Update
In this article
This is our first look at the Maverick 88. Since then, we read your comments, shot it again, and put a new one through a full torture test, and we changed our minds on durability. Read our complete Mossberg Maverick 88 review.
A lot of you asked us to review a truly cheap pump shotgun, and the Mossberg Maverick 88 is about as affordable as they come. We picked one up from Reeds Sports and put it through our standard review: ergonomics, trigger, breakdown, recoil, reliability, and speed shooting. These were our first impressions.
Quick take
Verdict: A bare-bones pump with a heavy trigger, stiff slide, and plenty of recoil out of the box. It works, but it does not hide where the savings come from.
Best for: Shooters who want the lowest-cost pump they can find and do not mind some rough edges.
Skip it if: Smooth handling, a light trigger, and refinement matter more to you than price.
Maverick 88 ergonomics and feel
The first thing we noticed was that the slide sat pretty far forward for our arm length, and it felt shaky and slippery. Like most pumps, the gun is front heavy, and the Maverick is more front heavy than most.
The safety is very small and feels cheap, almost like it belongs on a toy. On the plus side, the slide release is conveniently located, the recoil pad is generic but not bad, and you get a brass mid-bead plus an ivory front bead. The loading port edges are sharp, so if you are slamming shells in, your hands will notice. Overall, it is a very average build: polymer all around and nothing fancy, which is what you expect at this price.
Trigger
The trigger averaged 8 lb 0.9 oz on our gauge. It is chunky and heavy, and it made speed shooting a challenge.
Breakdown and build quality
Breaking it down was harder than we expected for such a basic pump, and the trigger pins came out very easily. There are a lot of moving parts for a simple design. With the barrel off, the rest of the gun feels very light. At the time, we guessed that a lot of shooting would wear those parts down quickly. That guess turned out to be wrong. More on that in our Maverick 88 torture test.
Recoil and reliability
Recoil is one downside of pump shotguns, and cheap pumps especially. Target loads got us in the face. Part of that was fit, since the gun was short for us, and fit makes a big difference in how recoil feels. If recoil is a concern, a recoil reduction pad helps. See our Falcon Strike recoil pad test.
The slide was tough to run when new, and back-to-back shots did not always cycle consistently, even at slower speeds. It shot fine for this review, but we had not owned it long enough to judge long-term reliability.
Speed shooting
Our best time on three hand-thrown clays was 1.61 seconds, which is slower than the semi-autos we usually run.
Pros and cons
Pros
- One of the most affordable pumps you can buy
- Brass mid-bead and ivory front bead
- Well-placed slide release
Cons
- Heavy trigger, about 8 lb
- Stiff, loose-feeling slide when new
- Cheap-feeling safety and sharp loading port
- Harder to break down than expected
Is the Maverick 88 a good cheap pump shotgun?
After this first look, we called the Maverick 88 bottom of the barrel and said it would not be our first pick among ultra-affordable guns. You let us know you disagreed, and a lot of you shared years of trouble-free use. So we shot it again, owned up to what we got wrong, and then tried to destroy one. It survived. For the full story and our updated verdict, read our complete Mossberg Maverick 88 review.
Still shopping for a budget pump? Compare the Stevens 320 and the Mossberg 500. What has your experience been with the Maverick 88? Tell us in the discussion.
