Mossberg Patriot 6.5 CM 22" 5rd OD Green Rifle

6.5 Creedmoor earned its reputation on paper targets and then quietly took over deer camp. It is efficient, easy on the shoulder, and the long bullets it uses hold velocity well past the range most people are willing to shoot at game. Mossberg chambers it here in the OD Green Patriot with a 22" fluted barrel finished in matte blued steel. Fluting trims weight from the muzzle end and helps the barrel shed heat through a string of shots, which is the kind of thing a Creedmoor shooter notices at the bench.

The user adjustable trigger is worth setting before the first range trip, because a clean break is most of what separates a good group from a mediocre one. Feeding comes from a 5rd detachable box magazine, and the receiver is drilled and tapped so an optic goes on with a set of bases and rings. Length of pull measures 13.75", which fits an average adult without spacers. Recoil is mild enough to watch impacts through the scope, and that feedback is how a shooter learns what a rifle actually does. The OD Green synthetic stock takes wet weather and scratches without care.