eduardobibm
.22LR
Picked up my Predator last week. Thought it would look good in the safe next to my Ruger Gunsite Scout.
Picks of my Predator with my Ruger Gunsite Scout
- Thread starter eduardobibm
- Start date
I like the Mossy better! Good looking rifles!
Very nice!
Awesome! I'm jealous too, would love to have one of them. Thanks for the pictures. Any chance for a side by side range comparison?
You know, I shot a buddies Ruger Scout rifle and wasn't hugely impressed, so I wonder how the MVP holds up.
eduardobibm
.22LR
Well, I didn’t intend on this becoming a comparison. The reason I brought both is that I gravitate to these types do it all rifles, the types that are designed to be on the go. And I really have not shot the MVP too much, maybe 40 rounds or so. But that said, I will share a few observations.
Stock:
The stocks have a very different feel, the Gunsite seems better for walking with. The taper on the forward end fits my hand better and the grip goes all the way around, making it very comfortable in my hands. The MVP’s stock is more squared at the fore end of possibly making it better for bench shooting. But for my preference and purpose, the Gunsite’s stock is more to my liking.
Aesthetics and Fit\Finish:
I include this category because it is important to me. I know some are exclusively concerned with functionality. But I’d be lying if I said that the way a rifle looks does not sway my decisions. I hold them side by side and I can’t help but like the looks of the MVP better. The engraving around the fore end of the stock is a nice touch. The swirl on the bolt and the lightning bolt trigger set it apart from the Gunsite. The color of both stocks are stunning and the fit and finish on both are top notch so all things being equal I’d have to give this one to the MVP. But the Gunsite is not far behind due to the features like flash suppressor and picatinny rail. The Gunsite also has iron sites which are just about perfect, but I can’t hold the fact that the MVP does not have iron sights against it since I knew that when I brought it.I liked the Predator better than the Patrol version of the MVP.
Balance & Weight
The Gunsite seems better balanced for walking around with. They really seem to have nailed the concept of a scout rifle. It just feels good in your hands. The MVP has the bull barrel making it very nose heavy by comparison. Although, that same weight likely helps absorb the recoil as there is very little, even for a .223. Overall weight is 7.4 lbs on the Gunsite (no scope) and 7.4 on the MVP (with scope mounted) according to my scale, so the MVP is lighter but it does not feel that way. Due to the balance, the Gunsite feels lighter. I thought the recoil on the Gunsite was more than my Dad’s .308 (the only I have to compare it to) which makes sense due to the shorter\lighter barrel. But not bad overall.
Trigger:
The Gusite trigger is great out of the box with an approximate 3.5-4.5 lbs weight and is very crisp with no play. The MVP’s trigger is just as good out of the box with about the same pull weight and is adjustable so I’d have to give the advantage to the MVP.
Barrel:
Gunsite has the flash suppressor but the MVP has a fluted bull barrel. Both are line items in my cool book. Draw
Capacity:
No brainer. I like the Ruger mags, very easy to load (not the stock one, I purchase the composite ones) but they are expensive. About $45 a pop plus you’re capped at 10 rounds max.
Advantage, MVP for obvious reasons
However, the MVP lost points on the magazine receiver which as per my other post is poorly designed IMHO. It also takes some practice to remove the magazine quickly. You have to have a practiced motion of pushing slightly up on the magazine while operating the release otherwise it snags. Not bad, just an observation. However, the bar that actuates when you push the release does look a bit flimsy.. I think the magazine receiver and release are better on the Gunsite.
Bolt Action:
The MVP bolt action is not as smooth as the Gunsite, and the Gunsite's bolt isn't exactly smooth. It’s got some annoying play to it which takes some practice to operate quickly. If you go too fast at the wrong angle, you’ll get hung up. I can’t help but compare both of them to the butter smoothness of the Browning and Weatherby’s bolt actions. However, the problem with the bolt actions with little to no play like the Weatherby\Browning is that if they get dirty, they start to suck a lot faster than the bolts on the ones with some clearance like the MVP and Gunsite. So, though the bolts on both the MVP and Gunsite are lose by comparison and take more practice to operate well, that probably makes them more reliable in adverse conditions. That being said, the MVP has a section of the bolt at the top as you open it that is VERY stiff. I suspect it will smooth out over time but as is, it’s tighter than any bolt I have operated.
Please keep in mind that this review is based on limited experience with the MVP. I have not had the Gunsite that long either, but it’s got months on the MVP. I will do side by side accuracy tests and post the results. Probably after this weekend.
Stock:
The stocks have a very different feel, the Gunsite seems better for walking with. The taper on the forward end fits my hand better and the grip goes all the way around, making it very comfortable in my hands. The MVP’s stock is more squared at the fore end of possibly making it better for bench shooting. But for my preference and purpose, the Gunsite’s stock is more to my liking.
Aesthetics and Fit\Finish:
I include this category because it is important to me. I know some are exclusively concerned with functionality. But I’d be lying if I said that the way a rifle looks does not sway my decisions. I hold them side by side and I can’t help but like the looks of the MVP better. The engraving around the fore end of the stock is a nice touch. The swirl on the bolt and the lightning bolt trigger set it apart from the Gunsite. The color of both stocks are stunning and the fit and finish on both are top notch so all things being equal I’d have to give this one to the MVP. But the Gunsite is not far behind due to the features like flash suppressor and picatinny rail. The Gunsite also has iron sites which are just about perfect, but I can’t hold the fact that the MVP does not have iron sights against it since I knew that when I brought it.I liked the Predator better than the Patrol version of the MVP.
Balance & Weight
The Gunsite seems better balanced for walking around with. They really seem to have nailed the concept of a scout rifle. It just feels good in your hands. The MVP has the bull barrel making it very nose heavy by comparison. Although, that same weight likely helps absorb the recoil as there is very little, even for a .223. Overall weight is 7.4 lbs on the Gunsite (no scope) and 7.4 on the MVP (with scope mounted) according to my scale, so the MVP is lighter but it does not feel that way. Due to the balance, the Gunsite feels lighter. I thought the recoil on the Gunsite was more than my Dad’s .308 (the only I have to compare it to) which makes sense due to the shorter\lighter barrel. But not bad overall.
Trigger:
The Gusite trigger is great out of the box with an approximate 3.5-4.5 lbs weight and is very crisp with no play. The MVP’s trigger is just as good out of the box with about the same pull weight and is adjustable so I’d have to give the advantage to the MVP.
Barrel:
Gunsite has the flash suppressor but the MVP has a fluted bull barrel. Both are line items in my cool book. Draw
Capacity:
No brainer. I like the Ruger mags, very easy to load (not the stock one, I purchase the composite ones) but they are expensive. About $45 a pop plus you’re capped at 10 rounds max.
Advantage, MVP for obvious reasons
However, the MVP lost points on the magazine receiver which as per my other post is poorly designed IMHO. It also takes some practice to remove the magazine quickly. You have to have a practiced motion of pushing slightly up on the magazine while operating the release otherwise it snags. Not bad, just an observation. However, the bar that actuates when you push the release does look a bit flimsy.. I think the magazine receiver and release are better on the Gunsite.
Bolt Action:
The MVP bolt action is not as smooth as the Gunsite, and the Gunsite's bolt isn't exactly smooth. It’s got some annoying play to it which takes some practice to operate quickly. If you go too fast at the wrong angle, you’ll get hung up. I can’t help but compare both of them to the butter smoothness of the Browning and Weatherby’s bolt actions. However, the problem with the bolt actions with little to no play like the Weatherby\Browning is that if they get dirty, they start to suck a lot faster than the bolts on the ones with some clearance like the MVP and Gunsite. So, though the bolts on both the MVP and Gunsite are lose by comparison and take more practice to operate well, that probably makes them more reliable in adverse conditions. That being said, the MVP has a section of the bolt at the top as you open it that is VERY stiff. I suspect it will smooth out over time but as is, it’s tighter than any bolt I have operated.
Please keep in mind that this review is based on limited experience with the MVP. I have not had the Gunsite that long either, but it’s got months on the MVP. I will do side by side accuracy tests and post the results. Probably after this weekend.
Inquiring minds wanted to know so thanks for the comparison. When you get more rounds down range please post up some target pics for each.
It looks like you have two winners there. Enjoy them and I look forward to more posts from you.
It looks like you have two winners there. Enjoy them and I look forward to more posts from you.
Nice write-up. I'd give the Ruger the nod on most points, but it's worth pointing out that the Mossberg costs a whole lot less (I paid $750 for one of my Ruger GSRs but $495 for the Mossberg MVP Predator). Liking the Ruger a little better takes nothing away from the really excellent Predator.