TFB Review: Mesa Tactical Shockwave Heatshield

At SHOT Show in January, as I was subconsciously searching for a way to improve my Mossberg 590 Shockwave I ended up at the Mesa Tactical booth. Admittedly what drew my eye first was their accessories for Benelli and Beretta shotguns, but I was quickly drawn to their options for the 590 Shockwave and the Tac-14. Taking the leap I decided it was time to add some flair to my shorty fun shotgun. Enter the Mesa Tactical SureShell carrier and Rail, specifically the 94070. This one boasts a 6 shell capacity as well as an 18 inch top rail to mount lights, optics, or any other accessories. As well as two M-LOK slots, one on each side, for flashlight or a sling attachment. With the rail assembly being made from 6061-T6 aluminum it is as rugged and secure as any other mounting system on the market. 

Immediately out of the box it seemed to be well designed and machined, with quality packaging and finish quality while also packing in a few free stickers - something that we customers always appreciate.

In the kit is the rail assembly, the side saddle, barrel clamp, and a rail cleat that utilizes the factory receiver screw mounts. Going through the installation I followed the instructions, odd thing for a guy to do I know, but I felt the need to do so in order to get the appropriate fit and finish of the rail and shell holder. There were a couple steps that were not 100% clear on what I was supposed to do next, but I believe that the confusion could be chalked up to user error and not the instructions lacking information.

In the instructions it covers how to install the shell holder on your rail system, however, I seem to have lucked out and had mine assembled upon opening the box. As stated the rail is held on using a rail cleat that utilizes the factory receiver mount points, while adding larger and more secure ones in the cleat for the rail to interface with. As mentioned in the instructions, before installation I added a drop of blue loctite to ensure the screws don't back out or come loose prematurely. Going through the instructions I did not see any torque specifications for the mounting screws, so some threadlocker and a G&T (good and tight) spec was used, after some use each of these will be checked to ensure they have not moved. 

Mounting the barrel clamp was a straightforward process, once I decided which end was supposed to be facing the front of the gun. The clamp is asymmetrical, and therefore can only be installed one way to be “correct”. My issue with it is that, without measuring it, I would say that the mounting hole is off center by less than half a millimeter. Leading to “eyeballing it” being a two-attempt installation. Step one being guessing and installing it, then step two being realizing you installed it wrong, removing it, and then reinstalling it properly. 

Once the barrel clamp is on, and in the proper direction, you are able to add the rail system. using the four screw holes on the cleat and the one on the barrel clamp you're able to get a solid and effective continuous top rail. Mounting optics or a laser to this rail should be no issue and should also stay zeroed during hard use of the firearm. Now with my new rail and side saddle fully installed and torqued it is time to add all the accessories to it that I can. Having a DBAL and an EoTech set kicking around my workbench I decided they were wonderful candidates to test out the fit and finish with.

In the Shockwave’s current configuration I would say that the top rail and side saddle is as useful as intended and currently no way the system as a whole could be better. With that being said I would love to convert this to an SBS and make proper use of the top rail and abundant mounting options for attachments. A magpul stock or something similar would be a nice fit for this SBS build, however, for the time being it is going to live as a birdshead-equipped Mossberg 590 set up as an entry shotgun with specialized rounds in the side saddle for that purpose. Across the internet there is plenty of lore about what types of shotgun rounds work best for breaching, dedicated breaching rounds, 00 buckshot, birdshot, or even waxed slugs. At the moment, without undertaking some fun testing, I'll go with some specialty rounds designed for breaching doors, specifically those from Sellier & Bellot. 

After taking this setup to the range for some more extensive testing it really feels as if this rail is truly part of the shotgun, as if designed and installed from the factory. Before the trip to the range I removed my more esoteric optic setup and ran it slick top with only the top rail and the spirit of Paul Harrell to guide me In retrospect an Aimpoint T2 style micro dot could really be at home here, whether it remains in a birdshead configuration or if it gets SBS'ed and a stock is added. Once at the range I focused on the added usability of the rail and side saddle. One/Reload/One firing drills from a low ready position were at the top of the schedule. Throughout this the side saddle kept the shotshells in place, regardless of the orientation. This is specifically interesting to me because some cheaper side saddles will not allow for the upside down orientation and will result in shells falling out randomly or as a result of the recoil. 

At my range I am lacking a door breaching setup at the moment, and am unable to test its abilities to truly run as I have intended. Taking this into account one of the last remaining range drills is to test point of aim vs the impact and pattern it will have at varying distances - that’s for another day. So far I'm pleased with Mesa Tactical's Shockwave Heatshield, have you made a similar modification to one of your shotguns? Have you tried the Mesa Tactical Shockwave Heatshield? Let us know in the comments.