Maverick 88 shotgun good enough?

So, I'm thinking about getting intro trap/skeet shooting since I live about 3 minutes away from the shooting range, and I have narrowed down my gun choices to either a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500. However, I went to Big 5 the other day and saw a "Maverick 88" for about $249! I saw on the side that it is made by Mossberg. The manager said it was similar to the Mossberg 500, but not all the parts are made in the USA. So I was just wondering for all you shotgun owning Tacoma owners, is there any big difference function and quality-wise between the the Mossberg 500 and the Maverick 88?

 

The maverick is made cheaper than the 500. For the best bang for your buck i'd get the 500. They are great guns and you can't go wrong with them. Nothing wrong with the 88, but the 500 is superior.

 

I wouldn't use a pump-action for Skeet/Trap. Most WalMarts used to have a Remington 11-87 or Beretta 390 variant for just a hair under $400 (seems like you could get both for around $350 the last time I checked - but it's been a while).

If I were going to go budget for skeet, I'd probably look at an over/under like the Stoger Condor or something similar.

Really, if you're going to get heavy into skeet tournaments, you're going to have to spend a lot more money at some point (and you'll definitely want to reload if you get really into it), but just to get your feet wet and not lose too much money on a hobby you don't know if you'll be into that much, I'd personally go budget at first (check out used deals or online places like Buds Gun Shop to get the best deal).

 

I ended up getting a Mossberg 500 combo set with two barrels for $320 before taxes and background check. Haven't shot it yet, but if i start to get really into shooting trap/skeet, i will definitely get an O/U.