speed Shooting The 935

  • In every review, we typically do a speed shooting test where we hand throw 3 clays and record the time it takes to get on the clays, and shoot all of them. This test reveals a lot about the functionality of the gun such as mountability, target acquisition, trigger, recoil, and reliability. This may not be how you will use the gun, but with our trick-shooting background, we find this to be a fun and effective way to test every aspect of the shotgun through the lens of our experience.
  • The recoil management became a stand-out highlight of the 935 the more we shot it. We love a good Mossberg gas system.
  • The 935 mounted and got on clays very naturally. We were able to crush 3 clays in 1.28 seconds on our very first attempt.
  • This is maybe in the weeds a bit, but you'll see a 3.5" chamber record marginally slower split times due to the extra length that the bolt has to travel to cycle. You won't notice this, but although our shooting was very successful, our split times were consistently slower than other shotguns. Our fastest split time was .17 seconds.
  • Our fastest overall time was a .95 - We have have had a minor false start, but any time hovering around 1 second is pretty dang fast. Especially with a 3.5" shotgun.
  • Speed shooting was another highlight of this shotgun. Of course loved the speed we were able to accomplish, but pretty much everything cycled, and we had good success crushing clays. The recoil management was also great during speed shooting.

This Mossberg 935 certainly has more going for it than against it. For a 3.5", this was a very reliable gun. The biggest upside to this shotgun is the price point. What this shotgun lacks in looks, is made up for 10-fold in how well it shoots and manages recoil. If you're looking for a tank of a shotgun, this 935 is absolutely worth considering when it comes to waterfowl hunting. If you wanted to dabble in some clay shooting with this shotgun you certainly could as well. The forward balance of this 935 will create a very smooth swing. So if 3.5" and waterfowl hunting is your thing, we think you should consider the Mossberg 935 Magnum!

Whether our targets in the field or our targets in life, we will only hit what we are focused on, so live the #targetfocusedlife