Mossberg Patriot Tactical - An honest gun

Mossberg has paired with MDT to produce a low-cost, PRS-type rifle for any shooter wanting to push for precision. The Patriot Tactical begins with a straight taper 22” barrel featuring a 5/8”x24 thread at the neatly crowned muzzle for a suppressor or muzzle brake. The barrel begins with a 19.5mm diameter, so is not painfully heavy, and it is fully free-floated within the MDT’s forend. The receiver is topped with a 20 MOA inclined Picatinny rail. This overhangs the barrel slightly, offering plenty of space for larger precision optics, showing that Mossberg has put some thought into the specification details.

Sleek black
All the metalwork is finished with a smooth matte black coating, which effectively prevents rust and does not attract dust from your skin. Mossberg has specified a twin lug bolt with a push-feed face on this Creedmoor. There is a sprung plunger ejector lower left and an extractor claw in the right lug. It is interesting to note the bolt head is separate from the shaft, and with the firing pin de-cocked, you can disassemble and remove the bolt face, which is pinned to the spiral-fluted 17.6mm shaft. Although I don’t think Mossberg ever intended this to be a switch barrel rifle, it certainly eases the manufacturing process, and I doubt it has any real negative effects on performance. It may to some fractional extent allow the bolt head to very slightly float and self-align under pressure as the lugs bear on the abutments within the receiver.

Keep it simple
The back of the bolt shows a 70mm handle with a 22mm knurled teardrop tip. The handle appears to be cast and does not show a truly smooth-coated finish like the receiver or barrel. It looks like the blacking will wear a bit more than it already has, but it must be remembered that this is an entry-level rifle made to a price point. The shroud is rather well designed, as the small wing on the left side allows the bolt to be easily cocked and de-cocked when removed from the rifle, allowing for disassembly and cleaning without tools. There is a small bolt release catch on the left side of the shroud, and the safety catch is on the right side. It moves forward for FIRE and rear for SAFE without bolt locking. It is not completely silent because the detents are firmly sprung, but it also won’t be accidentally disturbed.

90º
A 90º bolt lift cocks and cycles the action, and it is light to operate. The bolt shaft within the receiver is a fairly loose fit, with waggle room, but it runs smoothly on the spiral fluting and will not jam easily. Mossberg has used a single-stage, folded steel trigger blade with a central safety blade that shows a lightning flash design. The trigger is about 95% crisp out of the box and operates consistently, breaking at 1300-grams (46 oz). With the barrelled action out of the stock, you can access the patented LBA adjustable trigger screw, which promises to alter weight from 900-3000-grams (32-112 oz). Finally, ammunition is fed from an AICS-compatible detachable magazine. A 10-round steel unit is supplied, and spares are easily purchased. An ambidextrous release lever is mounted under the front of the polymer trigger guard, which has plenty of space for a gloved finger in the colder months.

Hidden screw
If you roll the rifle over and look behind the mag release lever, you can see the rear Allen screw. This is coupled with a more easily visible one in front of the magazine well, and they both hold the barrelled action into the MDT chassis. Release these and the action comes out to reveal an aluminium V-bedding block which supports the receiver in position. There is a recoil lug pinned between the barrel tenon and receiver to transfer forces to the inlet, and you get to see the trigger and safety mechanisms in more detail. Everything seems neatly designed, and when you put it back together, the screws torque up without appearing to stress the action unnecessarily.

Entry level
I think that when it comes to true competition-level PRS chassis systems, buyers will only consider aluminium, but the polymer MDT unit seen here, from perhaps the premier maker of PRS furniture, does offer decent features. The Flat Dark Earth (FDE) coloured polymer moulding features gentle stippling throughout for grip, and although only the centre section is aluminium below the skin, the forend walls are stiff enough to keep the barrel free-floating and feature a black polymer centre spacer to add more rigidity. There are M-LOK slots on both sides and underneath for accessories, as well as a solidly anchored sling stud to which I fitted a Harris-type bipod for the review. The forend underside is flat and it is stable off a rest bag for improvised shots.
The vertical pistol grip is ambidextrous and carries additional black panels with deep chequering moulded in for an assured grip. You can shoot with a wrapped or upright thumb, and the palm swell on either side allows it to fill your hand without undue tension. The reach to the trigger is approximately 87mm from the back of the grip. In use, it gives an excellent ergonomic position for perpendicular index finger pad contact on the trigger blade, ensuring a precise, controlled release, without lateral exertion.

Shooter comfort
Look to the rear and the adjustable cheekpiece offers 2” (50mm) of vertical travel. The comb itself is slim and fits very comfortably under the cheekbone, without jaw displacement and having to roll your head. The only thing was the right-side thumbscrew for tensioning it in place was circular and fingertip-sized only. Once in place, this cheekpiece ranks alongside the best for comfort and positioning, allowing easy, direct scope alignment.
The firm recoil pad is 20mm thick, and there was one fitted (plus three extra) length of pull spacers that enabled a comfortable and “long for American” setup that I can’t criticize. The pad is grippy enough to retain position in your shoulder pocket and firm enough to get a good perception of applied pressure when making those precision shots. Finally, there is a bag rider on the underside and a second sling stud. It is a shame there is no hand stop to keep the rifle clamped to your shoulder, but you cannot have it all.

To the range
With a scope fitted, mod on, and bipod attached, it was time to head off to the 100m range. The magazine was like any other AICS, performing faultlessly. Additional rounds dropped into the ejection port fed directly into the chamber, and the three varieties of ammunition all cycled smoothly. The long ELD bullets also fed without any notable meplat damage, and that’s a nice factor to consider on what is intended as a precision rifle. From prone or seated, the stock is stiff and stable, and the balance point is just ahead of the magazine, although there is no specific barricade stop, which some may desire. Magazine insertion and withdrawal were also secure, and I found the weight and feel of the trigger quite accommodating for an economically priced rifle. The groups on paper showed that the rifle had no problem achieving sub-MOA performance, and I didn’t find any point of impact shift when it got hot during ten-round strings.
I found the grip excellent and the cheekpiece was as I suspected, very comfortable with no resonance transfer through the gun. Once I removed the cheekpiece adjuster and cleaned the threads, it worked a lot more smoothly, and I think the only slight hiccup throughout the whole process was a couple of feed stutters because of the relatively sloppy bolt fit.

Conclusion
Although not a particularly fancy rifle, this is a very honest gun, and the barrel certainly offers decent precision. As I used it, I could feel it running in and the bolt smoothing out, so I really can’t say much against this firearm. The stock’s ergonomics are far better than many rifles, and I liked the way the barrelled action is medium weight and well suited to the polymer MDT stock, which itself was stiff enough to be shot intuitively without any real conscious thought. Although not a hill rifle, it will certainly tackle a bit of deer stalking too, and the only thing it misses is a hand stop on the stock.