The Mossberg Patriot
According to Mossberg's website, the Patriot line of rifles promises excellent value while bringing great features to American patriots. While I totally understand what they mean, the modern American patriot is more likely to carry a fighting rifle instead of a hunting rifle. Though, 100 years ago, those two things were nearly indistinguishable.
The Patriot is a bolt-action repeating rifle. It features a two-lug bolt fed from a detachable box magazine. The 22-inch barrel is chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and features a 1:8 twist, and the muzzle has been left clean with neither sight post nor muzzle threads – something I’d expect on a rifle at this price point. Another handsome feature is the partial fluting of the barrel, which looks good but also reduces weight.
A safety is found on the right side of the bolt shroud, and a bolt release on the left side. The bolt body is handsomely fluted in a helical pattern, and a plunger style ejector and sliding extractor do all the cartridge handling in the bolt head.
Related: New Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical Bolt-Action Rifles
The Patriot came to me already configured from the vendor with a Vortex 3-9x scope already mounted. It appeared to be the exact simple, affordable combination you might pick up from your local sporting goods retailer.
Shooting the Mossberg Patriot
Since the rifle already had a scope mounted and boresighted, all I needed to do was pick up some ammo on the way to my shooting spot. I grabbed a box of Federal Gold Medal, a box of Hornady Match, and some Winchester Deer Season ammunition. With some targets and binoculars, I was set.
To get started, I set up a target at 100 yards, and after a few sighter shots, I had it close to my point of aim. With the scope zeroed, I continued to fire a few shots from each different ammo selection.
The action ran smoothly as it cycled rounds from the magazine into the chamber. The plastic construction of the magazine makes for a slippery surface, which I think helps the cartridges slide easily into battery.
Extracting and ejecting the spent cases was just as easy. The bolt has what feels like a little bit of play. I’ve felt the same movement on other Patriot actions, so I assume it’s part of the design. The movement certainly doesn’t affect the operation of the action, as cartridges run smoothly through all the motions.
A good trigger is always a welcome feature, and the Patriot trigger feels pretty good for a rifle of this price. Sure, it could be better, but honestly, I don’t feel it inhibited my shooting at all.
Pros & Cons
Let’s talk a bit about the pros and cons of this little Patriot rifle. It is obviously targeting an entry-level hunting rifle, something you might give to a young hunter coming of age. This is likely the rifle you’ll find sitting in the gun rack of your local shop, ready to go and priced accordingly. I’ll temper my assessment from that perspective.
As an entry-level hunting rifle, I expected this rifle to come with the typical plastic stock. While these stocks aren’t particularly high quality, they are pretty lightweight. And as far as plastic stocks go, this one isn’t bad. It’s pretty rigid and doesn’t feel like I could fold it in half like the first plastic stocks I remember from decades ago.
The plastic magazine worked great, though like many other parts of this rifle it comes across as a kind of cheap. Again, not a big surprise for a rifle priced like this. What is surprising is that the gun even has a detachable box magazine, a desirable feature. The trigger-guard is molded into the stock as well, all these features have been incorporated to lower the entry level cost of the Patriot.
Accuracy from the Patriot was nothing to get too excited about. It is certainly good enough for a rifle of this purpose, as most folks looking at this rifle are likely shooting at deer-sized targets inside 200 yards. For those purposes the rifle will work great; whereas if you are a Rocky Mountain hunter expecting shots as far as 400 or even 500 yards, you may want to look elsewhere.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Ready-to-shoot package
- Good beginner rifle
- Synthetic stock seems sturdy
- Action functioned smoothly
- Detachable box magazine
Cons:
- Some plastic parts seem lacking in quality
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Accuracy
Conclusion
It seems like every large firearms manufacture is dabbling into an entry-level rifle like this. I’ve shot similar models from other manufacturers like Savage, Howa, Ruger, and more. I’ll admit I am a rifle junkie with exotic tastes, so these rifles aren’t as exciting to me as others. But I can certainly appreciate that they function exactly as designed.
The Mossberg Patriot does a good job filling the spot of the affordable deer rifle. While there are other variants of the Patriot rifle that perform even better, if you are in the market for a good little rifle to give your budding hunter, or if you are trying to get into hunting without breaking the bank, this Patriot is up to the job.
If I were walking out the door on my way to go deer hunting, I would certainly feel I could get the job done with this rifle. While it may not have a bunch of frills, it has everything you need to get the job done. The accuracy is certainly deer-worthy, and the synthetic construction and finish are likely to endure whatever conditions you hunt in.
