Review: Mossberg 702 Plinkster

Today’s review is of the Mossberg International 702 Plinkster.

Ever walk into a Tractor Supply Company store during Chick Days? You can hear the dull roar of the chicks chirping “Cheap Cheap Cheap”.

I think the Mossberg design team was inspired by baby chickens, because they wanted to produce a fully functional semi-auto .22LR that even a baby chick could love because it’s “Cheap”.

Often seen on sale for as little as $99 (and even more often seen at Wally World for $107 or $112), the 702 Plinkster guns certainly are cheap in price… but are they any good? Let’s find out.

Philosophy Of Use Of The 702 Plinkster:

This gun is designed to be a “first gun” for adults and teens. By manufacturing internationally (the gun is made in Brazil), giving it a plastic stock and the bare basics, Mossburg is able to sell the 702 Plinkster at an amazingly attractive price.

This gun, basically, is Mossberg’s version of the venerable Ruger 10/22, at less than half the price. Honestly, it’s not as rugged or well made as a Ruger 10/22, but it has advantages over the more expensive 10/22 beyond the price. Of course, there’s also the option of bolt action & lever rifles that serve the same purpose.

The exeedingly low price makes the 702 Plinkster perfect for a “truck gun”, a “bush” gun and a “crawling through muddy ditches plinker” gun.

It also makes for an attractive option for preppers looking for “stash” or “Cache” guns.

Design of the 702 Plinkster:

The 702 Plinkster is a basic blow-back .22LR semi-auto gun. It’s short, light weight, with a polymer stock and iron sights (more on them in a bit). The gun features a typical .22 scope mounting groove system.

The design makes the 702 Plinkster easy to operate, but it is a pain in the tail to take apart to clean. Two screws remove the stock, then you get out a punch and disassemble the trigger group assembly, then pull all kinds of stuff apart… it’s about the same as a 10/22, not difficult but it takes a bit of effort.

The stock is comfortable, with nice grippy checkering. I wish they had included strap sling studs from the factory… yeah, I can add them but it would be nice to have them come factory installed (I know, I know, CHEAP).

Tale Of The Tape:

Stock: Polymer
Capacity: 10+1 Stock mag, 25+1 Available
Finish: Blued
Barrel Length: 18”
Overall Length: 37”
Front Sight: Post (enclosed)
Rear Sight: V (Adjustable)
Weight: 4 LBS empty

Magazines:

The 10 round factory stock mags are joined by after-market factory 25 round mags. If buying one of these 25 rounders, make sure you get the one marked for the 702 not the 715. They look a lot alike and cost the same but you want the 702 mags.

One beef I have about this gun is magazine availability… for years, you could not get spare mags for them. They were nowhere to be found. Additionally, they charged a fortune for 10 rounders when you could find them, I saw people charging $35 for a magazine for a $100 gun. Crazy.

Sights:

The sights are OK. I like the front sight, which is well protected inside a very stout enclosure, the rear sight has a screw which allows easy/quick elevation adjustment. The sight also folds down to allow low scope rings.

Shooting the 702 Plinkster:

First, the good

1) THIS GUN EATS ANY AMMO. Doesn’t care how rutgut the .22LR you are putting in it is, it eats it just fine.

2) The gun is a tack driver. If you miss at 100 yards or less, it’s on you.

3) The checkering on the stock gives you firm purchase with both hands, that’s nice

4) It’s cheap. I may have mentioned that before.

5) It “kinda sorta” has a “bold hold open” on the last round… in reality, it’s just the magazine follower stopping the bolt from cycling. When you pull the mag, it closes the bolt. I guess it’s good to show you that the gun is empty, but it’s not as useful as a true bolt hold open would be.

6) The trigger is EXCELLENT. You will be surprised at how good it is. Nice and crisp, clean when it breaks, not too heavy… I like it…

Now, the bad

1) I hate the scope grooves. They don’t give good purchase for scope rings. This is not really directed towards this gun but rather this style of scope mount. It stinks.

2) That’s about it.

The Bottom Line:

It’s cheap. I mean, it’s REALLY CHEAP. It comes standard with iron sights, a ten-round magazine, and an manual. That’s it. I paid $107. I put a $29 cheapass scope on it, and I have a gun that will shoot as well as any other .22 I own… for under $150 scoped.

If you need a cheap scoped .22LR for whatever reason, this is a good-un.

PS: The “tactical version” of this gun BLOWS. Skip it and just buy a 702. The 702 doesn’t look as cool, but it shoots the same, costs $150 less and doesn’t make you look like a mall ninja wannabe at the range.