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Considering getting a MVP Predator in .308

UKS

Copper BB
I'm considering on getting a MVP Predator in a .308 20in barrel. What are your thoughts on this rifle and what kind of accuracy are you experiencing with this. Is there any problems that I need to look out for in this gun.
 
I'm a little late here. My thoughts on it.

It balances and swings the way classic American rifles used to. In other words the center of balance falls right between the hands. This makes the rifle feel lighter than it already is. It's lively in the hands but never twitchy. It snaps to the shoulder quick but settles down with no delay. It points and swings smoothly with speed and ease but not too fast. Somebody did lots of homework to get the handling part not just correct but..right.

Build quality is pretty dang good IMHO for a factory rifle but not custom shop by any stretch of the imagination. The machining is straight and true with no signs of tool chatter and the finish is bead blast flat blue/ black oxide or somesuch. It's smooth like satin and non reflective. A good high polish blue would be nice and it would have pushed the price up by about $450 and they wouldn't sell many at that price.

The design and engineering are pretty admirable. The sliding T extractor can't slip off a cartridge rim like a pivoting ( AR15 type design) extractor can. The floating bolt head makes the bolt faster and more economical to produce but more important is that we get consistent lock up and equal lug contact and equal lug loading out of the deal. This is good for accuracy and longevity. The Savage style barrel and barrel nut system ( originally designed by Nicholas Brewer in the mid 1940's ) cuts production time and costs and makes changing barrels or caliber conversions a breeze for the do it yourself-er.

I like the way it handles gas escape. In the unlikely event of a pierced primer those gasses will flow back and out with majority exiting the the right recess and out the ejection port. Some might go down in and around the magazine, no big deal. Anything going down the left bolt lug race way of the receiver will be deflected away from face and off to left by the gas flap bump on the left side of the the bolt shroud.

The trigger is fantastic for a production rifle. Mines got a real smooth short real short pull with only tiny bit of creep a real crisp break. If you ever broke a glass rod you'll know what I mean. Jard and Timney make triggers for the MVP that go down to mere ounces but I see no reason to change mine.
The lock time is quick, real quick. If it's not Remington 700 quick then it's damn close because I can't tell the difference.

Gotta go, I'll come back and finish this later.
WC

Continued.

I like that it takes any old AR10 and any old M14 magazine. Those work. They are cheap enough and common enough and will be available in the future because they made millions of them. I can lay in supply to lose and ruin for two life times and still have some left over. My descendants will appreciate that. Try finding a magazine for a pre 81 Browning lever today. Be ready to drop a hundred bucks or more for it if you get lucky enough to find one.
Come to think of it what do spare magazines cost for any other new made rifle these days ?

The stock on the Predator is epoxy laminated wood. It's tough stuff and stiff too. It gives the warmth of regular wood and the stability of fiberglass. It weighs a little bit more than regular wood because of the epoxy resin but not a whole lot. The stock design is what I call late 21st century American Working Rifle.

The action is pillar bedded and the receiver only makes contact at three points, the recoil lug and both pillars and that's it. The tang, receiver sides,front ring, barrel trigger etc. all free float.

The butt is sufficiently tall enough from heel to toe ( but not too tall ) to give good shoulder purchase no matter what jack ass field position you might have to get into to make a good shot. Standing, kneeling, Prone, squatting, leaning around a tree trunk it don't matter what pretzel shape you assume a good portion of the recoil pad is where you need it to be. The recoil pad of the .308 is thicker and more cushioney-er than the recoil pad on the 5.56. Both are cushioney enough for the respective cartridges when shooting prone.

The comb of the stock is pretty much straight instead of sloped so it won't smack the snot out of your cheek under recoil.
Depending on your cheek bones it might be a little high for iron sight work unless you roll your head slightly downward to lower the center line of your eyeball. It might be a teencey bit low for scope work on the bench unless you roll you head ever so slightly upward to raise the center line of the eyeball. If you aren't going to fit iron sights then go with the scope ring height of your choice and be done with it.

In either case the stock design works pretty good for shooting standing, kneeling, prone, squatting, up hill down hill, leaning around a tree trunk or some hasty jack ass field position There is no cheek piece and non is needed IMHO. The pistol grip is a little thicker and less swoopy than they were in grampa's day. Good thing too because generations after his tend to be bigger. The fore end is squarish in cross section for a decent grip width with a flat-ish bottom for stability when shooting on bags or hasty rests. The for end is a little short in length compared to classic sporter stock designs. I never used the extra length in the fore end of classic sporter designs for anything and I don't miss it here. I suppose the few ounces of weight it saves could be translated into a few ounces more gear for the same load out weight but I'll take a couple apples instead. The pistol grip and for end are not checkered. They are some sort of cut stippled grippy surface that gives good grip my hands are numb and wet. It also hides dings and scratches really realy well.

I can't say anything about the new synthetic stock models. I haven't seen one in person yet.

If you prefer a more classic stock design and attractive wood grain patterns then the Patriot in the wood stock is the way to go. They are a real head turner. Enough that I am saving up for one.

Compared to a fine fine deeply blued and polished custom jobby the MVP is not the home coming queen but it manages to look pretty good after a hard day of chasing bone heads in the freezing rain through swamps and the bush trying to harvest them from kneeling, prone, squatting, up hill down hill, leaning around a tree trunk or some other hasty jack ass field position.
 
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