I'm having a difficult time trying to find a magazine plug for a 20 gauge. I've heard you can use a dowel or even an unsharpened #2 pencil. How true is this? Better yet, how SAFE is this?

I've used a dowel many times. It works fine just make sure it's long enough to only allow two shells.

yep, it works. Some old mossbergs came with a wooden dowel as the factory plug

no issue with safety either, all it does is fill up space in the magazine

Just been to lowes the other day and got a piece of wooden dowel made of poplar for $0.89. I chose the one that a little thicker in circumference(but not too thick that it won't fit inside your magazine) so it won't bend.

What shotgun? There is no way a dowel will work with some of the newer ones, especially imports. Mine on my Benelli and Franchi look like a nail. There is no way I see you could use a dowel

I bought a new Mossberg 500 youth 20 gauge for my son and it was sold without the plug. I went back to the store where I bought the shotgun and asked if they had any extras. They looked, but couldn't find any. They also found out that the other 500's were shipped without them as well. SO, if you're planning on buying a shotgun from Cabela's in Allen, make sure it has a plug.

I have an older (30 years) Mossberg 500 and when I first got it I pulled out the plug. It was a wooden dowel. I just replaced it with another dowel. I would suggest placing a few rubber O-rings on it as well to cut down on the rattling in the magazine.

If this applies to your shotgun type, cut to fit a dowel that will fit inside the magazine spring that is long enough to allow only the two shell lengths required.

I have a sbe2, last dove season I forgot to install my plug on opening morning. Luckily I had a pencil in my truck and I broke it in half and used it to hunt all last year. In fact I removed it last week when I actually found my plug.

I have a stick in one of my shotguns.

For some reason with my plug, which even says on it for migratory birds, I can still fit 3 in the tube. I have been checked to by a gw and nothing was said.

i have a stick in my vinci works like as charm. that or break an old tooth brush in half and stick it in there.

One thing A dowel rod will rattle around and cause noise unless you rig it. Buy a replacement at sporting good with head on it so it won't rattle.

Dead flashlite battery.

Where are you located, I have a bunch of plastic plugs for Browning, Winchester and Mossberg, if you are close, you can have one. Bring the gun and we'll make sure it works before you leave.

Can you say corrosion?

bought an 870 for my son years back without a plug called them up and i sent them a copy of the receipt and they sent me one

Got my son the Mossberg 20 as well but bought it used and the guy didn't have one. Cut the pencil, game warden checked it and he broke the pencil pushing the third shell up the tube so I took a piece of metal rod from the garage and ground it to length and put it in there.

All mine have wooden dowels, I would like to add that my plugs have orings on the to fit properly.

I have a mossberg 500A about 13 years old. Stock plug was just a dowel with o-ring. Lost it several years back. Used a sappling cut to size on year. Worked great but left some sap in the gun. It's not high technology on the mossbergs, you can use just about anything to fill the space. This year I got it together and used a 1/4" dowell rod from a craft store cut to 9" long. Works perfect. For the more expensive guns the plugs are a bit different. Probably better just to order one. BrandonsBird02 it should be three shells total. One in the chamber two in the magazine.

I have a screwdriver in my 870. I have shaved it down so it fits in the spring just like the original plug. I tried to order a new one last year from Remington but they were on back order.

Put a piece of plastic dowel rod from hobby lobby in mine when I lost it, it rattled so I dug up some thick o-ring and put one on each end- good to go.

pencil in my Remington 1100.