Mossberg 802 Plinkster Model 38230 22 LR

A 22 LR bolt-action rifle is a staple in any gun safe. These low-recoil, inexpensive-to-shoot guns are great training rifles and fun plinkers. They also make great small-game hunting rifles. We wanted to take a look at how a pair of affordable, inexpensive rifles would compare to two premium rifles costing double and triple what the price of the affordable guns were and see if we could assess a Best Buy rating. Or, would the premium guns so knock our socks off that we’d recommend one of the more expensive firearms as an Our Pick.

The premium guns consisted of the Bergara BMR ($650) and Ruger’s American Rimfire Target ($505), and the two affordable rifles were the Savage MK II FVXP ($305) and Mossberg’s 802 Plinkster ($190). Three of the four 22 LR bolt-actions were equipped with an 18-inch barrel and were optics ready. The Savage came with a factory mounted scope and a 21-inch barrel. The Bergara, Ruger, and Mossberg all handled like carbines, while the Savage handled more like a rifle. Standard equipment among all four rifles were sling swivel studs onto which you could also mount a bipod on the front stud if you so desired, a protruding cocking indicator, two-position manual safety, and removable box magazines of either steel or polymer. We wanted to see if paying extra for a 22 LR rifle translated into better performance. Our success criteria were accuracy and ease of use.

The Savage came with a factory-mounted Weaver 3-9x40mm SFP scope. The clarity was good, and the reticle was a simple Duplex shape, which Weaver calls a Dual-X reticle. The Weaver and the Savage worked well together. A Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32mm rimfire SFP scope ($179; VortexOptics.com) was mounted with Vortex Pro Series 1-inch medium-height rings ($79; MidwayUSA.com) for the Bergara and the Ruger. The rings used on the Mossberg were NCStar 3⁄8-inch dovetail 1-inch rings ($13; Amazon.com). The clarity in the Vortex scope was very sharp, noticeably better than the Weaver scope. A V-Plex MOA reticle, similar to a simple Duplex reticle, was inside the Vortex’s tube.

How We Tested

We bored-sighted the Vortex scope on the Bergara, Mossberg, and Ruger. The Savage was bore-sighted at the factory. Using a range bag as a rest, we zeroed for 50 yards and commenced accuracy testing. Ammunition consisted of Winchester Xpert HV with a 36-grain HP bullet, a hot Aguila Supermaximum cartridge loaded with a 30-grain copper-plated solid bullet, the classic Remington Thunderbolt with a 40-grain lead roundnose bullet, and the hot CCI Velocitor round using a 40-grain copper-plated hollow point.

We also used two new toe bags under our rifles because our sand-filled gym sock gave up the ghost. The CVLife ($23; CVLife.com) rear squeeze bag is made of 1000-denier polyester so it should survive frequent use. It came with a pouch pre-filled with plastic beads that is accessible through a zipper so you can remove it and add sand or whatever fill you want. The bag is designed in the shape of rectangular pancake and offers different heights for different needs. We liked this bag because it was very light weight and had enough give so you could squeeze it to adjust your sight picture. The OneTigris bag ($17; OneTigris.com) is made of 500D Cordura nylon and also come pre-filled with lightweight plastic pellets, but there is no zipper to remove, add, or exchange the fill. We found this bag had less give and was too hard to squeeze to adjust elevation. With use it started to give, but we wanted more give so that when we squeezed it, it would suit our aiming needs. The OneTigris is shaped like a cylinder and offered fewer height options than the CVLife bag. Both bags had Velcro straps so you can attach them to your gear.

After sending plenty of lead down range and sweeping up plenty of 22 rimfire empties, we found that both the Ruger and Bergara are quality-built rifles with better overall accuracy and more features than the Savage and Mossberg, hence the price difference. But they were very different products themselves; the Bergara is ultra lightweight, and the Ruger is heavy. Price, however, was not a requirement for accuracy, as we found with the inexpensive Mossberg. There is a lot to like about these rifles for any budget.

Mossberg 802 Plinkster Model 38230 22 LR

$190

GUN TESTS GRADE:  B

The 802 Plinkster is a no-frills rimfire rifle that is accurate but was fairly stiff to operate. Trigger-pull weight was heavy and wasn’t adjustable.

The 802 Plinkster surprised us. The simple 802 bolt action, which has been around since 2006, has a free-floated barrel dropped into a modern polymer stock that fits an adult, and has fiber-optic sights. The top of the action is what looked dated about the 802. It is grooved for clamp-style rings. We would have preferred a Picatinny rail. The Vortex scope looked almost oversized on the 802, but they paired well. With an overall length of 37 inches, it handled like a carbine. It also weighed only 4 pounds naked, without the Vortex.

The stock felt skinny in adult hands, and the texture was in all the right places for the shooting and support grip. The stock would be good for a small-statured person. The magazine is stamped steel and is dated like the Savage magazine. We felt it needed a follower button to load it faster, even though it was easy to load. The magazine release is designed so that as you grasp the magazine, you press the release button. A bump on one side of the magazine mates with a slot in the magwell so you can only insert the magazine one way. That makes it idiot proof. The safety is above and in front of the trigger and looks like a magazine release, but we acclimated to the controls quickly.

Our biggest gripe about the 802 is the trigger. No other way to describe it other than it was hard to press at 5.3 pounds, yet we did shoot some nice groups. The best groups came with Winchester and Aguila ammo that both measured, coincidentally, 0.4 inch for five shots at 50 yards. That was a nice surprise. Winchester and Aguila, as well as Remington, averaged slightly more than one inch, which made us smile. The hot CCI averaged just under 1.5 inches. The average group size across all ammo measured 1.18 inches.

The bolt was tiny, and it felt like a youth rifle from that perspective and, when racking the bolt, the knob was close to the scope’s eyepiece. Fat fingers were not helpful. The action was very stiff initially, but it became slicker with use. The action was too stiff to crank the bolt while viewing the target through the scope, but with use, the bolt should become easier to manipulate.

Our Team Said: The 802 is a good choice for an inexpensive entry-level rifle for a new shooter, or if you want a dirt-cheap trainer that does not compromise in terms of accuracy, this is a logical option. It is also light weight and short in length, making it easier for small-stature shooters to handle. You can use it to hunt squirrels on the back 40 acres, too.

To collect accuracy data, we fired five-shot groups from a bench using a rest. Distance: 50 yards. Velocities were recorded using a ProChrono digital chronograph set 15 feet from the muzzle. 

Written and photographed by Robert A. Sadowski, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT