# Mossberg Patriot Predator 308win Review



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

Mossberg Patriot Predator 308win Review 


I was in the market for utility rifle , my life is on a budget , money is always a consideration.


After much research , picking guns up in gun shops and knowing what I like in a rifle I found what I felt best filled my needs and wants in an affordable package with little compromise.


Needs well I have other guns and could kill any game animal in north america so maybe it should be Needs* more like serious wants). Never the less what was needed before I was going to spend my earned money on it.


Needs 


Caliber that will kill anything that might need killing


Light enough to carry all day


Durable 


Fix-able 


Long lasting


Ability to mount scope well


Good controls


Wants


Threaded muzzle 


5 round or larger magazine


Larger bolt knob 



A caliber that will kill anything I need killing , 308win should fill that , running 165 and 180 gr bullets moose , bear , deer are all possibilities. As well as coyote and woodchuck. 



Light enough to carry all day , base rifle is 6 ½ pounds per manufacturer , when I have everything on it optic , muzzle brake and cheek pad 8 pounds 2 ounces. I can work with that. When you start trying to get under 8 pounds for a scoped rifle you start paying by the ounce of weight saving.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

Durable , while I could have filled my list with an older used rifle on my budget , but that leads to often already worn parts , old brittle plastic parts .the is also leads right into Fixable , things do break and a current production rifle should have parts available from the manufacturer.


Long lasting , besides what seems to be a solid bolt action design with only the necessary moving parts , the 308win is also known for being a long lasting barrel I like to shoot and I can see this rifle easily going over a thousand rounds.

To better understand where I am coming from with Durable , fix-able and long lasting , my previous rifle to fill this role was a Remington 742 Woodsmaster 30-06 and it filled these roles with the exception of the Durable , Fixable and long lasting. The 742 had issues and many figured it was a 500 round rifle from the factory , Remington discontinued all the parts abandoning those who used this rifle.


Ability to scope easily, this for me means a picatinny rail I am tall and I need the back of the scope just about even with the trigger. I had a sporterized 1903A3 that was going to fill this role also but sold it for what I had into it as it was not easy at all with the available options to mount an optic to it to fit me.


Finishing up with my list of wants threaded Muzzle , this adds only a small cost to the rifle but allows me to mount a muzzle break to the rifle , not that 308 is a hard recoiling round but when used with a break it is very mild. The 5 round or larger magazine and larger bolt knob, not a need for hunting but a want for shooting. I have every intention of seeing how this runs on an Appleseed known distance course. Stage 2 a 200 yard transition to seated with load and reload in 55 seconds tests you and running the rifle.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

The rifles strengths and weaknesses as I see them.


Strengths , light , no wood to swell, simple breakdown to clean and get corrosion protection on the metal after a day of hunting in the rain. I could have paid a bit more for the ceracoat about 70 dollars but as long as I can get a gun dry and get oil or corrosion inhibitor spray on it I have never had a problem with guns rusting.

Strong action , simple controls easy to mount optics on and good trigger. factory it was set as light as I would want it for gloved hunting it could even go heavier , I know who says that ever.


Another strength is the LBA trigger , this is a sear block built into the trigger allowing for a light but safe trigger. If the trigger is jared or moved without first pressing the blade in the trigger to disengage the sear block the sear falls to a safe spot and it requires a cycle of the bolt handle to reset it. Until then the sear is sitting on the blade. I like this design it makes sense to me. Another description of how the LBA trigger works.

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/11/03/big-news-mossbergs-new-lightning-lba-trigger/


Weaknesses the stock is flexible and the mag is plastic, as is the mag well , although the latch is metal. Mossberg did leave a generous barrel channel so that even with some flex the stock doesn’t contact the barrel .Sure I would love a better stock and all metal mag and magwell , but hey I shoot a glock I got over plastic a long time ago , plastic done right works. Time will tell if it was done right.

In the meantime, I will take the weight savings and price point. I am not pretending this is a wall hanger , I am duly calling it a utility gun.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

When I get a new gun. Here is my process. First thing I did was to remove the factory scope base , I was pleasantly surprised to find all the screws were very close to 20 inch pounds 2 removed without my torque wrench clicking 2 of the 4 needed just a little more they all had just a bit of red thread locker on the threads. But as I pointed out to my son it takes 5 minutes to check and put thread locker on all of the screws and torque them with my FAT wrench , so that I don’t find an issue later boxes of ammo down the line.

I also pull the action from the stock , get Hornady 1 shot on all the metal surfaces for corrosion protection. When I put it back in I torque the action screws so that I have a consistent torque with my FAT wrench I set this to 25 inch pounds to start with.

I spray down the bolt with hornady One Shot let it dry and work the bolt a few times for corrosion protection and lube. I installed the muzzle break , I have the same AR Stoner 30 cal muzzle break on another rifle catch them on sale and they are 20 dollars from Midway USA and do a good job of reducing felt recoil.


Besides the obvious pros to 308 win I like it because I am set up to reload it , I keep brass for each rifle and only use that brass in that rifle , I neck size with a Lee collet die and my brass has not needed trimming in as many as 6 reloads , at some point I may need to full length size and trim but >300 rounds down range and it hasn’t had to happen yet. As long as my brass is clean and dry it loads nearly as fast as pistol ammo on my turret press.


I picked up 2 boxes of federal power shok 150gr to start in this rifle with 50 cases around 23-25 dollars it almost makes more sense to buy some off the shelf ammo and shoot it for sight in, get a baseline for the rifle and to get the cases. The Power Shok Federal was 15.99 on sale and now I have 40 cases for this rifle I like to have a hundred or more a rifle so I will pick up some more later.


Barrel break in, Mossberg states no official barrel break-in procedure in the manual and I don’t get too crazy with this. 308 is not a barrel burner and I will be hunting this rifle in several days , more likely my son will hunt it and I will carry the 742. 

I sprayed some hornady one shot in the barrel and ran a pull through bore snake a few times , at this point I want and debris from the finishing process out and I want a little corrosion protection in.


A few rounds to get sighted in and then I will shoot a few groups , probably less than 20 rounds then hunt. If we fired 5 rounds hunting it would be an exciting year.


Normally I would go sight in and shoot a few groups say around 25 rounds then clean the copper out , then after the next shooting session clean again , I don’t drag all my cleaning stuff to the range by the 3rd time I have gone out I seldom get much in the way of copper coming out and I wait till I have a few hundred rounds through before cleaning again any more than a shot of one shot and a bore snake.


With hunting season days away I will just wait till after season to clean the copper.

As stated it isn’t a barrel burner and I am economically inclined not to shoot barrel burning rounds.


The scope is a 2-7x32 Vortex , weaver quad-lock rings , it is my go-to optic for most anything. Both the 742 and this Mossberg Patriot Predator wear them in the same rings.


At 2x I have shot several running deer , 7x is nice for sight in and target shooting , really all my deer shooting has been fairly close range under 110 yards typically. I have shot targets at 7X successfully to 420 yards I just never had the opportunity to try farther when I had a gun with a 2-7x32 along


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

I got out to the range today , I shot 30 rounds of the Factory 150gr Federal power shok saving 10 for hunting next week.

it shot well I wasn't shooting from a bench but rather from a sling prone , this isn't how you make itty bitty groups but if you shoot with the use of a sling it is how you get a real zero , rifles recoil differently from a sling than without. at short distance it won't matter but pushing distances out further it can be seen.

the groups were decent on the few groups I shot 

the last group I shot was some of my 180gr hand-loads to give them a try in this gun that group was about 1 1/4 inches on steel fired fairly quickly hasty sling leaning over a bench.

I have decided I liked where the 180s were shooting and the groups and I can keep reproducing that load so I will hunt that load next week.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

talking money my dealer quoted me $365 Nov of 2019 US dollars when he ordered the rifle for me.
by the time I payed the state sales tax $385 dollars was my cost.

the Vortex optic was 129 dollars on sale , rings $15, I had a cheek rest that I had tried on another rifle and it wasn't high enough that I re-purposed for this rifle.
I have several of the GI web slings with swivels and only one me so not every gun has one on it all the time


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE




----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE




----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE




----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE




----------



## Cornhusker

I like it a lot, and I think you got a good deal.
How do you like the Vortex?
I've got a Crossfire II, and it would be hard to beat for the money.
I bought a second hand Mossberg MVP Patrol in 5.56, takes AR mags, and the only issue I had with it was the bolt catching on some mags.
I put in a metal magwell, and it cured the problem.
It has a great trigger too.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

this is my 5th Vortex and 3 of them are 2-7x32 probably soon to be 4 of 6 so I guess I am hooked I find them a very good value and like the recital options they offer .


this is my 2nd Mossberg 308 rifle a couple years ago I purchased a Mossberg MVP Varmint 7.62 laminated stock.
https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_info.php/products_id/23351
it feeds beautifully from 10 round AR-10 P-mags. I love that gun , but it is almost 12 pounds with scope 4-12x40 Vortex with target turrets and bipod and with the 24 inch barrel and muzzle break it is also long. it is a real joy to shoot , excellent trigger also.
it shot 2 distinct groups about 2 inches apart till I glass bedded the action in the stock otherwise bullet holes nearly touching.
this is more of a range toy for me , with the weight and the brake I watch rounds impact the target through the scope it hardly even moves at all. I like banging steel as far out as I can get it. so far only a 1/4 mile because of range limitations.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

Well to answer the question , does it hunt ? 

yes my son took a 6 point buck at about 100 yards across a small hay field yesterday morning at a cousins farm.
one shot that traveled from just in front of the left shoulder exiting about 4 inches behind the diaphragm. the path through the lungs and liver just missing the heart.
it took one step and fell over done. 
the gun ended up shooting very well with the same load my other Mossberg 308 liked a near max load of H4895 under a 180gr BTSP Speer bullet.

while I didn't take any deer with it I did carry it a bit one day on the way back tot he truck , it carries nice lighter than the rifle I was carrying.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE




----------



## AmericanStand

Sounds like a fine weapon, I think it will do everything you want and expect of it but I would caution it is a bit light for bears.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

it might be a touch light but 308 win is what the Canadian Arctic Rangers are carrying for polar bear. they used to carry 303 brit.

they are now carrying a Sako T3 in 308win 

Wis black bear 308 win in a 180gr bullet work fine.

would it be my choice for stopping a charging bear maybe not but since I haven't any magnum safari cartridges. it would be the thing I reached for at least I would know I would be making good hits that would be making vital organs . 30-06 has been employed for bear for a century modern 308 is all that 30-06 was 60 years ago when it was one of the primary cartridges used on bear , moose , elk.

the 308 and my 30-06 loaded to 308 velocities were giving exit at 20 and 24 inches penetration on the deer we shot this week even when hitting bone.

the over-sized bolt handle and muzzle break make for fast shooting with anything shoot it to the ground.


----------



## Wyobuckaroo

Sounds like a fine weapon, I think it will do everything you want and expect of it but I would caution it is a bit light for bears.
You don't list a location, so do you indeed live where there are bears ?? Many people think the 308 is not adequate just from things they have read.. 

We have 2 kinds of bears here. I've seem a 308 win used most effectively. Also have seen a number of black bears taken with 30-30 and SKS 762x39 with the cheap steel case soft point ammo. Basics work well, whiz bang bling bling is nice, but not mandatory. 

Must say if I were looking for a new rifle, the Mossberg with the detachable magazine in 308 would be my choice. A good platform for that power level, lighter than my old M1917 and easier to add optics.


----------



## Bearfootfarm

Wyobuckaroo said:


> Many people think the 308 is not adequate just from things they have read..


It's fine for bears as long as one uses the correct projectiles and can shoot.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

my location is Wisconsin, we have black bears but very few in the county I live in.

I load 180gr bullets for it. both 308 and 30-06 with 180gr bullets are very common rounds in WI for bear

largest WI black bear I have heard of personally was shot by a cousin in northern WI and it was a dressed 501 pounds he actually took it with a 12 ga shotgun and 2 foster type slugs , they were running hounds. the largest on record with the WI-DNR I believe was 700 pounds 

most of the bear are only around 250-350 here not much bigger than a Man.

with the penetration and damage I saw on deer from the .308 bullets I load I have no doubt it would kill a bear.


----------



## alleyyooper

Ya don't need a 30 cal to kill small 350 pound (adverage weight For Michigan black bears harvested.) All it takes is a well placed 243 6mm pill in the boiler room.
My hunting partner shot one that came into his bait pile with a 85gr HPBT out of his 243.
Dropped where it had stood.

Not that I have any thing againest my 308 I hand load 165gr. HPBT serria game kings for.
Same bullet I use in my 300 winchester mag for shooting deer across UPPER Michigan cranberry bogs.

 Al


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

I have shot deer with 223 and I have a cousin who shot his bear with 243 another cousin shot a moose with 243 the issue is with both cartridges no doubt they are lethal with good shot placement , but both frequently fail to produce an exit wound.

seldom does a 180 from a 308 not make exit.


----------



## Vahomesteaders

I've shot bears with my bow and multiple guns. 270 is typically what I use. But have shot them with 3006. I have a 6.5 Creedmoor that I'm interested in taking a bear with. Believe it or not, the best shooting 270 I have is a mossberg trophy hunter. It is an amazingly accurate gun. Better than my Remington 700. Got it to use as a truck/ mountain gun and it quickly became my favorite!


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

i believe it , I have a cousin who has an old 880 he have a guy 100 dollars for it with the scope , case , sling and box of shells 40 years ago and has shot a pile of deer with it since. it was a young guy who needed money for a buss ticket and had his deer gun to sell.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

took some time to day and went and shot at a friends farm once all the cattle are off his south pasture for the winter I can go out and shoot some greater distance today I spent most of my time at 400 yards.

me , the rifle with sling and some of my 180gr hand-loaded 308win rounds 

well not that I had any concern but , it shoots at distance as well, scoring hits on steel at 400 was mostly a matter of reading wind today wind it was constantly changing and gusting to about 25 mph

I need to build a target stand to go any further conveniently there is a tree marking an old fence line about 420 yards I can hang the steel from but no more trees after that any further out I can get to about 800 with a target but need to make a stand


----------



## alleyyooper

Use PCV to make a light weight stand. Probably an inch size would work depending on your steel target weight.



















 Al


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE

thanks Al, this target weighs in at about 50 pounds it is soft steel , was a part of some machinery it has probably 15 pounds of extra steel hanging off the back but for free it was the right price for a target to shoot from a few hundred yards and leave hanging in a tree in a pasture all year.

we are still freeze thaw and this pasture stays rather wet so it is a walk only trip right now. once it freezes up I will build something to hang the target on and drive it out.

when your target is a half mile walk there and back it makes for a lot of walking if I can't drive to the target. it does sort of sound strange driving to your target but it is the reality of it.












I make a target stand for paper targets I can get one out of a single stud I need 7 feet of usable 2x4
2 at 24 inches 2 at 18 inches and a 14.5 inch piece of 1x4 the uprights are a single 1x2 furring strip cut in half.

I make a bunch of these for the range I belong to and for the 4-H kids to shoot

I watch the 70% off cart at home depot for 2x4 generally I can make one of these for about 2 dollars with the uprights

the uprights get shot up in about a year , if I recall I have just asked this young man to move his targets so he wouldn't be shooting the uprights at just over a dollar it is the most expensive part of the stand


----------

