[eightshooter]

After much thinking, this rifle followed me home yesterday. Cleaned it up inside/out, and took it to an indoor range today. Used Win 55 gr FMJ - nothing special. It has a quick detach 3-9-32 AO UTG scope as part of the package (along with iron sights).

At 50 yards from a Matrix bench rest it is a shooter - probably better than I am. First shot was on paper - quite a bit left and a bit low. Two more shots to walk it to the bulls eye. 4 of 5 next shots were inside a two inch ring and 1 shot was just outside (me). Two of the shots were basically one hole. For a first time out and with low end ammo, I'm happy with this, and know that it can be better. Enough for the day - will give it a good cleaning and check for loose fittings, etc. I did clean it at the range after 4 shots.

General thoughts. At the dealer, I didn't think I was going to be happy with the magazine and it was no better at the range. Simply a sloppy fit, and it had a little to much wiggle room - mostly back to front. Doesn't do a lot to inspire confidence that feeding will go without a hitch and it didn't. The 10 shot mag is just for looks as I'm in Canada and it is pinned at 5 shots (the law). I'll be looking for a 5 rounder that fits a whole lot better than this one.

Probably on me for part of it as it was the first time out with this rifle - time will tell. I only put 1 or 2 rounds in the mag at any one time. One round didn't feed right and the back end jammed down on the one in the mag. No big deal - dropped the mag and pulled out the half-loaded round. A nuisance.

Next time, worked the bolt and no shell was picked up from the mag - aimed, fired... and click. No shell in the chamber. Perhaps I did not draw the bolt completely back before working it forward - hopefully this is all it was.

This is going to be a fun little rifle.

 

[scorpio948]

I was looking into one as well, but in .308
From what I have heard, the Magpul pmag has the best fit.

 

[eightshooter]

Tried two 10 round pistol mags - an AT-15 and an LAR-15. The LAR seems to work fine but the AT-15, not. Mossberg offered to replace the stock mag but Canada Post wanted $17 to mail it from AB to ON. Ridiculous, so I decided to work on it instead.

Gently lifted the front and back lips a bit with pliers and now it seems to work o.k. Put a layer of JB Weld on the back of the mag and let it harden overnight. Gently sanded it down, incrementally, so it would fit snugly into the mag well, click into place, and release when button pressed. Left it so it needs a slight tug to pull the mag out - rather have it this way than floating around and dropping to easily.

So, all is well on the MVP Patrol front.

 

[SafetyJoe]

I have the predator version with the 20 inch threaded barrel. I handload my own lead reloads for it and I have to rock the mag forward so the bullets are angled more upright so it feeds them smoother. That doesn't happen with factory ammo though. Just with my lead 223 bullets. I had some PPU ammo get a few pierced primers and it blew gunk back into my firing pin channel and caused the firing pin to stop moving. Taking the bolt apart is a pain to do, but I cleaned it out and it works fine now. There's a tiny little curled spring in the bolt that looks like it might be a weak link in the design. My CZ 527 bolt is 1000 times easier to take apart than the mossberg mvp. The mossberg bolt isn't as smooth as the CZ or a Ruger American. If I lived in Canada I probably wouldn't bother with the mossberg because you guys are limited to just 5 rd mags anyway. I would probably just stick with the CZ or Ruger American.

 

[bluzman]

My CZ 527 bolt is 1000 times easier to take apart than the mossberg mvp. The mossberg bolt isn't as smooth as the CZ or a Ruger American. If I lived in Canada I probably wouldn't bother with the mossberg because you guys are limited to just 5 rd mags anyway. I would probably just stick with the CZ or Ruger American.

I read this comment with interest because when I was preparing to buy a .223 bolt action carbine, the two "finalists" were the Mossberg MVP Patrol and the CZ 527 Carbine. I handled both and came to the same conclusion as you did after comparing the smoothness of the bolts. Also, I once owned a WWII Gewehr 98 and even though it was war trophy retrieved from a battlefield, the Mauser action was still like butter so I was attracted to the CZ's mini-Mauser action. Finally, I'm a "wood-and-blue-steel" person so, in the end, I bought the CZ 527 and have been very happy with it.

 

[SafetyJoe]

I read this comment with interest because when I was preparing to buy a .223 bolt action carbine, the two "finalists" were the Mossberg MVP Patrol and the CZ 527 Carbine. I handled both and came to the same conclusion as you did after comparing the smoothness of the bolts. Also, I once owned a WWII Gewehr 98 and even though it was war trophy retrieved from a battlefield, the Mauser action was still like butter so I was attracted to the CZ's mini-Mauser action. Finally, I'm a "wood-and-blue-steel" person so, in the end, I bought the CZ 527 and have been very happy with it.

Yeah, the CZ is nice. I'll probably keep both. What I'm really hoping for is that mossberg will make the mvp in 300 aac blackout. They have it listed, but they haven't been making any. I've been waiting for over a year. I'll probably just get the Ruger American Ranch in 300 blackout, but the mossberg still appeals to me because it uses common AR15 mags.

 

[BasinBictory]

Wow - eightshooter and SafetyJoe have both pretty much summed up my own experience with the Mossberg MVP Patrol.

I bought one about a year or so ago, enamored of its compact dimensions, it's typical Mossberg ruggedness, pseudo-military/police sniper lineage, and its reputation as a very accurate shooter. Its ability to take AR mags was also pretty neat. I kept reading about them and seeing them in ads and was smitten.

Well - it was very much the case of seeing some girl in class you thought was really cute, had a great laugh, and you just KNEW you would have a great time together if you asked her on a date. Then you actually go on the date and you find out she chews with her mouth open, is incapable of conversations that don't involve her hair or clothes or similarly vapid friends, and has bad breath to boot. Basically, a total letdown.

My rifle had an exceptionally rough action. Even just working the bolt back and forth (without even dry firing - just open close open close open close) and without a magazine in it felt bad - it wiggled like my dog's tail when all the way back, and just generally felt sloppy, rough, and not solid. Then I took it for its first range outing. Holy hell this thing must have a tight chamber! I wasn't exactly forcing the bolt to close, but it did feel like there was more than usual resistance to chamber in rounds. I fired, and then again, and was pleased that the shots were nearly on top of each other. Then a third time, then click. Nothing. Whaaaaaaa??

I think I have a dud round and do the 30-second wait for hang fire before I eject the suspected dud round. Hmm - primer isn't even dented. Strange. I rechamber the round and try again. Cli* (not even click). I figure out that the flat part on the back of the bolt that is attached to the firing pin isn't going all the way forward. At this point, I don't know what's wrong and think that the firing pin must've broken off inside the bolt. As I didn't know at the time how to disassemble the bolt, I just put the gun away and proceeded to blast the ammo on hand through my Mini14.

Once I get the MVP home, I quickly use the Internet to help me disassemble the boot, and discover what appear to be shiny metal shards on the inside of the bolt shaft. At first I think it's pieces of the firing pin - perhaps it was improperly tempered and the very tip of it has chipped off. But no - I look at the pin and it appears unharmed, and in any case, the metal shards are of a very soft metal. I figure out that they're blown primers that somehow got back inside the bolt. So now, I have two potential problems to track down. 1)my firing pin is too long, piercing the primers or 2)my reloads were somehow poorly done and either the primers are seated improperly, or the powDer charge is more than it should be.

I also, at this time, take the opportunity to smooth out the contact surfaces of the bolt with the help of some Mothers Mag polish and my trusty Dremel. That seems to help some, but the action is still just poorly done, IMO. When next I take my gun to the range, I use only factory ammo.

Long story short, I ran into basically the same problems. I measured the protrusion of the firing pin when in the fired position, and it's not long enough to pierce the primer.

In any case, I was so disgusted with the rifle that I threw it off a cliff.

No not really. I sold it to a man named Cliff. I did disclose the issues I had with it, but he said no problem and that he'd read up on similar stories. Yikes! Seems like my experience with this particular gun is hardly unique.