Just got my hands on a cheap, near new looking and unfired Mossberg 679 for use as an ATV rifle. Can't find much on the net and what I can is largely uncomplimentary. I have stripped the rifle and apart from the heavy but crisp trigger pull it seems a solid workmanlike rifle. The lever is a little stiff to operate as it passes the extractor but like I said, its unfired and should loosen up. My reference books of the era are down at the farm so I don't get to fire the rifle or check the the books until next weekend. In the meantime I'm curious as to where the 679 fits in with the other models, 472 and 479 and what people think of the rifle. Must have sold 100,000's over the years as Mossbergs and under other brandnames so they can't be all bad can they. I see that Weaver makes a special mount base # 80 but some have suggested that Marlin bases also fit. Thanks for any forthcoming suggestions and advice.

I have a Coast to Coast 779 in 30-30, which is a house-brand Mossberg 479. I don't know what a 679 is, but IIRC, Mossberg cataloged their side-ejection lever action CF rifles in 30-30 and 35 in a variety of configurations. Mine looks like the common Marlin 336 with a 20" barrel, full length tubular magazine, and pistol-grip stock. My rifle has a Weaver #80 1-piece base on it, along with an old Simmons 1053 1.5-4.5x scope in Weaver rings. It functions and shoots fine, but there is nothing special about it, just a shooter or truck gun.

I doubt that very many Mossberg 472/479/679 rifles were made, probably fewer than 20K, but somebody in Vic Havlin's Mossberg collectors group would probably know the exact #s and break-out of the different styles.

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by 260remguy:
somebody in Vic Havlin's Mossberg collectors group would probably know the exact #s and break-out of the different styles.

Jeff

Do you have a handy link to that group? I also have a Mossberg .30-30 lever carbine (the one with the safety lever on the left side of the receiver). Otherwise mine looks very much like a Marlin too, though somewhat better thought out and a little bit more refined in finish. I have scoped mine with an El Paso Weaver K-3 and even with its relatively heavy trigger pull it is nicely accurate (approx 1-1/8" to 1-1/4" five-shot groups at 100 yards with CIL 170 gr bullets in handloads).

I'd like to learn more about it.

www.mossbergcollectors.org

Vic & Cheryl Havlin are good people and without them, there wouldn't be much of a Mossberg collectors group.

Jeff

Yes...too bad more people don't have an interest in some of the older staple firearms companies. Mossberg did some interesting things...as, for instance IIRC, being the first manufacturer of Sir Charles Ross's straight--pull rifles,under contract to Sir charles.

Had a closer look at the markings and its labelled New Haven by Mossberg Model 679. Information I've gleaned from the web suggests that this is a New Haven firearms company brand name, manufactured by Mossberg and essentially the same as a 472 SBA. It has a straight grip like the SBA but whereas Mossberg rifles have a curved buttplate in the photos I've seen, this one is straight. I think it's a plain walnut stock. The blue is good but over a mediocre polishing job with lots of faint grinder marks. Very solidly built, and almost forgot, has the push button hammer safety.

According to the cross-reference table on the GPC site, the New Haven 679 is the same as a Mossberg 472.

My rifle came to me in high 90% condition, but the receiver was already faded to plum-gray color, while the rest of the blued parts still retain a fairly deep blue color. I bought a couple of boxes of Hornady LeverEvolution 160 grains to try this fall. I have been shooting 150 and 170 grain Federals in it.

Jeff

Was able to check a few old books down at the farm today. Prior to 1980 Mossberg models are various 472's. In the 1980 Gun Digest and Guns and Ammo Annual they are listed as 479's. No idea what the difference is as the specs are the same. No mention of New Haven 679 but there is a Western Field 779. The Guns and Ammo Annual has a lever action article which very briefly mentions the Mossberg commenting on its heavy trigger and the hammer safety. A cursory (5 shots only) accuracy test of a range of lever actions had the Mossberg worst with a 3 inch 50 yard group. The 472 sold for a little more than a Marlin 336 and a lot more than a Win 94. The 479 was a couple of dollars less than the Marlin equivalent. They ceased listing within a couple of years.