opinions on the ruger gunsite scout rifle.

M

mg357

Absent Comrade
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
3,493
Reaction score
2,709
Location
washington illinois
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.
 
Register to hide this ad
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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. :-)
 
TACC1 said:
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
Click to expand...

Ya' mean like this??
Mosins002.jpg
 
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.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Ruger LC Carbine
Replies
4
Views
656
Bald1
Bald1
C
Any Opinions On The RUGER MAX ?
Replies
1
Views
339
LVSteve
LVSteve
T112-4
M1 Carbine marked Springfield Armory
Replies
3
Views
155
M1Garandy
M
AJ
Savage Model 340V .225 Winchester
Replies
10
Views
1K
AJ
AJ
Doug627
Thoughts On The Winchester Model 71
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
TOM BECKWITH
T

Latest posts

Back
Top