Best Maverick 88 Upgrades: Make It Better Than The Mossberg 500?

The debate between Mossberg 500 and Maverick 88 is not a new one. The community has been divided over these two for years now. And I’m not here to fuel that argument. As someone who loves and adores both of these guns and someone who wrote a guide to help you find the Best Mossberg 500 upgrades as well, I hope to help all the Maverick 88 owners with this one.

That’s right. Today, it’s not about competition. We don’t split blood. We are here to learn. Jokes aside, I can understand why you would want to upgrade to Maverick 88. After all, this gun could use some much-needed improvements.

With that said, how do you find the best Maverick 88 Upgrades? That’s a very good question. Let’s find out.

Maverick 88 Stock Upgrade

The stock of a shotgun is really important for comfort and stability. It improves the overall rigidity of a gun and improves the aftermath of shooting. Thanks to a good stock, your chest and shoulder muscles won’t hurt as much as they did last week.

1. Mossberg & Sons Synthetic Maverick 88 Stock

This black color synthetic stock is made by Mossberg for Mossberg 835, 590, and 500 Models. As you know, many accessories of those guns are also supported by the Maverick 88. The perk of having a universal design. This stock is one of those accessories.

This stock is made out of synthetic polymer as the name suggests. It offers the grippy and sticky nature of rubber without being as vulnerable as rubber. It’s not cut-proof by any means, but it’s scratch and drop-proof. If that makes any sense.

The stock is also waterproof and it’s more comfortable than the wooden stock that comes with guns usually. While it’s not foldable nor it’s adjustable, it makes up for those two caveats in the comfort department. If you are after that, then this stock is a good choice for you.

2. Magpul SGA AMbidextrous Buttstock

How can you mention a shotgun accessory and think that Magpul won’t cut? At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if you accuse Magpul of making sellout content. But that’s not the reality here. As much as I would love to get paid by Magpul, that ain’t happening. Anyway, this buttstock is ambidextrous, which means you can use this as a lefty or righty, doesn’t matter.

The buttstock is made entirely in the USA. From material to design to final form, all of that is done and inspected in the USA. The stock is made out of Reinforced polymer and it’s not nearly as heavy as a wooden or steel stock.

The comfort of this stock is quite good and it’s also compatible with the Mossberg 500. It wouldn’t be wrong to call Mossberg 500 and Maverick 88 brothers from different mothers. The stock is available in different colors as well.

Maverick 88 Forend Upgrades

The forend of a shotgun is as important as the backend if not more. The stock forend of the Maverick 88 is good. But once you upgrade the forend, the opportunity to add in more accessories as you go increases. It is also more comfortable and stable with an aftermarket forend as a bonus.

1. Black Magnum Maverick 88 Custom Forearm Strap

This custom forearm for Maverick 88 is designed by Black Magnum. The stock foregrip of Maverick 88 doesn’t have any strap in it. That’s why, grabbing it by the forend grip might not be the wisest decision.

And if you are someone that has issues with their follow-through and wants to fix it, then getting a forend with a strap attached to it is a good idea. You will find plenty of them online for a quite little price, but if you want durability, this is what you should get.

2. Shockwave Technologies Tactical Strap Kit for Mossberg 500 Handguard Forend Shotgun

This one from Shockwave Technologies is more widely available. The reason is, that a lot of companies decided to make a clone of it. Now, you can guess how poorly the clones are made. The original one is, however, followed by the Black Magnum’s footsteps.

Thus, it’s a really good forend with the same strap attachment that makes it easier for you to hold the gun for a proper follow-through and reload shots instantly. Thanks to that, you can hunt continuously even if you happen to miss the first shot.

Maverick 88 Sight Upgrade

You already know that the gun doesn’t come with any kind of sight. And I hope you also know that a sight can improve the shooting experience of a shotgun as well. Finding the best sight for Maverick 88 isn’t as hard as you might think. After all, remember Mossberg 500. Yeah.

1. Truglo Glo-Dot II 12-20 Gauge Sight

The first sight is, of course, a night sight. Night sights are the most common sight for handguns and shotguns as well. They take up less space on the top and are effective for hunting and self-defense. While they will not give you accuracy beyond 20 yards, it’s still more than enough for all sorts of CQB.

This night sight is specifically designed for shotguns. It can withstand the recoil of your gun and hold its ground for a long time. It’s a front sight with green tritium fiber. You just slide it on top of the front barrel and that’s about it.

2. Ultimate Arms Gear Tactical Reflex Sight

The next sight is not a night sight but you can use the sight during the night as well. It comes with an adjustable illuminated reticle. The lens features 1x magnification and that’s fixed.

The sight itself is made out of aluminum alloy to make it sturdy and not break from the recoil of a shotgun. But there is a simple issue. You cannot install this directly on your gun. For that to work, you will need the Trinity mounting rail for the Maverick 88 rail. Once you install this, you practically can install any Weaver rail accessory you may want.

Maverick 88 Hunting Light Upgrade

The next sensible upgrade is not necessarily a part of the gun. It’s an added accessory that makes the gun more accessible to you. What I mean is, that adding light will make the gun usable in the dark. Whether it’s hunting you are doing or self-defense, a flashlight will come in handy to both of you.

1. Trinity 1000 Lumen Flashlight for Mossberg 500 Pump

As the name suggests, it’s a Mossberg item but supports the Maverick as well. And you can see it’s a light that sits on the rail of your pump through a weaver mounting system. The mounting system and the light both are made out of aluminum. 6061 aluminum is extremely durable and lightweight as well.

The thing that sweetens the deal is the replaceable LED. This light uses a 3.5-watt LED bulb that you can find in almost any corner of the country. Somehow if your light dies, it’s not dead if that makes sense.

2. Trinity Tactical Green Laser Sight With Flashlight

This light is a 2-in-1 system. You will get a green laser sight paired up with a powerful 1000-lumen LED. Practically this is the same light as the one above with the bonus of a laser sight.

If you are someone who has no interest in installing a sight on top of the gun, then this is the best system upgrade for you. The light is made out of 6061 aluminum and it’s as sturdy as it gets. The laser sight is also completely legal. Unfortunately, the battery backup on the laser sight is not the best. After all, it’s an issue with all green laser sights.

Maverick 88 Sling Upgrades

The Maverick is not the heaviest gun by any means. At the end of the day, it’s a shotgun and it can be heavy with all the attachments and ammo you carry around. To make it comfortable to carry, you might want to look into slings. With them, you can carry the weapon like a backpack.

1. Maverick 88 Shotgun Ammo Sling

Who says you can’t have two or more things in one? It seems like a trend with gun accessories. I appreciate this as it’s more convenient and makes it easy to carry more things at once.

This sling from Maverick is capable of holding a whopping 25 shells in the belt! And the nylon belt isn’t padded which is a bummer. But the nylon webbing is soft and it doesn’t suffer from residue leaks either. The sling absorbs sweat well and won’t make you suffer from any sticky texture.

2. Mossberg Comfort Hunting Sling

Do I even need to talk about it anymore? You guys already know at this point. This sling here is made for hunters with comfort in mind. As hunters tend to carry their weapons on their shoulders for a long time, Mossberg added padding to it.

The 2” padded foam area is quite comfortable and doesn’t suffer from sweat residue either. The nylon braiding is on point and has no extra residue that you will accidentally pull and destroy the sling.

Should You Upgrade Your Maverick?

Now that you know what are the best upgrades for Maverick 88, how do you approach the situation? Should you upgrade everything blindly or follow a pattern? Choosing a pattern is wise for your wallet and it creates discipline.

You can upgrade the gun based on the budget you have in your mind. Or you can make up a short list of what you want from your gun and what upgrades will improve or satisfy your needs. If you know what kind of upgrades you want to do to your gun, you can easily upgrade the gun without feeling any regret or being left out.

Conclusion

And that’s about it. Well, I could write more about how upgrading the gun will improve your aim and bring better results in hunting, I have reasons to believe you already know that much.

These are the upgrades that are worth doing to your Maverick. Take it slow and don’t rush. It’s a process that brings wonderful results. So, just make sure to enjoy the process as well as the result.

Thanks for reading as usual. Hope to see you again in the next one. I will be back with more real soon. Till then take care and have fun.