You are correct. The bore should be shiny with no perceptible darkened areas or marks. Mossberg just did not take the time to polish out all the reamer marks. You can do it yourself with a flex hone (easy to use) or you can see if Mossberg gives you a barrel that was polished better. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was able to return it to the store for a refund as they considered it to be defective. It does make me hesitant to buy Mossberg guns in the future if this is an indication of their quality control, which is sad. I wanted to buy Mossberg since their guns are made in the USA.

 

I’ve seen that before on Mossbergs. They’re workhorses, but the polish inside the bore can be hit or miss.

 

I guess they figure if you shoot it 10’s of thousands times It’ll polish out.

 

That's an expensive way to polish a barrel.

 

Friend bought an 835 3 1/2".........Bore looked like a sewer pipe.

 

That is a good description of what mine looked like.

 

My 940 Pro Tactical did not have a polished bore when it was purchased new in 2023. No scratches or wear marks, but definitely not "shiny". No problems or issues operationally, just needed some personal TLC. I've since shot the $#!+ out of it, as it seems Mossberg is hit or miss in the QC dept. Even my 990 Aftershock had a dingy bore when I got it earlier this year...

 

People talk smack about Turkish shotguns but all mine have chrome lined barrels and chambers. I heard the reason American shotguns don't is because the chrome lining process isn't good for the environment. I had to polish the chamber on my Kel-tec KS7 because it was rough also.