[RichardW]

Do you want to hear something really stupid? Yesterday I purchased a Mossberg "pump action" shotgun. It comes fitted with a wooden dowel to prevent more than two shells from being inserted in order to protect "migrating birds." Of course, any idiot, including me, can remove this dowel (it's even in the instructions) so you can use its full capacity. Evidently this was done to meet the requirements of some idiotic law that congress passed. I predict that no more gun laws will be passed so long as we have terrorism on our doorstep.

[VRWCmember]

It comes fitted with a wooden dowel to prevent more than two shells from being inserted in order to protect "migrating birds." Of course, any idiot, including me, can remove this dowel (it's even in the instructions) so you can use its full capacity. Evidently this was done to meet the requirements of some idiotic law that congress passed. I predict that no more gun laws will be passed so long as we have terrorism on our doorstep.

If you are hunting migratory birds (ducks, dove, etc.), you will want that dowel in your gun. (If a game warden catches you hunting without it, you will be subject to a fine probably higher than the price of your shotgun.) As long as you are not hunting migratory birds, there is no reason to have the dowel installed, so it is nice to know how to remove it and use the full capacity of the gun.

What exactly is your complaint about this convenient feature that allows you to have more capacity in your shotgun, yet still be able to convert it to comply with the wildlife department regulations?

[SJackson]

Do you want to hear something really stupid? Yesterday I purchased a Mossberg "pump action" shotgun. It comes fitted with a wooden dowel to prevent more than two shells from being inserted in order to protect "migrating birds."

If you should decide to hunt migratory birds, don't leave home without it, a big no no, though I admit there's no logic to it that I can understand.

[SJackson]

Do you want to hear something really stupid? Yesterday I purchased a Mossberg "pump action" shotgun. It comes fitted with a wooden dowel to prevent more than two shells from being inserted in order to protect "migrating birds."

If you should decide to hunt migratory birds, don't leave home without it, a big no no, though I admit there's no logic to it that I can understand.

[spqrzilla9]

Federal law requires that a shotgun being used to hunt migratory waterfowl hold no more than 3 shells ( except for some special seasons ). Mossburg was doing you a favor by selling you the means to block the magazine and easily comply with the law. By the way, many states have similar laws for upland game birds.

You are supposed to be able to remove it ( the law requires only that disassembly be required to remove it so that you can't flip it back in on seeing a game warden ).

[Redleg Duke]

The magazine plug for the shotgun is a standard item. It was made mandatory for migratory waterfowl hunting when the repeating shotgun was introduced. You can remove it and if you are caught with a capacity greater than 3 rounds, you lose. Play by the rules and no problem. Use your shotgun for upland game birds or deer and you can remove the plug.

I don't get the big deal you are making out of this. Hunters for years, by and large, have followed the rules. That is why gun control laws are so ludicrous! These laws are enacted to protect us from people who don't obey laws in the first place and only are effective against the people that you don't need these laws for in the first place!

[gundog]

Evidently this was done to meet the requirements of some idiotic law that congress passed.

It was done to prevent "sky-busting" morons from wounding(and losing)more birds than they already do. Not all laws are stupid or unnecessary.

[Britton J Wingfield]

I have shotguns twice my age that came with the dowel in them. Since I don't hunt, the dowel goes in the woodchipper.

[Berthold]

It comes fitted with a wooden dowel to prevent more than two shells from being inserted in order to protect "migrating birds."

This is actually for hunting - some states - and my own Commonwealth of PA - limit the number of shots you may quickly fire to keep matters sporting. For home defense or other non-hunting use, the magazine limit *should* be easily removable - this allows the firearm to be legal for multiple purposes.

[sam_paine]

Evidently this was done to meet the requirements of some idiotic law that congress passed.

Uh, Richard, that's done as part of the hunting laws....simply to give the wildlife a fair shot, and keep it a sport instead of a slaughter.

Same reason there's a duck "season" that's legislated. You don't have a problem with poaching laws, do you? They're good for the sport and the health of the wildlife population. You don't fish with dynamite do you?

BTW, you can shoot ducks with a fully loaded 5 shell magazine if you desire, but you will be heavily fined if'n yer caught. And you ought to be if you do!!