Mossberg Plinkster

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The History of Mossberg

In 1919, Swedish immigrant Oscar Frederick Mossberg, aged 53, launched a journey into firearms manufacture. Alongside his sons Harold and Iver, the trio established what was originally named Mossberg & Sons, Inc., operating out of a rented loft on State Street in New Haven, Connecticut.

The company’s vision was relatively simple: to manufacture durable and reliable firearms for the working class. Their first creation was a modest 4-shot Brownie pistol in .22 caliber, paving the way for a legacy of accessible, dependable firearms.

Just a few years later, in 1922, the Mossbergs produced their first rifle, the Model K. This .22 hammerless pump repeater rifle was in fact initially designed by the famous Arthur Savage but was finalized and improved by the Mossberg team.

As the world descended into war during the 1940s, Mossberg & Sons pivoted its focus to support the war effort. Securing a government license, they began producing tolerance tooling gauges, various machine gun parts, and components of the British Lee-Enfield rifle. During this era, Mossberg also introduced the Model 42MB, a .22 training rifle for British troops. An impressive amount of 45,000 units of Mossberg Model 42MB were produced. This period not only propelled Mossberg onto the global stage but also sparked a period of significant growth for the company.

The post-war years saw Mossberg contributing to the sporadic popularity of bolt-action shotguns, as they produced an array of these firearms. However, today, the company is most renowned for its exceptional pump-action shotguns. Particularly famous is the legendary Mossberg Model 500 pump-action shotgun introduced in 1962. In 1979, the US government awarded Mossberg a contract to produce the Model 500 as a combat-duty-rated pump shotgun. This led to the Model 500 being adopted by every branch of the US Military. By 2010, 41 different variations of the Model 500 were available on the market.

The company’s influence extends beyond firearm manufacturing. Mossberg has introduced several components now commonplace in the industry. For instance, Alan Mossberg developed a safety cable lock in 1989 that now comes as standard with almost every firearm sold today.

Mossberg celebrated 100 years in 2019, and even today continues to be a family-owned and operated business.

Mossberg Plinkster Rifle Review

The Mossberg Plinkster series, introduced around 2003, includes two .22 LR caliber rimfire rifles: the semi-automatic 702 and the bolt action 802. With an overall weight of 1700 g (3.75 lbs), the rifles are light in their category. Both models feature a polymer-material stock, resembling the stock shape of the Marlin 795 model.

The Plinkster models share identical technical specifications, such as a 457 mm (18-inch) free-floating barrel equipped with adjustable iron sights. The rifles' receivers feature a 3/8 rounded dovetail design for scope mounts, and some models include factory-preinstalled scopes. Both the 702 and 802 feature a single-stage trigger mechanism which is factory pre-adjusted for the weight of pull.

There is a circular knob cross-bolt safety located on the front end of the trigger guard. A thinner rubber recoil pad is fixed to the rear end of the stock on the 702 models, whereas the 802 version comes with a thicker, ventilated rubber pad. Feeding is accomplished via detachable box magazines, available in 10- and 25-round configurations.

The semi-auto version - Mossberg Plinkster 702, chambered for .22 LR

Figure 1: The semi-auto version - Mossberg Plinkster 702, chambered for .22 LR (Source: https://www.mossberg.com/mossberg-international-702-bantam-plinkster-37071.html)

The bolt action version - Mossberg Plinkster 802, chambered for .22 LR

Figure 2: The bolt action version - Mossberg Plinkster 802, chambered for .22 LR (Source: https://www.mossberg.com/mossberg-international-802-plinkster-38230.html)

Mossberg Plinkster Calibers

.22 LR

Mossberg Plinkster Variants

The rifle is available in the following variants:

Mossberg Plinkster Scoped Combo
Mossberg Plinkster Bantam

The rifles' receivers feature a 3/8 rounded dovetail design for scope mounts.

The receiver of Mossberg Plinkster 802, chambered for .22 LR

Figure 3: The receiver of Mossberg Plinkster 802, chambered for .22 LR (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/mossberg-rifles/pre-owned---mossberg-802-plinkster--22-lr-rifle.cfm?gun_id=101337659)

The receiver of Mossberg Plinkster 702, chambered for .22 LR

Figure 4: The receiver of Mossberg Plinkster 702, chambered for .22 LR (Source: https://www.texasauctions.biz/lot/81589-190242-59658/mossberg-international-702-plinkster--22-lr-rifle/)

Mossberg Plinkster

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Mossberg Plinkster

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Mossberg Plinkster

All the rifles listed in the category below have one-piece mounts interchangeable with Mossberg Plinkster. For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces on these rifles must match in every dimension.

All rifles featuring round top 3/8 dovetail

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Mossberg Plinkster

All the rifles listed in the category below have two-piece mounts interchangeable with Mossberg Plinkster. To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart.

All rifles featuring round top 3/8 dovetail

Best Scope Mounts for Mossberg Plinkster

Fixed Scope Mounts for Mossberg Plinkster

If you are looking to mount optics on your Mossberg Plinkster rifle, you might consider DNZ one-piece scope mount made in the USA. The mount is made from high-quality aluminum and comes with a ten-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Mossberg Plinkster

This Henneberger one-piece mount earned our top recommendation for a detachable repeatable scope mount for Mossberg Plinkster. It is reliable and extremely versatile and is thus a great choice for your rifle. It is manufactured in Germany, is made of aluminum, and has a 30-year warranty attached to it.

It will, however, need to be coupled with a Picatinny rail. We recommend this BKL Dovetail to Weaver/Picatinny Adaptor Mount which will solve the issue. It fits on both 11 mm and 3/8” dovetails.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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