Dear, s&w forum i am seeking opinions from my fellow forum members about the ruger gunsite scout rifle. The reason i am asking about it is because i am thinking about buying one. sincerely and respectfully mg357 a proud member of the s&w forum.

Sweet gun-would love to have one but just can't figure out how to justify it. If it was made in .223 I would have one in a heartbeat but that would defeat the purpose of the original concept wouldn't it??? Also pretty pricy-haven't seen one for less than around $800.

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Almost every deputy in the department wants one. Goods looks w/o being overly aggressive(e.g. EBR). Outta be capable of handling almost any situation we might come across at reasonable ranges.

I say "almost" because we are blessed with a Bengal tiger breeding operation in the southcentral area of the county and a lion breeding operation in the far eastern part. Both are well run but the owner's of the tiger operation are going thru a pretty ugly divorce....anything could happen there....gives me chills to think about it

I'm primarily a Ruger guy, but I just don't get this rifle. It's got to be the ugliest and most awkward looking rifle currently made. And I don't get the niche it is supposed to fill. To each his own I suppose. Being a Ruger, I'm sure it's rugged and reliable.

A solution to a problem that doesn't exist. (Where have we heard that before?)

Good shooting.

I see no use for it. I agree with jayhawk.

The Ruger Scout rifle doesn't do anything for me, but they must have a big fan club, as my local shop can't keep them on the shelf.

The set-up looks clean and simple, but...where did they
come up with a thousand dollar price tag? I'll make one out
of a Mil-Surp before I fork over that kind of cash. TACC1

I just looked at the American Rifle on the Ruger web-site.
Those must be $500 iron sights on the Scout? TACC1

I absolutely love mine. I consider it much the same as a Winchester 94. Extremely handy and a decent ,effective caliber. It is an absolute perfect truck gun without looking like an evil black gun.{and yes I have a bucket load of those} The Leupold customshop built a 30mm tubed 1&1/2 to 5 firedot scout scope for me that is extremely quick and easy to use with both eyes open. I recommend the combination to all of you and would hope that Ruger might eventually chamber this rifle in a heavier caliber such as the old 350 Magnum or perhaps a 358 Win.

If you are into Jeff Cooper's "Scout Rifle" concept then the Ruger is a fine adaptation of that idea. I don't get the whole "Scout Rifle" thing, but then there is a lot of stuff I don't get.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Smith357, I would have to say I cannot imagine using a scout type rifle in a modern military situation. If I were to use one that way I would take my M1A Springfield 7.62 "Scout Model" with forward mounted scope. The Ruger is just way way handier for carrying and using and would work "in a pinch" for more serious use. Whether you agree or disagree with Col. Cooper it is a neat rifle for "walking around". Most certainly there are better long range guns and better "stopping" calibers, but do you really feel "undergunned" with a 7.62? I know I don't in most places in North America, and it most certainly is handy and quick. You should try one and judge for yourself. After all, however ,half the fun of our hobby is cussing and discussing many different guns and their usage. All my very best, Joe.

Years ago I had a LER scope on a side hammer muzzle loader, That rig cost me a nice buck opening day when a early mourning rising sun cast a glare on the back lens, try as I might I could not find that buck in the scope. Years have past but the lesson learned are that any gun that I may have to depend upon will never have a scope any farther forward then need be. The Ruger Scout with that scope system may look cool but cool can get you hurt.

Agreed...


A solution in search of a problem. I'll stick to my FAL.

The looks sort of turn me off; every once in a while I think about a Savage Scout, or even the new Savage Lightweight.

Heck--if I could still use irons properly, I have a Lee Enfield #4 lightened up with a Fiberglas stock that is fairly Scouty, with a 10 shot magazine, loading with stripper clips. Cost was about 1/10th of the Ruger...

The concept is easy enough to test out - ie the "will I like having a scout rifle?". Simply obtain a Carcano carbine (6.5mm will be easier to feed) and have a gunsmith/machinist/somebody rig you up a forward rail surface. Attach a 20 to 30 dollar NC Stare LER (pistol) scope from Optics Planet - which will even come with rings. Bang away a bit. If you like it, you will likely like further refinement of the concept.

I've seen photos of the then new original Steyr scouts in combat use during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, where apparently those who got their hands on one liked them. Though German experience with a similar concept in WW2 didn't seem to result in such enthusiasm. Shrug.

If I lived in California or Australia or some such I'd get on a waiting list for the Ruger.

But... part of the fun of having a scout rifle has always been (for many users) in the "making" - finding a platform, getting it modified, experimenting with optics etc.

It's also worth noting that the ability to add a flip to the side magnifier to the Aimpoint/Eotech or to piggy back a red dot on an ACOG wasn't something that existed when Jeff Cooper was thinking of the concept. Either can profive a magnified or not magnified both eyes open shot. But... you'd be out more in optics alone than the Ruger is going.

I recently traded my Scout Carcano project (along with a beater shotgun) straight across for a decent Remington 1903 late war variant. Thus if you do the Carcano experiment you can always get something for it, whether you like the scout concept or not. (The Carcano carbine is also a good entry into testing out the "walking around rifle" to see if it works for you.)

My understanding of Cooper's concept was for a one rifle battery, capable of taking whatever game animals you may have in your area and doing double duty as a SHTF rifle. The Ruger seems to address that pretty well, though I agree a larger caliber would fit my needs a little better (.338-08 maybe?). I don't think any of the current gun gurus have dared put the concept to the test with modern rifles/ammuition, since questioning the wisdom of the good Colonel seems akin to blasphemy. It would be interesting to see a comparison with modern semiautos or critiquing the idea of forward mounted scopes. I wouldn't mind having one, and might get one if I swap off my DPMS .308.

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Even older, even crankier....

While I love my Steyr Scout rifle, I think Ruger's interpretation of the concept is pretty good, if not exactly faithful to Col. Cooper's original vision.

I realize that opinions are like noses (we all have one) but I would respectfully suggest that those who "don't get it", or who think the Scout is a solution in search of a problem, either think about the overall concept of the Scout, what it is, what it isn't, what advantages it offers, etc., or spend some time shooting one if you can.

I too was ambivalent about these until I handled one. And my first trip to the range with my Scout was the icing on the cake: it's amazingly accurate and easy to shoot well. :-)

Ya' mean like this??

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Rick, W0FG
CTR2 68-72

The Ruger Scout is probably one of the ugliest rifles I've ever seen.

That said, they're an absolute joy to shoot, and while they won't do the work of a semi-auto battle rifle (say, a FAL or an M1A/M14) I don't necessarily have a problem with that. I wouldn't race a stock pickup, if that makes any sense.

The idea behind the Scout was to build a rifle in a large enough caliber for big game, capitalize on the reliability of the bolt action, allow for the mounting of an optic, and keep the whole short enough to be practical for close-in work. In that regard it's great.

Dunno if it'd be the first rifle I'd grab if the zombies came, but I wouldn't feel uncomfortable carrying one if none of my other preferences were available.

My only gripe is the magazine. Ruger claims they went single-stack for reliability, but nearly every bolt gun in military service in the history of bolt guns has used a staggered magazine with no major drawback. For the Scout, I like those ten rounds - but I don't like that potential obstruction being twice as ungainly as it could (should) have been. I don't like having to settle for five to negate that, either.

But it's not a bad design overall.

I have two #5 Enfield jungle carbines, one all original Longbranch, the other Brit is scoped. Together they cost me less than half of what the Ruger Scout rifle retails for new. That's about as "Scout Friendly" as I can afford, have had them well long before Jeff Cooper's Scout concept rifle was popularized.

Cheers;
Lefty

Lefty, I too have several No. 5 Jungle Carbines, but try and buy one today for what you and I paid way back when. Also , as I am sure you are aware, when you fire one repeatedly and it heats up, the zero will often "wander". That being said, they are neat rifles. The comment was made earlier about using Milsurps and while they will work, I think that going out today and buying anything that would kind of work will cost more than you might think. Several come to mind , ie. Spanish FR-8's, Russian Nagant carbines, Carcano carbines, and even some of the Yugo's . You will still have several hundred dollars invested and be no where near as good as the Ruger. As far as the magazine of the Ruger, it is an AI and fully compatible with many of the current custom precision rifles on the market which is a big plus for those of us who use them as well. The Ruger rep. in our area is a personal friend and with discussing the choice of the AI mag for the rifle their reasoning was all available mags were of the same type and quality with no others available. Therefore any problems with after market mags were eliminated, and the gun would not be at fault for the end user using out of spec after market mags. I have had custom scouts built for the last 20 or 25 years and I can say without a doubt, the Ruger is the absolute best buy on the market for this type of rifle. All my very best to one of the best holster makers going. Joe.

The right commercial marketing can sell old stale bread.

I've seen them for slightly less than $800. They're a fine handling rifle, and I can surely understand why people want them. Long-relief scope, etc. It would have been nice had they been able to engineer the receiver so it would accept standard M14/M1A magazines.

My Panther Arms LR308 is a bit heavier, but I'd prefer it in carbine mode, to the Ruger.

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout, Komrad! Tell me more about the scope mounting. I've been thinking a 2X red dot would be perfect for my M38 but the mod would need to be quickly reversable... ie... demolested

It appears to just bolt in place of the rear sight?

The scout mount is from Darrell's;
Scout Mount Ordering Information and Current Availibility in Mosin Nagant Forum Forum
Yes, it does bolt in as replacement for the rear sight leaf. It's a much better quality mount than the commonly available B-Square. S&K makes a Mosin mount now too, and it might another better quality mount.

The carbine is a 1943 Izhevsk M38 fitted with a Huber Concepts trigger to improve the feel.

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Rick, W0FG
CTR2 68-72

Hey Joe;

It's a strange thing for me to admit, but as I've grown longer in the tooth, I'm more reluctant to jump on the bandwagon. I agree the Scout concept is a good one. Ruger's interpretation of that concept is well executed and for an out of the box variation, seems to be quite suitable. "Wandering zero" on the #5's was a valid issue of concern for rapidly sustained fire (combat) at distances over 100 yards. In my experience and with my particular rifles, it is no issue whatsoever, since I'm not defending against hordes of zombies. More likely though, either game or paper monsters.

Some time ago, I liquidated a significant portion of my long gun collection. After much agonizing, I reasoned that I should concentrate my interests based upon ammunition. I found that I had so much .303, 30.06, .30, .22 ammunition, it justified little else. I know it sounds screwy, but what the hell, it is more than I could burn up in another lifetime.

So now I look for rifles (or scatterguns and handguns) that suit my needs in chamberings I have on hand. I confess that I am very biased toward the S.M.L.E., M1-A1 Garand, M1 Carbine and the venerable 1903-A3 bolt rifles, any of which could be formatted to the Scout concept design with minor effort by any competent gunsmith or advanced amateur gunsmith. In the interest of fairness, there are many other milsurp rifles, now considered in antiquity, that could do the same, as other posters have cited so I won't repeat it.

If I were 25 or 35 years old, had no significant accumulation of specific ammo, I'd march out and buy Scouts cause' they were a good idea in their early incarnations and they remain so today. I'd attest to the #5 SMLE as a candidate without reservation as a bargain. The .308 is an excellent cartridge.....but I don't have 5K rounds in storage!

Thanks for your very kind remarks. God bless.

Cheers;
Lefty

Lefty, we are much the same in our reasoning. I too tend to only {most of the time} buy guns chambered for what's already in the "system". An older mentor of mine always said to think of any gun as only a part of what you need . Gun, large enough quantity of ammo, plenty of magazines, whatever parts typically needed to keep the gun running, and if you really were prepared, two of the same model. I have lived that rule for over 45 years. I should add if the gun in question is a handgun , you should also have the proper {several} good holsters to carry it and extra reloads for whatever the need might be. All my best, Joe.

Most of the negatives seem to be focused on scope placement. Doesn't this rifle allow you to conventionally mount a scope?

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Where's my dad's America?

Joe;
I should probably add that if I had need of a Scout type rifle, not having another rifle filling the same niche, I'd certainly take a hard look at Ruger's. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the Ruger Scout is rather homely. But if you want a classic rifle with pretty wood ,etc. there are many others to be had. All in all, my guess is the Ruger Scout would be worthy for an "all around" rifle. To each his own say I, you throws your money on the table and takes your chances!

Cheers;
Lefty

Lefty, I fully agree about Beauty In The Eye of the Beholder. The Ruger is not an eye catcher. I always enjoy the discussions and banter on the forum between Knowledgable and experienced men and women. It is just a shame that time and distance keep us all apart from actually getting together to shoot and try out some of the many guns and hardware owned by our many members. We can all agree that we would have a great time sharing our thoughts and ideas over a cup of coffee or, after the guns are put away, an adult beverage. Always a pleasure, Joe.

I like Cooper's ideas. I thought the Scout was a little weird, then I picked one up. Wow. The Ruger version also fits me extremely well. I don't have one yet, but it is on my wish list.

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I hope I copied that right

TACC1: heck the Spanish already have done most of the work; here's my Spanish FR-8; chambered in 7.62x51; carbine length, flash hider; just need a "scout" scope mount!

Is it just me or is what Cooper is wearing disturbingly third reich looking???????

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Forum consigliere

Gunsite's logo Cajun but I have to kind of agree with you...

Ya vell I see no similarity with Oberst Cooper's insignia. Ve never do.

Yuck! And way too heavy.
I’ve had too many Ruger rifles that shot patterns. Maybe they’re better now but they won’t get any of my money.

I’d buy the Savage in a heartbeat though.

Emory

Bolt action Rugers can accept modified M14 magazines in a configuration where they can't be quickly swapped out. See

Ruger Frontier Rifle with M1A magazine - YouTube

Crofoot629, the problem with the Savage Scout, is not accuracy rather the use of their own magazines. They built them on the cheap and on the one I owned and the ones several of my friends owned , they were unreliable. There is just no free lunch with magazines or for that matter quality guns. As far as the you tube video of the "custom" fitted M14 mags on the Ruger Frontier the video is self evident. I have a Parker Hale Model 85 Precision Rifle that uses M14 mags {issue, not special fitted} that works like a champ each and every time. but it cost a heck of alot more than the Ruger Scout. I would agree with you on the Ruger varmint rifles of days gone past , the ones that I messed with were barely 2moa. No where near our beloved Remingtons. Tho the Ruger scout is not a long range rifle , however, it holds it's own out to the 600 hundred yard line for what it's designed for. We had a great time taking down steel plates but the limitations of a scout type scope and aging eyes take their effect at any serious distance. These guns {Scout type} were never thought of as a long range gun rather a 3 to 5 hundred yard general purpose rifle and quite frankly most people will not use them beyond that range. AS an aside, Savage now makes one heck of a nice batch of precision rifles once they got rid of their absolutely horrendous old trigger and went with the new accu trigger. Their barrels were always first rate. Crofoot, all my very best, Joe.

Part of the "scout" concept that I really like is the ease in which it can be handled; it is easy to carry "un-strapped" and quick to throw into firing position for a scoped rifle of any kind. I like the carbine length. However, I see it as a defensive tool in the respect that "scouts" are by definition, apt to be out numbered in a hurry, so a bolt gun wouldn't be my choice. In my case. I wanted a very dependable design, not prone to fouling, and not magazine dependant, and user friendly, that could be deployed by most anyone (woman-kid, etc) So I set mine up starting with a Winchester 94AE in .357 Magnum, a 16 inch barrel that holds 10 rounds when chambered. It is light weight, and produces the most bang with the least recoil. I shoot nickel plated hulls with 158gr HC-LRNFP bullets from mid atlantic bullets, over 7gr of Unique. It is a great combo with no leading and smooth functioning. I put a Bushnell Trophy Red Dot on a mount I fashioned from a multi slotted shotgun mount, just forward of the chamber area. There is one made for this gun by one of the big sight companys, but they want you to glue the thing on the gun. I used the 2 holes already on the receiver for the back of the mount, and slid in one of those rounded filler pieces where I removed the stock sight, and drilled and tapped it so that I could attach the front of the mount. It took a little doin' but it really works well, is accurate, and easy to shoot; both eyes open, or one closed. Targets can be engaged quickly out to 100 yards or farther, depending on the eyesight of the shooter. Just keep stuffing the bullets in, and it'll keep sending them where you want them. The most fun with a rifle above 22 caliber I've had recently. Flapjack.

Flapjack, sounds like, as the kids would say, a way cool set-up. The various lever guns as I said in an earlier post are some of the handiest and quickest firing guns out there. You obviously thought this out and arrived at a very effective rifle/carbine for it's intended use. If it is not obvious to you, I too am a big lever action fan . I am in the process of setting up a sawed off 45/70 with an extended AO rail and scout scope and red dot for pig hunting.

In one of his early writings on the scout rifle concept, Jeff Cooper named the Winchester Model 94 as sort of a precursor of the scout rifle. He also said there was no reason a proper scout couldn't be built on a lever action.

Yeah-the bolt thing just don't make it when you think it through, but then Ruger does not make a center fire lever gun, do they? That's the part that makes sence.

Joe Kent-Whoa borther! I had a 1895 cow boy in that massive Gov't caliber, that should be a freezer filling hog gun! Let us hear how you do. Flapjack.

I have a newer Savage Scout rifle. 10 round aftermarket magazines are available. Both the Savage & aftermarket magazines have been reliable so far.
The Accu-trigger and Accu-stock seem very sound for what is after all a lower price rifle. I think the trigger is very good out-of-the box.
With see through mounts I can use both sights and I have zeroed the iron at 100 yards and the scope at 200.
It was easy enough to add the third sling swivel.
I have been shooting off-hand so I am not ready to pronounce on accuracy.

I think the Ruger Barrel is too short for a .308, but opinions make for horse races.

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Sir, FWIW, it's not something I would buy. I like the idea of a handy little .308 bolt gun, but I'd set it up somewhat differently than the Ruger.

Things I like about the Ruger are its protected iron sights, laminate stock, adjustable length of pull, and controlled round feed. And just the concept of a light, handy bolt gun.

Things I'd change would start with a longer barrel, at least 18 inches if not 20. I'd also rather have a stripper clip guide than a detachable box magazine. The flash suppressor can go away, as can the Picatinny rail. I would not want a scope on such a gun, but rather a good 1-MOA adjustable rear sight. It would also be nice to have a trap under the buttplate for cleaning gear.

The resulting rifle would be a little longer than the Ruger, but still quite handy, especially since it wouldn't be encumbered with a scope. It would kick less and be a bit quieter because of the longer barrel. It could still be reloaded quickly, but without a big box mag getting in the way. It would be just as handy as a .30-30 carbine, perhaps not as fast to cycle, but more powerful and flatter shooting.

I'd think such a rifle would make a great working gun for a rancher, ranger, guide, or most any sort of woods bum.

JMHO, FWIW.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

it certainly is butt ugly. for that money would get an ar 15.

8thring, while I too like and have AR's , they are not in the same general usage of the Scout Rifle concept. Perhaps the .30 Caliber AR's would qualify, but not the 5.56 versions. I am reminded of Springfield Armory's ad,{ one which I am sure other oldtimers would agree} " Bring Enough Gun". All of the guns mentioned, however, have valid uses, just not the same. Take care, Joe.

So then this DPMS AP4 in .308 would qualify then?



With the EOTECH it is very accurate.....

Not a Ruger fan. That aside, the idea for this rifle is useless. A scope in front of the action is a terrible design. Get a regular configured rifle and don't look back!

Have you ever shot a rifle set up with a forward mounted scope? I was a bit skepical myself until I shot one.

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