Can someone tell me how to change the magazine spring in a mossberg 500 shotgun?

the barrel comes off easy enough, but i'm not sure how to get to the magazine plug and spring.Can someone tell me how to change the magazine spring in a mossberg 500 shotgun?
To get the plug out just hold the gun down and shake until the plug comes out. There are rubber washers on it so you will have to pull it out when you see it, it won't just fall out.



To get the magazine spring out is another issue entirely and don't do it unless you have to.



Once you remove the barrel push out the pin in the receiver that hold the trigger grouping in place and take out the trigger grouping. There are two thin, 5'; or so long metal pieces that will be on the sides that will fall out. They hold the shell in the tube in place and help with extraction. Make note of where they go as when you take them out the first time it can be annoying to get them back in. There is a piece that rests on the bolt, take that out, but the bolt needs to be in a certain position to be removed and put back in.



After that you can pull out the forearm. Don't take out the bolt, its kinda a pain to put back in. You can then unscrew the tube that holds the shells.



When you put in back together the two tabs to put the forend back in will need to be guided in and probably will have to be pushed down if you have the gun upside down. Then you put in that metal piece. Be sure the the metal piece and forend tabs are in the right place. This may take some fiddling.Can someone tell me how to change the magazine spring in a mossberg 500 shotgun?
With the barrel off:

It should fall out when you tip the gun forward. If not,pull it out with your finger.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9qfF3mvW
The 500 does have a strange set-up for the magazine spring assembly. Most others have a removable cap; not the 500. To take out the plug just remove the barrel and point the screw hole down and the plug slides out. The spring is too large for the hole; you have to remove the entire tube from the receiver. To do this you will need a vise with non-marring jaws or some way to prevent damage to the receiver while it is in the vise. Clamp the receiver in the vise and, very carefully, unscrew the tube using a strap wrench. The tube is made of thin metal; the only solid part is at the barrel attachment point. Mossberg was afraid the tube would come loose I guess because they didn't skimp on the lock-tite on the threads; it isn't going to be easy to unscrew. Some people have applied heat to the tube to heat up the threads but I don't recommend doing so because it is too easy to damage the threads. If you damage the threads the receiver, tube or both will have to be replaced. If you have any doubts about your ability to perform this task take the gun to a competent gunsmith; the money you spend there will probably be less than replacing the receiver and tube and definitely cheaper than buying a new gun.



Shoot straight and stay safe.