Thread: Mossberg ATR rifles any good ?

hey guys,

got a mate that's strapped for cash and looking at cheaper rifles on the market and i've seen a mossberg atr on trade me, are they any good ? been looking out for a savage axis as i heard there not bad cheap wee rifle but what else is worth looking out for ? also how about those Remington 788 ? i really want him to buy a howa.... just pay a little more i say! any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Not bad. Stocks are horrible but they are free floated and seem to shoot well enough to put meat on the table.

I would recommend an old 303 or save up and buy once cry once.

I recently got a stainless Howa in 308 from a local gunshop for $500 scoped for a mate. It was used but in nice condition, was cheap because the shop thought someone had painted the laminated stock but actually it was factory, just an unusual variant. Also got a Remy 700 308 scoped for my boy from a different local shop, $400, it was an ADL (cheapest) model and looked a bit rough, but it tidied up well and shoots great. Moral of those stories, there are bargains out there if you are not real fussy about calibre, and are prepared to keep an eye open and haggle gently. Get in good with someone like Wayne Chapman at Upper Hutt, he seems to have a few modestly priced rifles most of the time

Weatherby vanguard (rebadged howa) 7mm-08 on tm at the moment for 450.
He can do a lot better for less money second hand than the two budget options he is looking at.

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Sorry for the thread hi-jack, but im interested in picking up one of these ATR's in 308, mainly just because I have never had a 308 and want to play around with some handloads etc. I bought one in 270 a few years back for a mate to use on one hunting trip, and sold it straight after as I couldn't justify keeping it and needed the money at the time.
It shot well (inside an inch with factory ammo) and seemed like a pretty strong action, the rifle "felt" nicer and better built than a friends savage axis, as mentioned before the stock was crap, but that's easy enough to sort out with some stabiliser or an aftermarket one.
What puts people off these rifles? was the one I had in 270 the exception rather than the norm in that it shot well? they don't seem to be very popular as a budget option and I cant really see why?

A friend has one in 270. Really bad trigger but shoots 1moa consistantly and isnt too fussy on ammo either. The plastic mag follower is horrid too.

I've got one in .308 - one of the early non adjustable trigger ones - throat is really really fussy - shoots factory loads fine, but gets upset on reloads and ex military brass. Broken 2 ejector claws as a result.
That being said, I'm more than happy with its accuracy and after 20 deer more or less owes me nothing.

@

I've one in 243
Really good accuracy, and likes my handloads
I've chopped mine to 20" and suppressed it with a DPT.
If I miss, I know it's me, not the rifle, or ammo.

I have a Mossberg ATR Stainless in .270 and it shoots really well. 1 inch at 100m is easy. I had to stabilize the stock but now it shoots really well. It is my go to gun when hunting in the wet. Found it shoots 150gr ammo well.

Originally Posted by thejavelin

I've got one in .308 - one of the early non adjustable trigger ones - throat is really really fussy - shoots factory loads fine, but gets upset on reloads and ex military brass. Broken 2 ejector claws as a result.
That being said, I'm more than happy with its accuracy and after 20 deer more or less owes me nothing.

@

Just broke the ejector claw on my .243 - where did you find replacements? The rifle isn’t worth spending serious coin on but it would be a shame if I can’t keep it in service as it was gifted to me by an old fella who couldn’t shoot any more.

Originally Posted by Tentman

I recently got a stainless Howa in 308 from a local gunshop for $500 scoped for a mate. It was used but in nice condition, was cheap because the shop thought someone had painted the laminated stock but actually it was factory, just an unusual variant. Also got a Remy 700 308 scoped for my boy from a different local shop, $400, it was an ADL (cheapest) model and looked a bit rough, but it tidied up well and shoots great. Moral of those stories, there are bargains out there if you are not real fussy about calibre, and are prepared to keep an eye open and haggle gently. Get in good with someone like Wayne Chapman at Upper Hutt, he seems to have a few modestly priced rifles most of the time

I have a Howa .308 with that stock it's a Boyd love it

Originally Posted by turner nz

hey guys,

got a mate that's strapped for cash and looking at cheaper rifles on the market and i've seen a mossberg atr on trade me, are they any good ? been looking out for a savage axis as i heard there not bad cheap wee rifle but what else is worth looking out for ? also how about those Remington 788 ? i really want him to buy a howa.... just pay a little more i say! any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Remington 788 yes budget rifle but as long as the barrel is good they are very accurate and will hold their own against many modern rifles - rear locking action means fast lock time - wont part with mine - holds zero very well - many of the earlier Remington 700 are great to the BDL with floorplate better than the ADL with blind mag - the trigger on the earlier 700 BDL fully adjustable and would leave many modern rifles for dead - generally shoot extrem;ly well - but again its all about that barrell

In short no.

In long. trigger is not as atrocious as remington, and the receiver is okay. the barrels are shit, the bedding is the most retarded design anybody could have ever cocked up...

Backfire did a test of one a while ago. Ultimate reloader did then "accurize" it... you essentially need to rebarrel it and get a chassis...

If you want a cheap rifle that is also good get one of the howas that are popping up here every once in a while!