Navy Mossberg question

[Slater]

http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2015smallarms/Garcia.pdf

Above is a presentation from last year. It mentions that the Navy is looking to standardize it's shotguns to a 17-inch barrel Mossberg. I'm familiar with the 18- and 20 inch Mossberg 500/590 family but not a 17-inch flavor. Is this a Navy-specific variant?

[G19A3]

http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2015smallarms/Garcia.pdf

Above is a presentation from last year. It mentions that the Navy is looking to standardize it's shotguns to a 17-inch barrel Mossberg. I'm familiar with the 18- and 20 inch Mossberg 500/590 family but not a 17-inch flavor. Is this a Navy-specific variant?

While I love our military, I can't say the same for those in that military whom waste money on things like a manufacturer, non-standard 17" barrel just to be different. I mean REALLY, one inch?? Someone throwing darts blindfolded and the dart landed on the number seventeen or sumptin???

Would one inch make THAT much of a difference, even in internal ship searches? Why not a 16" barrel? That way it will be perfect (at least inch lengthwise) in between 14" and 18" standard barrels. That 17" barrel probably needs a Congressional committee (with funds to match) to redesign a bayonet mount just for the shorter "seventeen". May be Area 51 needs more funding to dissect another alien (Independence Day film $400 toilet seat diverting funds reference).

They also should spec the finish to a cerakote blue digital camo like on US Navy BDU's. You don't want a BLACK 17" shotgun not blending in and lighting up a sailor in their blue digital BDU's camo'd against a monotoned grey ship. Because we can't spend enough money to standardize on a non-standardized spec.

Call me jaded but, I betcha someone's pockets are a bit heavier re-spec'ing to a one inch shorter barrel. Kinda like when Colt charged the US govt a small fortune to back modify some M16A1 upper receivers back to M16 non-forward assist specs.

This is the kinda crap that pisses me off as a taxpayer.

[CRAMBONE]

blue digital camo like on US Navy BDU's

This is the kinda crap that pisses me off as a taxpayer.

I read on SSD that the Navy is getting rid of the blue camo.

[G19A3]

I read on SSD that the Navy is getting rid of the blue camo.

Like I said.....more govt waste.

They should make those navy guys wear those blue digitals 24/7 for the next ten years.

How does one cammo themselves wearing them against the gray superstructure of a ship?

Anyhow, I need to make a correction to my previous post in this thread:

Colt charged the Canadian govt (via Diemaco) $$$$$$$$ to "retro-modify" A2 upper receivers with an A1 fixed sight. (Not the forward assist that I mentioned above.)

[Tzintzuntzan]

Like I said.....more govt waste.

They should make those navy guys wear those blue digitals 24/7 for the next ten years.

How does one cammo themselves wearing them against the gray superstructure of a ship?

The colors are not made to match the visual spectrum they are made to match the IR spectrum for the ship. At least that's what I have heard in the past. Why they chose blue is a mystery as I'm sure there are other colors that can have the same IR absorption levels. This isn't exactly rocket science after all. But since ship to ship fighting is rare outside of the cool guy units I don't see how it matters other than people are too big of crybabies to research things any further than a Google image search.

[DMR]

The 17" barrel has been "A" standard Navy barrel for a long time, while the USMC uses a 20" barrel (but the 5+1 mag tube).

The Navy, USMC and Army are all working on standardizing their 500/590 configurations. They have been purchased over a very long period of time without any configuration management which in turn leads to sustainment issues (i.e. units ordering the wrong repair parts).

Time will tell what the final approved configurations are.