The Maverick 88 is a less costly, simplified version of the 12 gauge, pump action, Mossberg 500 shotgun. A factory stock Maverick 88 features a black synthetic stock and foregrip, cylinder bore (although chokes are available), and a cross-bolt safety. Most accessories are cross-compatible with the Mossberg 500. The Maverick line of shotguns are assembled in Eagle Pass, Texas using foreign (non-USA) manufactured parts, (mainly from Mexico). This contributes to their relatively lower price in comparison to the Mossberg 500 series of shotguns, which are fully assembled and manufactured in the USA. The trigger groups will not interchange between Maverick 88 and Mossberg 500 guns, but the majority of other parts will, including barrels, stocks, and shell magazines (the barrel and magazines must be the same length).

	The Mossberg Maverick 88

The Maverick 88 has a very simple pump action shotgun design. There are minimal moving parts, and as long as it is properly lubed, it should do its job. The Maverick 88 uses Mossberg’s accu-choke system, which is a tool-free choke system. If you feel your shot pattern isn’t slaying zombies as efficiently as possible, you can throw on a tighter choke in a matter of seconds with just your bare hands. Some additional information for those of you who want to be prepared: you can pick up one of these with the proper paperwork for about $200 at your local sporting goods store. Once you’ve obtained one, the aftermarket following for these guns is pretty extensive, being the Maverick 88 is a Mossberg 500 clone. You can easily upgrade the grip, shoulder stock, and barrel with all sorts of tactical accessories that will best suit your zombie exterminating needs. Plus, being that the Maverick is so simple, you can easily install these upgrades with nothing more than a screwdriver and Allen wrench.

Effectiveness varies with a shotgun due to the ammunition it uses. At a distance, like any shotgun, the Maverick 88 is useless. Even with the tightest choke in the end of the barrel, the spread of pellets eventually gets too wide to do any serious damage to a zombie. However, the spread of pellets makes the Maverick 88, or any shotgun for that matter, an ideal close range weapon because it requires minimal user precision. Basically, if you can point the shotgun in the general direction of the zombie you want to kill, then odds are that zombie will die. The shorter the range, the more damage you’ll do since pellets will stay in a tighter group causing more concentrated damage. Decapitating a zombie is totally possible once the zombie gets between 5 to 10 yards depending on the choke you’re using.

There is another side to the Maverick 88 though, should you get a hold of a rifled choke or fully rifled barrel, a Maverick can be quickly equipped with either of these items to become a full range weapon. The rifled choke/barrel allows the gun to accurately shoot .50 caliber slugs, which can devastate a zombie at any range up to and exceeding 100 yards. Unfortunately, you’ll need a calibrated scope to utilize the full range of a slug, but that doesn’t mean you should discount the slug if you don’t have a scope. At close range, the slug can be an ammo saver especially in an area densely populated with our flesh eating friends. If you can get a shot where more than one zombie is lined up single file, then take it. A single slug can easily travel through the rotting domes of several zombies before it loses power.

	#4 Buckshot Ballistics Test

The 12 gauge shotshell is an extremely flexible and abundant piece of ammunition. You can find 12 gauge ammunition almost anywhere; sporting goods stores, police stations, even in many homes. The 12 gauge shot shell is basically a small cylinder packed with a strong powder charge, and pellets of varying sizes known as “shot”. 12 gauge shotshells usually come in three sizes 2 ¾” 3” and 3 ½”. The Maverick 88 can utilize 2 ¾” and 3” shells. For zombie slaying I’d recommend a full choke with 00 buckshot since it will still provide decent spread while maintaining reasonable effectiveness at 40 yards.

As stated in the effectiveness section, the Maverick 88 when properly equipped can also fire .50 caliber slugs. Instead of having a bunch of little pellets being fired in a group, you have one huge projectile being fired out of your shotgun. This has many benefits over the standard 12 gauge shotgun shell. Unfortunately slugs are far less abundant than 12 gauge shotshells and you need the proper gun modifications to fire them accurately.

Portability varies depending on your Maverick 88 setup. A stock Maverick 88 field model isn’t very portable especially with the 28 inches (71.12 cm) barrel and its lack of a sling. The overall dimensions of a stock Maverick 88 Field are about 50 inches (127 cm) long and about 6lbs (2.72kg). This can be easily fixed though. Despite its length it’s still pretty light, and a sling would greatly offset the problems with its length. Also, if you like being prepared and already own a Maverick 88, invest in aftermarket accessories such as a pistol grip and stubby 18 inches (45.72 cm) barrel, so you can be ready for the zombie invasion with a sweet hand held zombie guillotine. Another option, should you find yourself a Maverick 88 or any shotgun on your way to the resistance hold, out is to modify your shotgun on the spot. This will require a hack saw and 5 minutes so you can trim the fat off an oversized boomstick.

The Maverick 88 would be very practical if it weren’t for its size and low ammo capacity. Although the portability issue can be easily remedied, the ammo capacity cannot. Like it or not at best, you have 6 – 8 shots to clear yourself an exit from a sticky situation, use those shots wisely. Otherwise the Maverick is a great weapon for the zombie pwning rookie. It’s simple to use and reload, requires no magazines, uses abundant ammo, it can be easily modified for any situation, and it’s extremely powerful.