FIRST LOOK: Rounds Downrange With the new Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical

Across the firearms industry, certain companies are known as the king of the hill. One of the best examples of that is Mossberg. Long seen as the industry’s premier shotgun manufacturer, Mossberg has proven itself time and again. To the surprise of many though, Mossberg has an exceptional line of rifles. The core of that offering is their Patriot line. I have personally run several rifles in this line and have been impressed each time. Because of that, I was excited to hear that Mossberg was at it again and working to add a new rifle to the Patriot lineup. The newest member of that family is the Patriot LR Tactical.

Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical

I was honored to receive an invitation to join Mossberg at Gunsite for a sneak peek at the rifle. Dragging my son along as photographer/spotter we hit the road. The event was pure Mossberg and more, especially Linda Powell, Director, Media Relations with Mossberg.  Which is to say it was well-planned and thorough with countless opportunities to get questions answered. Gunsite with its world-class instructors and facility proved to be the perfect place to test the new rifle.

During the briefing and introduction, we learned that Mossberg’s newest Patriot rifles were designed to achieve high levels of accuracy at extended distances in an adjustment-ready, customizable package. They are using a custom MDT stock with aluminum V-Block bedding for improved accuracy and an M-LOK compatible forend. Other standard features include a patented LBA adjustable trigger, a suppressor-ready threaded barrel with a removable cap, and an 11-degree match crown. It also has an oversized bolt handle, spiral fluted bolt, top-mount 20 MOA Picatinny rail/scope base, and a 7-round or 10-round MDT AICS-style magazine. Ascetically, the gun is very good looking

User Adjustability

The stock is the biggest departure from previous Patriot models. It is user-adjustable for the length-of-pull by use of three spacers (.75″ range), and the Comb/Cheekrest height is user-adjustable up to 2 inches. You simply loosen the tension knob, adjust the height to the desired position, and re-tighten the knob to lock it in place. Mossberg offers the rifle in three calibers. .380 WIN, 6.5 Creedmoor, and the new 6.5 PRC – the gun we used for testing. The big brother of the 6.5 Creedmoor, the 6.5 PRC offers a 200+ fps velocity advantage in a compact magnum cartridge. Built to deliver long, heavy, high-performance bullets, it provides repeatable accuracy, low recoil, and performance well beyond 1,000 yards. Finishing the rifles out for our testing would include a Crimson Trace Hardline optic and a new Magpul MOE Bipod.

After the brief, we quickly made our way to the range. The Gunsite team ran things smoothly; we quickly zeroed in. My first impressions during the zeroing process were very positive. The trigger is adjustable from two to seven pounds. The trigger in the gun I used broke at around three pounds and worked perfectly. In fact, it is an exceptional trigger and helped me print consistent sub-MOA groups. The break was very clean and free of any new trigger grit that we sometimes find. Before shooting, I took the time to completely fit the gun to myself which, once again, is a very nice feature to have on a gun. We were soon moving out to the long ranges of Gunsite and chasing steel at various distances.

Rounds Downrange to 700 Yards

With the instructors spotting for us, we were all easily ringing steel plates at 600 and 700 yards. The oversized bolt knob fit my hands well and made cycling the bolt very easy. The action was smooth and would certainly improve over time. One aspect of the stock that I appreciated was the almost vertical nature of the grip. I find this to be more natural and made trigger manipulation much easier. The guns and ammo were obviously capable of much longer ranges, but the size of our group and time was against us. It was difficult to look at the steel way off in the distance knowing that we would not get a chance to punch it that day.

At the end of the day, my notes showed no malfunctions or feed issues in the rifle. It shot sub-MOA in my 100-yard zero and I had an 80-percent hit rate on the downrange steel. And this shooter induced that missing 20 percent, simply adjusting to a new rifle. While relatively brief, my testing on the Patriot LR Tactical showed it to be a high-performance rifle that shoots way beyond its price tag.

Mossberg has once again proven that they are much more than a shotgun maker. The Patriot LR Tactical has created a rifle that fits a variety of roles. Light enough to use as a hunter, accurate enough for precision work, and fast enough for competition. If you are looking for a high-performance precision rifle that offers a custom shooter fit, you need to take a look at the Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical.

Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical Features & Specs

Editor’s Note:

We first sent rounds downrange with this rifle at the recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous. The Patriot LR Tactical really impressed, with repeated hits on long-distance targets by a number of different folks on the trigger. It’s a real shooter. For more info, please visit mossberg.com.