Mossberg Patriot Youth 20 .243 Winchester Walnut Bolt-Action Rifle

I got this to...

I got this to eventually give to my daughter when she gets old enough, but I get to play with it for a few years. This is my first experience with any of the walnut stocked Patriots. Fit & finish: the finish on the metal is a very matte, almost powdery finish. Personally I like it better than the finish on the Ruger Americans. I'm a polished blue finish man myself, but for a flat finish on an economy rifle, it's not bad. Might be a bit thinly applied in spots though, mine is already showing signs of bare metal around the muzzle. I feel the metal surfaces are a bit rough and could have used more smoothing out of machine marks (especially in the fluting of the bolt) but you don't get a sub $400 rifle by having somebody polishing out machine marks for hours on end. Walnut stock: I was initially skeptical about a "walnut" stock at this price, but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened up the box. It has a nice look, for low grade walnut, and was finished well. I do wish the forearm had more taper, especially since this is a youth model. It just felt alittle too fat in my hand compared to say a Savage or one of the Marlin X7 bolt guns. I know some folks loath the look of stippling the Patriot has, instead of traditional checkering. I'm still on the fence about it aesthetics of it, but I have to say it provides a much more positive grip and feel and grip than checkering. So looking at the practicality aspect, the stippling is a winner. Accuracy: almost any factory rifle anymore, you can pretty much expect to get at least 2, probably closer to 1.5 MOA out of, especially with reloads. The machining and manufacturing now a days is just so much more precise (on an industrial level) than it was even 25 years ago. Factory economy rifles are as accurate as custom jobs used to be. It's a wonderful time to be a rifleman. That said, I expected 1.5, near 1 MOA out of this rifle. My first shots were @50 yards sighting in. First 2 almost touched. And that was with inexpensive PPU stuff. Long story short, by the time I got to the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th shots down the tube, this rifle produced a 3 shot group of 0.56" @ 100 yards, with the Nosler Trophy 85gr Partition ammunition. That's 3 shots at 300 feet that could be covered up completely by a nickle. Now I wasn't using a high power target scope either, just a nice little 2-7 power Redfield. That is outstanding accuracy for any rifle, let alone a "budget" gun. And I have no reason to believe the accuracy won't get better with handloads and the barrel being broke in more. Overall, I am very impressed with this Mossberg Patriot. To be blunt I believe it could be finished better, period. And the stock feels falittle fat in your hands. But it is a handsome looking, EXTREMELY accurate rifle at a killer price. I give it a 9 out of 10 rating. P.S. when you get yours, make sure to give it a thorough cleaning. Mine was greased up pretty heavy throughout from the factory. Probably spent 90 minutes wiping mine down with oil to get her good and clean.