So 5 years ago a good friend of mine wanted to start deer hunting for the first time. He didn't have a big budget and didn't want to invest alot of cash in a new outdoor hobby (already tied up most of his money in fishing gear haha). So he browsed the entry level rifles and picked what, to him, was the most classic looking... a Mossberg Patriot in a wood stock chambered in .270. He was also getting married that summer (another reason his budget was tight). So us groomsmen put together the cash and bought it for him.
After a few 3 years of shooting "patterns" instead of groups I finally convinced him to let me see if we could figure this gun out with handloads. It definitely helped, but when I say help, I mean shrunk 6" groups to 2-3". His confidence was further shaken that deer season after missing a deer at under 100yds. Enter this year... I offered to bed his rifle... I had personally never studied the inside of a patriot before, but after I did I am still amazed (not in a good way) at what they designed. That plastic magwell/bedding block is a complete joke and the wood stock felt kinda soft.
I could never get a repeatable torque on action screws, so I added brass pillars front and back.
Then the rear screw was still inconsistent due to the plastic trigger guard, so I made a new one from aluminum bar stock (the finish turned out ok, but I'm a farmer with no lathe or mill, not a fulltime maxhinist).
Finally... consistent action torque... and wouldn't ya know... after a seating depth tweak as well... shooting maybe a little over 1 inch groups now. Turned out pretty good, but had this not been a gun with alot of sentimental value to him, I would have encouraged him more to replace it haha.
After a few 3 years of shooting "patterns" instead of groups I finally convinced him to let me see if we could figure this gun out with handloads. It definitely helped, but when I say help, I mean shrunk 6" groups to 2-3". His confidence was further shaken that deer season after missing a deer at under 100yds. Enter this year... I offered to bed his rifle... I had personally never studied the inside of a patriot before, but after I did I am still amazed (not in a good way) at what they designed. That plastic magwell/bedding block is a complete joke and the wood stock felt kinda soft.
I could never get a repeatable torque on action screws, so I added brass pillars front and back.
Then the rear screw was still inconsistent due to the plastic trigger guard, so I made a new one from aluminum bar stock (the finish turned out ok, but I'm a farmer with no lathe or mill, not a fulltime maxhinist).
Finally... consistent action torque... and wouldn't ya know... after a seating depth tweak as well... shooting maybe a little over 1 inch groups now. Turned out pretty good, but had this not been a gun with alot of sentimental value to him, I would have encouraged him more to replace it haha.
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