Early last fall I decided to buy a new gun for deer hunting as well as bear hunting. After shopping around I decided to purchase a rifle from Mossberg. I know when you think Mossberg you immediately think shotguns but I’ve come to find out they make a very good rifle as well. I went with the Mossberg 4X4, walnut stock, chambered in .308.
My initial thoughts when I opened the box was that I hope it shoots half as good as it looks. It has a very modern look with the cuts in the front of the stock as well as some checkered patterns that is hard to see in the stock photo. The butt stock has a nice cheek riser which makes for very comfortable shooting. The only con I could find with the new look from Mossberg is the very front of the walnut stock. It comes with a free float barrel, the barrel does not touch the stock, which as the wood thins out towards the end of the stock it becomes slightly flimsy and weak. This in no way effects how the rifle shoots but its something you need to be aware of before buying. The action is very smooth and it comes with a detachable box magazine which I absolutely love. You can also buy this gun with a synthetic stock for a little bit less or get the upgraded option and go with the laminate stock.
Now lets get to the important part of the review. How does the gun shoot? The gun I purchased came drilled and tapped for a scope with no open sites. I attached a Bausch and Lomb 3X9-40 mm scope. The first few shots were a very consistent group and after a few adjustments to the scope I was zeroed about a half inch high at 100 yards. The gun holds very tight groups (any errors were due to the operator), and feeds very well from the detachable box magazine. The furthest I’ve been able to shoot it at the range was about 175 yards. I was able to consistently hit a target the size of a water bottle at that distance.
Not only does this gun shoot great I was able to have a lot of success during deer season last fall. Unfortunately I couldn’t harvest a bear with it but i’m sure it would perform flawlessly. I took down 3 deer with it last fall. I harvested a 3 point at about 60 yards, a doe at about 100 yards and a nice 8 point at about 50 yards. I was shooting Hornady 168 grain zombie max bullets and none of the deer went more than 15 yards after the shot. If your looking for an affordable, rugged, and accurate gun to take on your next hunt I highly recommend the Mossberg 4X4.
Product:
Mossberg 4×4
Caliber: .308
MSRP: $643.00 (Can be bought for $450-$550 depending on where you shop and what model your looking for)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars (The only reason it loses a star is due to the weakness of the wood stock near the barrel. It has yet to be a problem for me but I simply don’t like that feature and worry about it over time)
