Have been thinking of getting an SSi since I have an open slot in the cabinet that's been begging to be filled. Anyone have an SSi? I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences, especially how the trigger is and if it can be adjusted to a reasonable pull knowing it probably comes lawyer triggered. Also considering an NEF in 30-30 which seems pretty nice. Any thoughts on this would be useful as well. Unfortunately getting one of each is not an option but I think would be the preferred solution.
Alot of this choice comes down to taste. I shot a SSi in .308 at the range a few weeks back, and have shot several NEF singles (I own 2). Both are fine guns. For me, married with a mediocre job, mortgage and kids, the NEF is the obvious choice simply because of cost. I do not buy guns because they are pretty, which the SSi is, but rather for their function. Not to say the NEF is ugly, or the SSi is not functional! Rather, that I would rather spend my gun money on 2-3 useable guns than spend the same amount of money on only one of the three in a different brand simply because it looks nicer. As for triggers, NEF had a bad rep for triggers for a long time, and they have been addressing this. If you get a heavy-triggered gun, you can send it back to them and they will reset it to a 3# trigger at no cast. I have heard this from several people, but have not had it done on any of my guns.
Some good info dldookie. Thanks for the input. Am in the same boat as you when it comes to $$$ for the shooting budget. I have seen some SSI go on sale at a local gun vendor which is what piqued my interest in that particular piece. I was curious about the NEF trigger as I have shot the Rossi combo and it was obvious that the trigger was a shotgun trigger and I suspected the same on NEF but wanted to check with someone in the know. If you don't mind, could you comment on the Mossberg trigger? This is an important point for me as a decent trigger makes all the difference in group size at least for me and will be one determining factor as to which I go with.
In my limited experience with them, the Mossberg trigger is crisp, with little or no over travel, but heavy. Probably in the 5-6# range or a bit more. Crisp, as you will find from good tight machining, but very lawyer-safe in its weight From what I have heard, NEF is the only manufacturer who will take a fixed trigger to 3# due to liability.
dldokie: Is the Mossberg and the NEF trigger adjustable by a qualified gunsmith? Every centerfire I have bought in the past went to the smith before it went to range to get it down to a more manageable level and improve my accuracy. Rather have the smith do it so I do not lose too much time at the range. Seems most everything comes with lawyer triggers which are way too heavy for shooting. BTW I don't like touching triggers or anything I do not fully understand on a firearm. Thanks. Mountainview
No idea on the Mossberg SSi. Never talked to anyone who did a trigger job on one, nor anyone who had one done. The NEF is certainly do-able (is that a word?). There was a write up on a do-it-yourself trigger job for them on the old H&RTalk forums, but it is gone now. I will do some looking around and see if I can find it. The trickiest part of the NEF is disassembly/reassembly because it is all pinned, not screwed together. The pins are all round headed, and it is very easy to scratch up a receiver trying to remove them. A good smith should be able to deal with the details and give you the trigger you want though. I have heard of guys taking them down to a pound or just over on these rifles.
OK, I found the trigger job walk-through on the NEF. As I said, the assembly/disassembly is the most complex part of this one! Could be that it will convince a reluctant smith to take on the job if you hand him this though! http://www.perkloafm.com/ --DislocatedOkie
I'm not in here much, sorry to have not posted sooner. I and a couple friends bought bought several SSis last year. Mine is in .223. I don't think they are worth the much higher price as they have heavy trigger pulls that are not the easiest to adjust according to my gunsmith. They are also not finished as smoothly as one would expect for the money. On opening, one can feel the roughness in the movement, not just stiff from being tight. Most of the rifles don't want to eject the empties, the ejector seems to ride over the rim. This has not happened to any of the shotguns that I know of. Opening the action is kind of a pain, it is a break open like the NEF but the opening operation does not work well with the hand placement. On opening, one generally grips the fore end with one hand and pushes down and forward on the trigger guard/opening lever. When making this motion, one also has to pull back with the forward arm which makes it awkward to then pull the barrel assembly down to break the gun open. The gun is reasonably accurate, all things considered but I don't think it is worth the much higher price than the NEF I had originally planned to buy. Extra barrels are available and are supposedly interchangeable with out headspace concerns. I have doubts on the veracity of the claim but haven't tried a barrel swap with anyone yet. There are also fewer choices in calibers; 223, 22/250, 243, 270, 308, 30/06, and 12ga. Heavy barrels are available in 223 and 22/250 and the 12 ga comes in 24" turkey or rifled models. We bought ours for not much more than an NEF, for some reason a local store had them marked for $220 and another store gave most of us $50 if they couldn't match the price which they wouldn't. If it weren't for this deal, I would have gone with NEF in 30/30 and 223. uglydog Sorry, I forgot to log in
Udog, Thanks for the comments. Appreciate the constructive input from an SSi owner/user, especially on the trigger. Without a good trigger that can be adjusted to a decent pull, accuracy just ain't there for me. Mountainview
I don't know if they are being discontinued but the ones my buddies and I bought were being clearance out and the sales staff told us that they were "no longer being cataloged". Whether that meant by Mossberg or the store we didn't ask. Gander Mountain hasn't ordered any in quite a while and I have been told they can't get any of the extra barrels for the SSi. uglydog
Sorry for resurrecting this post but I do have an update to add on my Mossberg SSi-One. The ejection problems I had with mine (ejector riding over the rim) seem to have disappeared with the use of factory .223 and not military surplus. Accuracy increased tremendously with the use of USA brand ammo, both 55 gr FMJ and 45 gr HPs. The opening of the gun has become better after several hundred more rounds. It is still rough but does open easier and is not as awkward. It doesn't drop open from its own weight but then I hope it doesn't loosen up that much. I haven't tried interchanging any barrels yet but hope to try it sometime.
