 DUCK
SEASON WITH MOSSBERG’S DENNIS KENDALL
The Structure of the New Mossberg 930 Autoloader
EDITOR’S NOTE: The mourning begins on the last
day of duck season, which is usually the end of January.
Many months will pass before we once again don waders,
gather up our decoys, load up our retrievers and head
for our blinds. However, duck season doesn’t have
to end. How would you like to be able to hunt ducks
from March through August and take 40 ducks or more
per day without drastically affecting the North American
duck population? If this sounds like an unrealistic
dream, it’s not, if you travel to Argentina. Argentina
is the Valhalla for the duck hunter where you see thousands,
possibly millions of ducks. This duck-hunting paradise
is so good that you’ll have a difficult time believing
what you’re about to read. Dennis Kendall, director
of marketing for Mossberg of New Haven, Connecticut,
invited me and two other outdoor writers, Wayne Van
Zwoll and Lamar Underwood, to Argentina to test the
newest of the Mossberg shotguns, the 930 model. A three-shot
autoloader that cost less than $300, the guns were to
be given the  acid
test. We drug them through the muddy rice fields and
marshes and shot three to four boxes of shells every
morning and every evening to test the durability of
the 930 Mossberg Autoloader.
Question: Why did you go to the area you went to in
Argentina near Cordoba in northern Argentina some distance
from Buenos Aires for your gun test?
Kendall: The area around Cordoba, Argentina, is known
for producing a high quantity of rice and large numbers
of ducks. Our outfitter, Paco Riestra, is the number-one
wing-shooting outfitter in Argentina and has a strong
reputation for producing plenty of shooting for his
clients. We also knew we would be fed well and have
a nice lodge to stay in with confident guides, good
equipment and an excellent opportunity for success.
Question: I was surprised that you had ported the 930
Autoloaders. This feature is usually reserved for more-expensive
shotguns. Why did Mossberg decide to port the 930s?
Kendall: Porting reduces recoil. If you’re an
avid waterfowl hunter, then you like to shoot a lot.
At Mossberg, we felt that if we could include porting
on our 930s and reduce the recoil for the waterfowl
hunter, this feature would be one that many waterfowl
hunters  would
enjoy. After shooting as many rounds as we did in a
single day in Argentina, reduced recoil was a very-important
feature. I think all of our guests enjoyed coming to
dinner each night without having sore and bruised shoulders.
Question: Why do you have the safety on the back of
the receiver instead of near the trigger on the 930
Autoloader?
Kendall: Mossberg has always felt that having top tang
safety on the back of the receiver enables the hunter
to feel the safety without having to look at it. The
safety is more convenient to operate than if it’s
in another place. In addition, by putting the safety
where we have it, regardless of whether you’re
a right-handed shooter or a left-handed shooter, the
safety is easy to find and operate.
Question: While hunting in Argentina, were you surprised
at how well the ducks decoyed and at how close they
came to the blind before you took the shot?
Kendall: Absolutely. This time was my first to hunt
in Argentina, and I didn’t know whether the ducks
would be sky-high or only provide pass shooting. I found
that the ducks in Argentina really  work
the decoy spread like the ducks in North America do.
They’ll come in and circle, and when you call
them back, they’ll come to your blind, wings cupped
and feet down like you dream ducks will work.
For more information about Mossberg's products, you
can visit the company’s website at www.mossberg.com.
To learn more about duck hunting in Argentina, please
visit www.pacoriestra.com.
Tomorrow: Reliability
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