Rifle Review: A Classic Mossberg — The Patriot Revere Rifle In .270

I guess I’m showing my age here, but I have a weakness for wood-stocked rifles. They’re what I grew up with and dreamed about when I planned my big game rifle battery as a youngster. There weren’t any plastic hunting rifles around when I was a kid — blued steel and walnut ruled.

I still prefer the look and feel of wood on a rifle…but I must admit, fiberglass is the way to go on a hard-hunted weapon that’ll be exposed to wet weather or the bumps and knocks of a wilderness camp. Fiberglass (or any of the modern plastics) doesn’t warp and is immune to the wear that would destroy a finely finished stock. I have several fiberglass-stocked, stainless-barreled rifles that I use on bad-weather hunts but when I can, I still like to go afield carrying a nicely blued rifle (or shotgun) with a well-figured piece of walnut.

Since I like dark walnut and blued steel so much, a request was made to Mossberg for one of the newly introduced Patriot Revere rifles. Mossbergs have always been known as “working guns.” You know, the rifle stashed in the barn for predators or the pump shotgun in the pickup that rides behind the bench seat. Funny thing about Mossbergs though, they always work. I had a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun issued to me while in Iraq — it bounced around in one of our vehicles for days on end — it was never cleaned and it always worked when we needed to. You can’t beat a reputation like that.

Patriot Revere

I changed my perception of a Mossberg looks-wise when I took the Patriot Revere out of the box. It had a stunning piece of figured walnut, very nicely inletted into the action. Pair the looks with Mossberg’s rep for reliability and you have serious potential. The only question was, would it shoot? More on that later.

The Patriot is a two-lug, round-bottom actioned push-feed bolt rifle that is loaded from a detachable box magazine. The bolt body is spiral-fluted; safety is two-position that doesn’t lock the bolt when on safe. The action comes with Weaver-style bases installed. Triggerguard, magazine, and floorplate is a polymer/plastic assembly. I don’t care for plastic parts in guns, but it’s here to stay if you want to keep manufacturing costs down. I’ve never heard of one failing or cracking under use. No chance of rust, either. The new polymers work and work well (think polymer framed handguns). In defense of the Patriot plastic parts (magazine, trigger guard and the one-piece magazine retaining box/feed ramp), I had no problems; the rifle cycled smoothly and chambered everything I loaded into it. Just a thought, though…Mossberg should consider adding an aluminum or steel trigger guard to the Revere; it wouldn’t cost much and would be a nice upgrade over the plastic guard on a handsome rifle.

The stock itself is semi-fancy walnut with extensive cut checkering and a high, straight comb with cheekpiece. Inletting is very well done; the barrel was free-floated with no unsightly gaps. The recoil lug mortise had a small amount of epoxy material that bears evenly against the recoil lug, keeping the action snug in the stock. A rosewood forend tip and grip cap with maple spacers, a thick 1″ recoil pad, steel swivel studs and a hand-rubbed oil finish completes the picture. You’re getting one hell of a stock for the money; the work is as good (or better) as any factory wood-stocked rifle I’ve seen on the market today.

Range Time

I mounted a SIG “Whiskey 3” 4-12x40mm with SIG’s triplex reticle on top of the Mossberg, using Warne 1″ detachable steel rings. A great combo that will do just about anything a big game rifle can do in North America. I usually like a little less power in my big game scopes (a straight 6x is my favorite), but the 4-12x is a good range of power for a variable that will see plenty of range duty. The SIG is not too large for a full-sized scope, mounts easily and is quick to adjust and zero. Glass is clear and the resolution sharp with an excellent, simple reticle. It’s held zero throughout the power range; adjustments were responsive and “spot on”. For the one-gun hunter, this would be an awesome setup.

First time out with the Patriot, I did preliminary zeroing at 25 and 50 yards to get the rifle on paper and let the barreled action settle into the stock. On my 2^nd and 3^rd range days, I got serious and did accuracy and chronograph work at 100 yards. I had a good selection of .270 factory loads in both 130 and 150-grain weights. The 150-grain soft point Federal “Non-Typical Whitetail” was the clear winner in the accuracy contest, printing just under a ½” group that was literally one ragged hole. This is the 3^rd rifle I’ve tested that grouped superbly with Federal’s “economy” Whitetail ammo. Looks like it might be my Texas deer and hog load from now on. Runner-up for bragging rights was Hornady’s SST Super Performance, which not only shot well but had the highest velocity, at 3,190 fps.

Below is a sampling of the groups I shot with the Patriot Revere. All groups were 3 shots, with a minute for cooling between shots. Weather on all three days of testing was a cool, overcast 65 degrees, with a hint of rain and no wind. Shooting for accuracy was done at the 100-yard line from a concrete bench, using dual sandbags. I experienced no malfunctions or feeding issues during three range sessions; a total of 73 rounds were fired, including 3 magazines (15 rounds) fired sitting with the sling at 200 yards, rapid fire.

Federal 150-grain Non Typical Whitetail just under ½” (best group overall)
Federal 130 -grain Non Typical Whitetail – 1.1″
Hornady 130-grain Super Performance SST- ¾”
Federal 130-grain Partition – 1.2″
Nosler 130-grain Accubond – 1″
Federal 130-grain Pointed Soft Points – 1.4″

The Patriot didn’t really dislike any of the factory stuff I tried, except for some older 130-grain Hornady “Light Magnums” in my ammo stash that was several years old. Best I could manage was 2.2″. Just for fun, I shot a couple of groups at 300 yards with the 150-grain Federal Whitetail load that grouped so well at 100. I guessed on the elevation and came up 10 clicks on the SIG scope; I was rewarded on the 1^st try with a group of 4″, 3-inches low. A few clicks more and I had a good 300 yard zero. This rifle would definitely be a whitetail or pronghorn killing machine out to 400 yards. If you intend to shoot that far, you’ll need to do some experimenting regarding the drop of your particular load. What you see on the ammo box is just a rough guide. Half the fun of playing with a rifle is getting it “dialed in” at the ranges, you’ll shoot and learning the capabilities of your caliber and bullet weight. A magazine or two sent downrange (200 yards is good) from an improvised shooting position should be part of the learning process. Zeros can change from the bench to a field position and it’s always smart to check your rifle’s function with some strings of sustained fire. Many hunters never get away from the bench until they head out on the hunt.

During the range testing, I used a Lab radar Doppler chronograph to see if my actual velocities matched up with the manufacturers’ published data. Results were pretty close with most of the loadings. What’s nice about the Lab radar is that it’s easy to set up and use (no more screens to shoot through). It also calculates all your data, like velocity averages, for you. And you can upload everything to your laptop while at the range. So millennial.

Velocity Results:

Federal Premium 130-grain “Partition” – Actual: 3,037 fps Published: 3,060 fps
Federal 130-grain softpoint “blue box” – Actual: 3,054 fps Published: 3,060 fps
Federal “Non-typical Whitetail” 130-grain softpoint – Actual: 2,965 fps Published: 3,060 fps
Federal “Non-typical Whitetail” 150-grain softpoint – Actual: 2,820 fps Published: 2,830 fps
Hornady “Super Performance” 130-grain SST- Actual: 3,190 fps Published: 3,200 fps
Nosler “Accubond” 130-grain- Actual: 3,064 fps Published: 3,075 fps

(NOTE: velocity averages were based on 3-shot strings, calculated and uploaded by the Lab radar)

Mossberg has long had a reputation for building reliable working guns. Maybe not the best-looking gun in the rack, but functional. The Patriot Revere changes all that. You can now have a Mossberg that’s totally reliable, inexpensive and looks like it should be on safari. The Mossberg motto of “more gun for the money” defines the Patriot.

RIFLE SPECIFICATIONS:

Manufacturer: O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.
Model: Patriot Revere (introduced January 2018)
Caliber (tested rifle): .270 Winchester. Also available in 6.5mm Creedmoor, .308 Win, 243 Win, .30-06 and .300Win Magnum
Action: Mossberg-designed twin-lug push-feed round-bottomed action of machined steel, fed from a detachable box magazine. Bolt body is spiral fluted. Knurled bolt knob
Magazine capacity: 5
Barrel: 24”, highly polished carbon blued steel with a recessed crown. 1-10″ twist (1-8″ in 6.5mm Creedmoor)
Stock: semi-fancy, #2 grade European walnut with rosewood forend tip and grip cap set off by maple wood spacers. Fine-line checkering, hand-rubbed oil finish and a 1″ thick recoil pad. Free-floated barrel channel
Trigger: Mossberg LBA (“lightning bolt action”) two-stage trigger that is easily adjustable by the user from 2-7 lbs. The tested rifle was set at 3.0 lbs
Safety: standard two position that allows unloading while safety is in the “on” position
Weight (empty): 7 lbs, unloaded
Overall length: 44.75″. Length of pull 13.75″
MSRP: $823.00

For more information:

www.mossberg.com | www.sigsauer.com |www.warnescopemounts.com | www.mylabradar.com

Subscriber Comments

Comment by:

Old Bill

With few exceptions...Why not just stick with the wood?
I must admit I am at a loss to understand the desire to have a "Pristine Gun
I have a number of "Well Worn" guns.. One I carried overseas in the service...another I carried everywhere everyday for 30 years..Beyond maintenance, replacing parts as needed.. I cannot imagine sending them off to "make them pretty again... in my eyes they are quite beautiful.. Let my Grand kids wonder how they got looking that way.. as I do with a Pistol that belonged to my Great Great Grandfather..