Mossberg did a great job producing a factory rifle with so many desirable features for $300. This our first in-depth look at the Mossberg Patriot Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor. To see our first video on this gun, click HERE.
This will go over Satterlee load development done on a Mossberg Patriot Predator rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. For a video/blog series on another budget rifle in .308 Winchester, click HERE.
This test was conducted using a large variety of different bullets and two different kinds of powder. Furthermore, all the loads used Peterson large rifle primer pocket brass and Federal Gold Medal Match large rifle primers. All shooting was done at 200 yards from a prone position using a bipod and a rear bag. The powders used were H4350 and Reloader 15. All the load data and bullets will be listed below for reference.
The Process: Satterlee Load Development
For those that do not know, Satterlee load development is different than what most people would consider traditional load development (optimal charge weight tests). Satterlee load development is usually done at distances greater than 100 yards (typically around 200 or 300 yards) and the goal is to look at velocity rather than groups.
Now, you don’t necessarily NEED a chronograph to do this. Although ideal, looking at the bullet drop alone will generally tell you if you have a higher or lower velocity. However, a chronograph is much more accurate for numerical data gathering. That is why you shoot these tests are larger distances. The spread in bullet drop will appear more drastic at further distance. Just remember, you never know when you’ll pull a shot.
Nonetheless, the process involves loading one round with a specific amount of powder, then loading another round with more powder, and so forth until reaching the highest charge deemed safe to load/shoot (of course check your brass as you proceed through your shooting if you choose to do this). We are NOT loading several rounds with the same powder charge. I simply want to put one round on paper to see how much drop it will have, and ideally measure the velocity with a chronograph, then proceed to shoot the other rounds with hopes of seeing a velocity node. Meaning, two or more of the shots will have a similar velocity i.e. group closely together.
Ultimately, we want to have a group of shots on paper that are close enough in velocity that we will theoretically find a load that will be more forgiving on powder charge deviations and be more accurate/group better at all distances.
WARNING: The loads shown are for informational purposes only. They are only safe in the rifle shown and may not be safe in yours. Consult appropriate load manuals prior to developing your own handloads. Risencitizen.com and its authors, do not assume any responsibility, directly or indirectly for the safety of the readers attempting to follow any instructions or perform any of the tasks shown, or the use or misuse of any information contained herein, on this website.
Components Tested: 6.5 Creedmoor
All loads listed use new Peterson large rifle primer 6.5 Creedmoor brass and Federal Gold Medal Match large rifle primers. Each load set has 4 rounds loaded with 4 different charges, each load working up incrementally by .5 grains up to published max charge. No dangerous pressure signs were encountered throughout the test.
Load 1
Bullet: 100g Lapua Scenar
Powder: Reloader 15 (40g – 41.5g)
Load 2
Bullet: 107g Sierra Matchking 2/ Reloader 15
Powder: Reloader 15 (39g – 40.5g)
Load 3
Bullet: 120g Speer Gold Dot
Powder: Reloader 15 (38g – 39.5g)
Load 4
Bullet: 120g Speer Gold Dot
Powder: H4350 (42g – 43.5g)
Load 5
Bullet: 123g Hornady SST (Factory Seconds)
Powder: Reloader 15 (38g – 39.5g)
Load 6
Bullet: 129g Hornady Interlock w/ Reloader 15
Powder: Reloader 15 (37.5g – 39g)
Load 7
Bullet: 129g Hornady SST (Factory Seconds)
Powder: Reloader 15 (37.5g – 39g)
Load 8
Bullet: 130g Sierra Gamechanger
Powder: Reloader 15 (37.5g – 39g)
Load 9
Bullet: 130g Sierra Gamechanger
Powder: H4350 (41g – 42.5g)
Load 10
Bullet: 140g Hornady Match BTHP (Factory Second)
Powder: H4350 (40g – 41.5g)
Load 11
Bullet: 140g Hornady A-MAX
Powder: H4350 (40g – 41.5g)
Load 12
Bullet: 140g Berger Elite Hunter Hybrid
Powder: H4350 (40g – 41.5g)
Expectations: Accuracy Potential
First, the Mossberg Patriot Predator is more of a lightweight hunting rifle than a target rifle, so it’s not really conducive to shooting 5-shot groups anyway. Therefore, Satterlee load development is going to be a good starting point for finding a suitable hunting load.
I would like to see some of these bullets forming a tight vertical spread on paper. To me, less vertical dispersion indicates a velocity node. The horizontal spread isn’t as much of a concern pertaining to velocity, but it does give us a hint of what kind of accuracy we can expect as well, which is always a plus.
Shooting & Data: Mossberg Patriot Predator
Day One
Initially, we ran into some issues with keeping the bullets on paper. I started with the lighter bullets and worked my way up through the heavier ones (Exclusion: shooting all Reloader 15 loads first). I didn’t have the chronograph with me for the first portion of the test, (I shot it over two separate days) so I don’t have any velocity data for the rounds shot on that day. Luckily, the gold dot was the only one that showed any promise on paper, anyway, which we tested again later but with a different powder.
Hornady 129g Interlock 
Lapua 100g Scenar 
Sierra 107g Matchking 
Speer 120g Gold Dot
Day Two
The second day, we set up a Competition Electronics chronograph and a target camera, so I didn’t have to travel 400 yards between every shot to mark the target. Thankfully, this method worked out really well and gave us lots of good data, although, the chronograph did miss one reading on the 140g Hornady Match bullet. That was a bummer too because, overall, those bullets looked pretty respectable on paper.
Starting with the 123g Hornady SST and Reloader 15, this bullet definitely presented a velocity node in the middle of the charge range that we tested with only a 2fps increase in velocity and a half grain change in powder charge.
Next was the 129g Hornady SST with Reloader 15. Miraculously, the 129g SST had the same 2fps difference in velocity and at the top end of the powder range tested, which is highly desirable for optimal ballistics.
Following the SSTs, are the 130g Sierra Gamechanger bullets with Reloader 15. The Gamechangers also seemed to like the top end of the powder spectrum with only a 6fps difference in the last two charges. So far, I have nothing but good things to say about the velocity results!
The next group is going to be a 2nd test on the Speer Gold using H4350, instead of Reloader 15, which did group well on paper. The node on this one wasn’t quite as impressive as the previous three, although, we still managed to stay in the single digits with a 9fps difference between the middle charge range.
Testing the 130g Sierra Gamechanger with H4350 did not produce anything superb. The smallest difference we had was 18fps and the previous numbers put those to shame.
Unfortunately, we did not get full data on this next load. Here is the 140g Hornady Match Boat-Tail Hollow Point with H4350. With 20-30fps jumps at the top end, it didn’t really raise any brows pertaining to velocity nodes, however, they did group fairly tight on paper, so that was a nice consolation. We will likely test this bullet again with a different powder after seeing its accuracy potential here.
Nearing the end, we have the 140g Hornady A-MAX with H4350. This produced an astounding velocity node on the lower end with a 1fps difference in velocity between two shots! I would have liked to see that node on the top end, but I was still really pleased to see that tight of a velocity node, regardless. Due to the nature of this test, I normally wouldn’t look at the SD and ES numbers, but this one warranted the mention. It had the lowest standard deviation and extreme spread over the whole test. Largely due to the tight node already mentioned.
Last, we have the 140g Berger Elite Hunter Hybrid bullet with H4350. This one was also relatively underwhelming with the tightest gap at 14fps between the first two shots. Now, this is a scenario where the results probably would have been better if I had optimized the seating depth before running this test, but I just wanted to do preliminary testing with a number of bullets and go from here. This bullet also grouped pretty well on paper, so it demonstrated accuracy potential as well.
Conclusion: Mossberg Patriot Predator
Overall, I was very pleased with the results of this Mossberg Patriot Predator rifle. I believe that the rife and the loads showed some very promising results, and I look forward to expanding on what we found here and analyzing all the data.
I think this rifle would make an excellent coyote rifle, especially with some lighter bullets. Although, based on how it reacted to the lighter bullets that we had in this test (at least on paper), I think we would probably want to stay over 120g. I had hoped that the 120g – 130g bullets would perform well and they certainly did show some potential. I am still curious to see how a 95g V-MAX load would have performed if we had some to test.
All in all, I am happy with this rifle and how it performed after putting it through its maiden voyage. Aside from breaking it in prior to this test. Hopefully, if you were considering buying one of these rifles, this will get you a head start on what you may expect to see with one if you choose to purchase one. I plan on doing more testing and documenting my findings for those that are interested in following along as well.
If you have a Mossberg Patriot Predator, feel free to drop a comment and let everyone know how yours shoots!
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