Mossberg 144
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 660 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.63 kg
- Introduced
- 1949
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Mossberg 144 is an American bolt-action .22 Long Rifle smallbore target rifle produced by O.F. Mossberg & Sons from 1949 until 1985. Developed from the wartime Model 44US military training rifle, the 144 paired a 26-inch heavy barrel with an adjustable trigger, aperture sights, and a wood target stock featuring a beavertail fore-end, cheek rest, and adjustable hand stop. Praised for delivering match-grade accuracy at a fraction of the cost of competing Winchester and Remington target rifles, it became a popular choice among NRA smallbore competitors and marksmanship trainers through the mid-20th century.
The Model 144 traced its lineage to the Model 44US, a rifle Mossberg built to train American military recruits in marksmanship during World War II. Gun writer Elmer Keith reported excellent groups with the 144, roughly 1.5 inches at 100 yards and three-quarter-inch at 50 yards, cementing its reputation as accuracy from a 'good enough' rifle.
Standard 144 fed from a 7-round detachable box magazine; dedicated target variants were typically single-loaded with a magazine cutoff. Later models adopted Mossberg's AC-KRO-GRUV rifling and Lyman target sights. The 144LSB upgraded to a heavier barrel.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- O.F. Mossberg & Sons
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1949 to 1985
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 660 mm
- Overall length
- 1118 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.63 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 7
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 320 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 130 J
- Effective range
- 100 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Heavy target barrel
Adjustable trigger
Aperture rear sight
Ramp front sight
Beavertail forend
Cheek rest
Adjustable hand stop
Sling swivels
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 215 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 3.63 kg | 2.61 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 207 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 1118 mm | 1016 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 228 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 660 mm | 547 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 231 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 7 | 6 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Mossberg 144
How much does the Mossberg 144 weigh?
The Mossberg 144 weighs 3.63 kg (8.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Mossberg 144?
The Mossberg 144 is chambered in .22 Long Rifle.
How many rounds does the Mossberg 144 hold?
The Mossberg 144 holds 7 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Mossberg 144?
The Mossberg 144 is 1118 mm (44.0 in) long overall, with a 660 mm (26.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Mossberg 144?
The Mossberg 144 is made by O.F. Mossberg & Sons (United States). It was designed by O.F. Mossberg & Sons.
When was the Mossberg 144 introduced?
The Mossberg 144 was introduced in 1949 and discontinued in 1985.
How does the Mossberg 144 operate?
The Mossberg 144 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Army
- United States
- Arizona Game and Fish Department
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/mossberg-144' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "mossberg-144", "name": "Mossberg 144", "manufacturer": { "id": "mossberg", "name": "O.F. Mossberg & Sons", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1919, "website": "https://www.mossberg.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "efbce48d45f2bf96c91e5b66c03052b97d55affea9178a31feda8fd7fc882671" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1949, "barrel_length_mm": 660, "weight_empty_g": 3630, "action_type": "bolt_action"}