The Adaptive Tactical Venom-SE is a magazine conversion kit for for Mossberg 500 and 590 shotguns in 12 guage. The complete kit comes with a new forend with the magazine adapter, a pistol grip adjustable stock, and either a 10 round box magazine or a 10 round drum magazine. Adaptive Tactical sent me the multi-cam kit with the "Wraptor" forend, 10 round magazine, and pistol grip adjustable stock. The offerings from them are available in a variety of patterns. The kit only works with 2 3/4" shells. Because the kit puts the magazine in front of the standard loading gate, it causes the user to have to put their support hand farther out, so some users may have trouble cycling the shotgun completely, especially those of smaller stature.
Installation of the Venom-SE kit wasn't extremely hard. If you know how to disassemble the 500, including the magazine tube, you should be able to complete the install. If not, Adaptive Tactical does offer installation. After you have made sure the firearm is unloaded, remove the barrel, trigger group, left & right shell stops, bolt carrier, forend, shell lifter, and finally the magazine tube. The kit has decent instructions on this, so don't feel overwhelmed. Since the Venom-SE kit also comes with a new stock, the old one must also be removed. Now it is time to install the magazine tube adapter. To do this, screw the supplied tube into the receiver threads. It most likely will not line up with the magazine tube on the bottom. So one must sand the end of the tube down. This process takes a while, so be patient. After some sanding, try the tube again. Eventually the mag well will be parallel to the sides of the receiver, you are now done with the hardest part. Now it's time to reinstall all the parts with the new ones supplied. The only strange part in the installation is that the left side shell plate is not reinstalled. I tried it with both shell plates installed and the shotgun had problems feeding. When I removed it, the problems went away, so do follow this step. When installing the stock, you must choose one of 2 spacers that go between the receiver and the stock. One has a slot for a sling, and the other does not.
The kit comes with one 10 round magazine, and a 5 round box magazine is also available. Adaptive Tactical also sent a 10 round drum magazine for me to try out, as well. I really liked the 10rd stick magazine as it functioned flawlessly in my tests. The 10rd drum magazine, however, did not function nearly as well. The shotgun would sometimes fail to pick up a round out of it. At first, I thought maybe it was from me short stroking the slide, but I made a point to push forward and backward on the forend until it stopped, and the drum mag would still not always pick up a round, about 1-2 times every magazine. The drum magazine is shorter than the stick mag and the drum sits out to one side off of center. Because the drum is offset, they made it ambidextrous, which is a very nice feature. To insert the magazines, you must first put the front of the mag in, and then rock it back and up, very much like an AK mag. To remove the magazine, you must push the magazine release lever behind the mag, and then rock it out, also like an AK.
My favorite part of the kit is the AR-15 style M-4 stock with a built in pistol grip. The stock is adjustable for length, and has built in cups for quick detach sling swivels. The pistol grip was very comfortable and has a storage compartment in it. The base to the storage compartment was extremely hard to get on and off, since Adaptive doesn't mention that it has storage, it makes me think that maybe they know this. On the stock is also one of the most comfortable butt pads I have ever used. It is about and inch thick and really cuts down on felt recoil. Because this is a pistol grip stock on a Mossberg, you can not get to the safety without removing your hand from the pistol grip (the safety is on top of the action.)
The Wraptor forend has 3 picatinny rails mounted on an elevated platform that sits above the barrel. 1 rail on top, and 1 on each side. The forend uses a sight tunnel through the rails. The tunnel is very large and may actually help one to find the front sight or bead quicker. It's kind of like looking through a red dot sight. The rail on the top of the Wraptor forend is too high to put a red dot on (I tried) and is probably best suited for some sort of flashlight. Also on the forend are some threaded holes to use the supplied kelly grip. The grip is basically like a vertical foregrip but attaches to the side of the forend. The kelly grip is stouter than I thought it would be. It worked fine also, but seemed a little awkward. The Wraptor also is designed in such a way that there is a lip on the backside to help from getting your hand pinched when cycling the shotgun.
If you are interested in getting a magazine conversion for your Mossberg, Check out the offerings from Adaptive Tactical. These kits are made from a polymer that is extremely rugged and feels almost like aluminum. They also offer different options than the kit I received. So if you just want the magazine conversion kit with a forend, or maybe just the stock, they have options available.
Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points
Claim to Fame: Magazine Conversion for Mossberg 500 shotguns
Target Market: Shooters wanting easier loading or maybe Heavy class 3-gun shooters
FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):
- Magazine conversion
- 5 rd box, 10 rd,box or 10 rd drum magazines
- Pistol grip adjustable stock
- Forend with picatinny rails
What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?
- Black
- Kryptek
- A-TACS
- Multicam
- Desert Digital
Price point:
MSRP = $339.99 (as received with Wraptor Forend, 10 rd box mag, and stock in multicam)
$299.99 (Wraptor Forend, 10 rd box mag, and stock in black)
$229.99 (Wraptor Forend with 10 rd box magazine)
$199.99 (Standard forend with 5 rd box magazine)
I need it now! Availability: You can readily purchse the Venom-SE magazine conversion directly from Adaptive Tactical.
Our Rating:
Pros:
- Adjustable stock
- Pistol grip
- "Wraptor" forend
- 10 round magazine
- Pattern options
- QD sockets built in
- Ambidextrous drum magazine
- It's now a Magazine fed shotgun!
Cons:
- Installation
- Safety isn't easily reached
- Drum magazine didn't function as good
- Price (though less expensive variants are available)
Score: 7.5 Good
Chad's Favorite Link: U.S. Tactical Supply
