Mossberg MVP Patrol Range Report (Pic Heavy)

[birdshooter]

I picked up a Mossberg MVP Patrol not long ago. I paid $599.99 plus tax. Probably a little on the high side but I had points from the retailer that cut my cost in half. So I'm in it $328. I have been thinking about an MVP Predator for some time but when I saw this, I decided I wanted to give it a whirl. It has a 16" semi bull threaded barrel. Williams iron sights and picatinny rail. The stock is black synthetic but has a rough texture which I really like.









I took it to the range today and fired it with some of my 50gr reloads. I will shoot for accuracy once I scope it down the road. I fired 122 rounds and had one failure to feed. I simply got a click when I pulled the trigger. There was no cartidge in the chamber. I ran the bolt again and the gun fed. One thing to note is that the bolt needs to be worked forcefully. It simply won't run if you baby it. I had zero failure to eject.

I used the supplied 10 round magazine, a GI 30 rounder and a 20 round PMag. The PMag is a little difficult to seat but seemed to run the smoothest of all three. It just needed a sharp tap to fully seat it. The failure to feed was with the PMag. The trigger is very good. Similar to the Savage Accu Trigger and much better than my stock AR trigger.

I mounted a red dot and played with that some too. Accuracy was good considering the dot size. I expect this rifle will shoot very well. I will probably run it like this for a while until I decide on the scope.



You will also see where the ejected brass is hitting the receiver and where the bolt is rubbing on the cartridges in the magazine. No big deal but an observation nonetheless.





I plan to plink, hunt coyotes and shoot prairie dogs with this gun. I really enjoyed shooting it much better than the AR due to the lack of buffer noise. It was very pleasant and will still have the desired capacity that is nice on the prairie dog town. I am also thinking of suppressing it down the road.

It's not a fine piece of work like a Pre '64 Winchester but it seems to be a very serviceable tool.

 

[1KPerDay]

Cool. Thanks for the report and pics.

 

[pikid89]

My buddies mvp was a little rough, but definatley smoothed out after a bit of use. An appleseed will help haha

 

[ThomasT]

Nice gun. I would rather have one of those over the ruger scout rifle.

Barnes CR-10 will remove those brass marks. And you could put a piece of tape on the receiver wall to keep the empties from leaving marks. Something like friction tape and I bet no one would notice it.

 

[P.B.Walsh]

That looks like a pretty nice rifle, I like the fact that it comes with quality irons.

 

[birdshooter]

The irons were a selling point to me. I may not shoot them a lot but I like knowing I have the option. The only negative to them is that I think I will have to go with high rings to get the scope out of the way of the rear sight. I'm thinking of a Redfield Revolution 2-7 with Warne Quick Detach rings.

I like the idea of lapping the bolt lugs. What compound did your buddy use? The bolt is real difficult to open after firing. Much more so than my other centerfire rifles.

 

[thriller]

The redfield revolution is an excellent choice for the price. I have one on my contender carbine and its my favorite scope. Very nice rifle you have there by the way.

 

[Geno]

Nice range report, and pictures. Thank-you. Have you considered a straight-tube scope, such as a Weaver 1-3, or a straight 2.5X? That is what I use on my M1A. They are shorter, and lack that massive objective lens up front. Here is a link for the Weaver 1-3:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/18...es-rifle-scope-1-3x-20mm-dual-x-reticle-matte

Geno

 

[birdshooter]

Geno

I have considered a straight tube but I do want to use this rifle as an extra prairie dog gun and prefer a little more magnification. I have a 4-12 on my primary and a 3-9 on my AR. I figure a 2-7 will still keep the rifle handy while giving me enough power for longer shots.

Thanks for the recommendation though and am open to other thoughts!

 

[Outlaw Man]

Thanks for the report. The more I see those, the more I want one. They look lime a lot of fun.

 

[MtnCreek]

What is that forward of the lug? Is it a barrel nut or the contour of the barrel?

The first picture looks like a Rem 700 w/ a Savage trigger.

 

[MtnCreek]

One other thing: There's a pin going through the bolt near the chamber, does it have a floating bolthead like a savage?
Thanks.

 

[BP Hunter]

Beautiful rifle. I hsve always enjoyed shooting with iron sights.

 

[birdshooter]

Mtn

I'm not sure to either of your questions. I will try to get you couple of pictures of the lug area and a picture of the bolt.

 

[brian923]

Not a bad rifle at all! I would like to pick one up one day. Just wish I lived in a tax stamp friendly state. This would make an awesome platform for the kids with a can on it...

 

[fragout]

Nice report, and the pics you took really showed a lot of detail concerning the rifle.

I'm still waiting for the 7.62x51mm version to come out. (Supposedly next month from what I'm hearing)

The 7.62x51mm version will apparently accept M14 as well as DPMS pattern mags.

They also plan to release a version chambered in 300BLK as well.

Anyone tracking information concerning this?

 

[Dr.Rob]

I like that express style sight, and the stock. Does that have a threaded muzzle?

Looks like it would make a dandy predator control rifle or 'camp carbine'; a very well spent $328.

 

[joustin]

Yes it is threaded, will take any AR-15 flash hider or suppressor. Not OP but sold a few of them

 

[birdshooter]

Here are a few more pictures of the lug area, both sides of the bolt and the bolt face. Note the bolt face picture isn't square so the tab that hangs down looks crooked. It indeed is not crooked though.

 

[MtnCreek]

It does look like a barrel nut and it does have a floating bolt head. The bolt head is a little odd; it looks like the part that hangs down is there to grab the cartridge from the mag.

Thanks for the pictures. That's a neat rifle.

 

[ForumSurfer]

It does look like a barrel nut and it does have a floating bolt head. The bolt head is a little odd; it looks like the part that hangs down is there to grab the cartridge from the mag.

Thanks for the pictures. That's a neat rifle.

Ar mags sit lower than most rifle mags. That little bolt thing that swings down does exactly what you describe. It's a fairly clever way to get the ar mag to work. I hope the OP shoots the snot out of this and keeps posting results.

 

[BHarada]

Fragout, the reports I've read on the .308 MVP is that it will take DPMS-style mags only.

I have a MVP Varmint which is love. The .308 action looks to be coming out in two setups: The Predator, which has a 16.25" barrel and is configured like a scout rifle; and the Flex, which has a 18.5" barrel and the Flex stock with interchangeable butt pieces. I'm hoping that Mossberg will release a version with the 18.5" barrel and the Predator's laminate stock.

 

[fragout]

Thanks the info BHarada.

 

[greenlion]

I love the IDEA of this rifle. The iron sights, AR magazines, 223, etc. I've just heard too many disappointing stories about them and this one does not seem to be working 100 percent correctly either. Brass should not be hitting your rifle on ejection. The little flap hanging below the bolt to pick up the rounds from the mag doesn't exactly inspire confidence either. I wish someone could build a better version of this mousetrap.

 

[birdshooter]

Scope Update

I picked up a Redfield Revolution 2-7X32 and mounted it in Warne High Quick Detach rings. I went with high because I was worried about clearance of the rear sight. As you can see it was extremely close. The high rings don't feel excessively tall when mounting and shooting the rifle.





I went with the Accu Range Reticle and it is fine. I'm not in love with it compared to Mil Dots or dash sub tensions which I prefer. It will work though. The circle encompasses roughly six inches at 100 yds. The dot seems to be about 1 1/2 to 2 inches at 100 yds.



This gun can shoot! This is the first three shot group with a magnified scope. I was only using my range bag as a rest and no rear rest. I am also not a great rifle shooter. With better rests and a better trigger man I would expect even more.



All in all I really enjoy the rifle. I fired another 25 rounds at this session and all was flawless. That gets me real close to 150 rounds. I plan to shoot it some more this fall and winter but the real test will come next summer when it goes on a prairie dog shoot.