What year did the Mossberg 500 come out?

leeblackman

Does anyone know what year the earliest model of the 500 series came out?

bama55

Lee, the Blue Book shows 1962 for the Field Model.

leeblackman

Thanks Bama, thats what I was looking for.

bama55

Anytime.

bobski

wasnt mossberg refered to as 'lakefield' back in those days? im just curious, could the 500 have been refered to as a different gun with a different name even earlier?[?]

CountryGunsmith

The first Mossberg 500 was manufactured in August of 1961. The model was initially only offered in 12ga, but by 1963 it was available in 12ga, 16ga or 20ga.

Lakefield, Ltd, is/was a firearms manufacturer in Ontario Canada (eh). They marketed US-made Mossbergs during the 1970's and early 1980's and also put together some hybrid guns with parts manufactured on contract by Mossberg and assembled in Canada. Lakefield's sales materials were adapted from Mossberg's. There were Lakefield marked Model 500 shotguns but 15-20 years after the model was introduced into the US.

Lakefield also had an independently developed line. The Mark II bolt action and Mark III semiauto used Mossberg-contracted barrels, sights, some stock parts from the Mossberg 340/352 series, but they used very different action designs.

Savage also had quite a bit of dealing with Lakefield.