Rifle & scope review: Go long with Mossberg’s Patriot LR Hunter and Zeiss’s LRP S3 scope

My association with Mossberg firearms harkens back to my youth, when I purchased two bolt actions, a .22 rimfire and a 12-gauge shotgun. Mossberg is known for manufacturing value-priced quality firearms, so when the chance came to review one of its latest models, I decided it was time to reacquaint myself with this historic company. At the buck-busting price of US$854, the Patriot LR (Long Range) Hunter confirms Mossberg’s commitment to value still holds true.

Designed to fill the gap between long-range target rifles and hunting rifles, the LR Hunter is an upgraded long-range model in Mossberg’s Patriot line. It is offered in four chamberings: .300 Win. Mag., .308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 PRC (my chambering of choice for this review).

Since the newly designed Mossberg LR Monte Carlo stock is the most notable deviation from the rest of the Patriot line, let’s start there. It features a raised comb that improves eye-to-scope alignment, along with machined aluminum bedding pillars for stability and improved accuracy. The stock also has a polymer-coated Spider Gray finish, offering a micro-texture to enhance the gripping surface.

Then there’s the flat, benchrest-style forend for additional stabilization when long-range shots are in the offing. The forend also tapers inward toward the barrel, making the rifle easier to handle with gloved or smaller hands. The stock’s features round out with a recoil pad and dual swivel studs for bipod or sling use.

Mechanically, the LR Hunter is equipped with a fluted, button-rifled carbon steel barrel with an 11-degree match crown. The barrel is also threaded 5/8×24 for the easy attachment of a muzzle brake. Other mechanical features include a push feed action, plunger-type extractor, detachable polymer box magazine, two-position safety, one-piece Picatinny rail, spiral-fluted bolt, oversized bolt handle and patented LBA user-adjustable trigger (two to seven pounds), as well as dual locking lugs.

TEST RESULTS

Weighed on my postal scale, the LR Hunter came in at eight pounds even, exceeding the manufacturer’s specs by three-quarters of a pound. That’s a notable deviation I would have preferred not to have. Then I mounted my Zeiss test scope (see below) with Zeiss’s high Precision Rings, and added a muzzle brake to the threaded barrel. The overall weight now came in at 10 pounds 12 ounces—heavy, but still manageable.

As for the rifle’s LBA trigger, which is similar in design to the Savage AccuTrigger, it provided consistent pull weights of between two pounds 14 ounces and two pounds 15 ounces. Despite that consistency, I did note some trigger creep, a small imperfection that could influence long-range accuracy and lead to a miss.

On the range, I was impressed how the addition of a side-ported muzzle brake dramatically reduced felt recoil. No doubt, the combined weight of the rifle and scope were also contributing factors, but it sure was a mild shooter. I also appreciated the height of the Monte Carlo cheek piece, making for improved scope-sight alignment. While not a deal breaker, I would have preferred a three-position safety.

In all, I tested five handloads,10 factory hunting loads and three factory match loads at 100 yards. For the first time during one of my range tests, I also decided to double-check the advertised velocities of the factory ammo using Garmin’s Xero C1 Pro Chronograph. Interestingly, roughly half of the loads matched their advertised velocities, while the rest deviated by less than100 fps.

Although it had its preferences, the LR Hunter provided respectable accuracy, with approximately half of the hunting loads bettering MOA. That said, I would have expected even more sub-half-inch groups from a long-range rifle—if it had cost five grand.

With an average of 0.991 inches, my handloads faired a bit better overall than the factory ammo, which averaged 1.040 inches. The best performance, however, belonged to Barnes’ 130-grain VOR-TX TSX BT with a 0.365 group, making it a great choice for deer- and caribou-sized game. At the top of my list for larger game, particularly at long range, would be handloaded Hornady 143-grain ELD-X bullets and H1000 powder, which grouped 0.590 inches.

THE RIFLE SPECS

• Calibre: 6.5 PRC
• Total length: 44.25”
• Barrel length: 24”
• Weight: 7.25 lb
• Rate of twist: 1 in 8”
• Magazine capacity: 4+1 rounds
• Length of pull: 13.75”
• Drop at comb: 11/4”
• Drop at heel: 17/8”

For the complete range test results, go to www.outdoorcanada.ca/patriottest.

ZEISS LRP S3 425-50

Considering the LR Hunter is a hybrid between a long-range target rifle and a hunting rifle, I wanted a scope that would also fit within that niche. Zeiss’s LRP S3 425-50, with its ZF-MRi illuminated reticle, immediately came to mind for three main reasons: its compact size; a 34-mm tube that offers best-in-class elevation travel (160 MOA); and optical quality.

This is a front focal plane (FFP) scope featuring Extra Low Dispersion glass elements, Zeiss T* multi-coated lenses for brilliant high-contrast images in adverse light situations, and 90 per cent light transmission. The LotuTec exterior lens coating, meanwhile, promises a clear view in all weather conditions by repelling water and dirt.

Other features include Zeiss’s Ballistic Stop elevation turret, which provides an absolute return to zero, and the External Locking windage turret for immediate wind corrections. Finally, the scope’s digitally controlled diffractive illumination technology offers a bright point of aim, regardless of the amount of incoming light.

Nitrogen-purged and water-resistant to 400 mbar, the LRP S3 undergoes vigorous testing: 1,500 g-force of shock; water immersion at 13 feet for two hours; 90 minutes of vibration shock; temperature shocked from -13°F to 122°F within five minutes; and 24 hours of salt spray.

One downside to FFP scopes is the decrease in size of the reticle as the magnification is lowered. That certainly held true with the LRP S3 at 4x, when the centre reticle dot became all but undiscernible. That was no longer an issue, however, at 25x.

THE SCOPE SPECS

• Magnification: 4-25x
• Objective lens diameter: 50 mm
• Centre tube diameter: 34 mm
• Length: 13.4”
• Weight: 36.7 oz
• Eye relief: 3” to 3.5”
• Field of view @ 100 yards: 28.5’ to 4.8’
• Parallax setting: 16.4 yards to infinity