Wtf is this thing?

It is the limiting plug, if you are going to hunt with this shotgun, check your state laws, you might need to put it back in. If not, lose it.

 

Yes. When used for hunting the dowel will limit the magazine's capacity to 2 or 3 shells. You would be surprised how many times people have posted about not being able to load more than 2 rounds into their new Mossberg only to find that it shipped with the plug in the mag tube.

It looks like you got them both but those o-rings frequently get caught up in the mag tube, if you need a plug for hunting I would recommend ditching the wooden dowel for a single plastic plug.

 

The laws on migratory game birds is federal not state.

 

The resale value of your gun, is somewhat better, if all that came in the box, moves on to the next owner. I would save that original plug.

Mossberg makes a great shotgun, my personal favorite, or right up there.

 

All I know is in CA any and all wingshooting must be done with that plug. You are limited to 3 rounds. 2+ 1 in the chamber.

 

Is that just a bit of dowel?

 

Dowel and rubber o-rings. Yessir.

 

Wow, the engineering dept kinda phoned it in that day.
I thought the cheesy plastic bit that came with my browning was cheap looking.
On the plus side, replacements can be had in any Lowe's or ACE hardware.

 

A #2 pencil works too.

 

Why bother with some kind of titanium alloy when a wooden dowel works just as well?

 

I know it works. It's just that pulling apart your brand new shotgun and finding a stick has to be a bit of a letdown.

 

Not as bad as not finding it and getting to the range and not being able to get more than 2 shells in the tube.

 

To satisfy the mall ninjas searching for that tactical limiting plug.

 

Its a plug so you can only load 2 shells into the magazine to make it legal for hunting

 

Its mossbergs way of making a legal hunting gun without having to completely reengineer the magazine tube