Description
The Maverick 88 Cruiser is a pump action 12 gauge stripped to its purpose. Eighteen and a half inches of blued cylinder bore barrel, five in the tube and one in the chamber, a bead front sight, a cross-bolt safety and a synthetic pistol grip where a stock would normally be. the Maverick Arms 31008 part number, twenty eight and an eighth inches long overall.
There is nothing on this shotgun that does not need to be there, and that is the entire design brief. Dual extractors and an anti-jam elevator handle the feeding. A ribbed forearm gives you something to hold onto. The Maverick 88 Cruiser exists because a short, simple, cheap pump gun behind a door or in a truck solves a problem that a nicer shotgun solves no better.
What the Maverick 88 Cruiser gives you
- 12 gauge, 5+1, six rounds total
- 18.5 inch blued barrel, fixed cylinder bore
- 3 inch chamber, so 2-3/4 and 3 inch shells both fit
- Pump action with dual extractors
- Anti-jam elevator
- Bead front sight
- Cross-bolt safety
- Synthetic pistol grip and ribbed forearm, black
- 28.125 inches overall
- No choke tubes to fit, lose or forget
Why a 5+1 home defense shotgun of this kind still makes sense
- A pump action tells everyone in the house what is happening
- Twelve gauge buckshot is the most decisive short-range load there is
- Nothing to run flat, nothing to charge, nothing to update
- A gun this short clears doorways and vehicle interiors easily
- Simple enough that maintenance is genuinely optional for years at a time
Maverick Arms 31008 specifications
- Manufacturer part number: 31008
- Gauge: 12
- Capacity: 5+1
- Barrel length: 18.5 inches, blued
- Choke: fixed cylinder bore, no tubes
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Sights: bead front
- Stock: synthetic pistol grip only, black
- Safety: cross-bolt
- Overall length: 28.125 inches
An 18.5 inch cylinder bore shotgun, and why that suits this gun
The Maverick 88 Cruiser has a fixed cylinder bore barrel, and an 18.5 inch cylinder bore shotgun behaves in a way worth understanding. No choke tubes, nothing to lose, nothing to cross-thread. At the distances a 18.5 inch defensive shotgun is actually used, cylinder bore is what you want: the pattern opens predictably and buckshot is not squeezed by a constriction it was never designed for. It also means the barrel is equally happy with rifled slugs.
What to feed a pistol grip 12 gauge pump like this one
Buckshot is the default load for a 5+1 home defense shotgun and we hold it very deep. STARS 00 buckshot, nine pellets is the volume choice for practice, Sterling 00 buckshot does the same job, and Hornady Black eight-pellet 00 is the tighter-patterning option. For slugs, Winchester Super Match rifled slug works through a cylinder bore barrel exactly as intended.
The Maverick 88 Cruiser chamber takes 3 inch shells as well as 2-3/4 inch. Just be aware what a 3 inch magnum load feels like through a grip with no stock behind it. Most people who buy one of these shoot 2-3/4 inch buckshot and never look back.
The honest part: recoil on a pistol grip 12 gauge pump
A 12 gauge with no shoulder stock is a handful, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not shot one much. All the recoil goes into your wrist and forearm instead of your shoulder. Hold it firmly, keep your elbow bent, and start with light loads. If this is your first shotgun, or the only shotgun in the house and other people may need to use it, a stocked model is the better buy and we will happily point you at one. The Maverick 88 Cruiser is a specialist tool for a tight space, not a general-purpose gun.
The rest of the 88 Cruiser line
The 8-shot Cruiser with a 20 inch barrel holds two more rounds than the Maverick 88 Cruiser. The 20 gauge Cruiser is the same configuration in a cartridge that recoils far less, which on a pistol grip gun is a real argument.
Worth knowing before you buy
- 12 gauge is a SAAMI standardized chambering, so factory shells are consistent across brands. See the SAAMI published standards.
- This is a pistol grip only gun. There is no shoulder stock and no recoil pad.
- Cylinder bore is fixed. If you want to pattern a turkey load through a full choke, this is not the barrel for it.
- No sling swivel studs are fitted from the factory.
Buy the Maverick 88 Cruiser if you want the shortest, simplest, least expensive serious 12 gauge on the shelf and you understand what a pistol grip does to recoil. It is a behind-the-door gun, a truck gun and a boat gun, and it will still work after years of being ignored.
MAG5 Firearms is a licensed dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Every firearm ships to your FFL. If you are not sure whether the Maverick 88 Cruiser or a stocked model suits you better, ask. The honest answer for most first-time buyers is the stocked one, and we would rather tell you that now than have you dislike the gun later.
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