Has the Scout Rifle Outlived it's Hey Day?

[Rocketmedic40]

I did and do as I have several . You sir could not carry Mr. Coopers **** bucket.

It is indeed overflowing. Jeff Cooper lost all credibility when he started claiming women and minorities couldn’t handle .45 ACP or that the 9mm was “criminally negligent”. Dude might have had some flashes of OK, but strikes me as a hack, and I’ve read a lot of his columns in Guns & Ammo and the archived copies of American Handgunner and such.

I think there’s a few forum members here who could dog walk him, Ayoob and some of the other “writers” out there.

Jeff Cooper ain’t fit to carry Paul Harrell’s shadow.

 

[w.r.gun]

The SR is an answer to an un ask question........NOBODY goes to war with a bolt action rifle with a pistol scope mounted halfway down the barrel.........NOBODY goes hunting with a pistol scope mounted down their firearm.......It's just a silly concept that the "cool kids" think they have to have...........Cooper was much more wrong than he was right.

It sounds like you never shot a rifle with a pistol scope half way down the barrel.

 

[Klondike Mike]

I read Colonel Cooper and as with other writers I agreed with some of his comments and disagreed with others. One that I agreed with was when he mentioned the Ruger 77 MK II in one of his scout rifle articles. Something along the lines of if you don't want a Scout rifle buy a Ruger 77 MK II. It won't be a Scout but it's a very nice rifle. Since I already had a 308 77 MK II RLS with a low powered scope I just had to agree. He was right too. It's not a true Scout but it's light, handy and more accurate than I'll ever be.

 

[AJ]

Did the Scout Rifle really have a day? Never remember the military using one.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

It sounds like you never shot a rifle with a pistol scope half way down the barrel

I've done a lot of stupid things..........But that is not one of them.......Iffen ya take it into the practical world of woodcraft and hunting......Ya'd see it too.

 

[rockquarry]

I've done a lot of stupid things..........But that is not one of them.......Iffen ya take it into the practical world of woodcraft and hunting......Ya'd see it too.

It sounds like you never shot a rifle with a pistol scope half way down the barrel.

Is there some advantage to having a pistol scope mounted halfway down a rifle or carbine barrel? Perhaps I've missed something here.

 

[Frailer]

I grew up reading Cooper; he was a gun writer of his time. He was paid to have ideas and write them down. Some of these ideas were great, some were terrible, and most were somewhere in-between.

Gun fads come and go, and many look silly in retrospect.

I own a Ruger GSR, purchased when a generous friend gifted me three cases of .308–and I didn’t have a rifle in that caliber. It is one of my favorite rifles. It is light, handy, and the stock aperture sights are ideal for my needs.

Cooper may have been an arrogant bloviator, but I got a decent rifle out of the deal.

 

[Drm50]

Jeff Cooper was full of it. Short rifles and carbines have been used by hunters since rifles were invented. His promoting them as scout rifles made a lot of money off the wannabes. The barrel mounted scope wasn’t that popular but guns like REM 600-660 series with low power scopes were popular in the woods as well as carbine versions of the autoloaders and pumps. Even the carbine models of military rifles were prized as hunting rifles. The carbine version of lever actions has never been as popular as now. Cooper invented the concept like Al Gore invented the internet.

 

[BarryinIN]

Did the Scout Rifle really have a day? Never remember the military using one.

Arrrgh!
It’s not a military rifle!

 

[LittleAugieMo]

IMHO the "Scout Rifle" started to fade w/ Col.Cooper passed. Was always fascinated w/ them but never jumped in the game.

 

[greenwellg]

Maybe it existed long before. Since moving into a Condo, with neighbors on either side and a moat in the back, I just keep my 1894 Marlin Carbine under the bed with 10 rounds in the magazine. Front yard is a parking lot so danger is minimal. Code requires a solid concrete fire barrier on both sides between residences. Two story for vantage points. Haven heard of any crime in 3 years and I don't hunt.

 

[kennethg]

I never thought about buying a scout rifle nor did I ever buy one. I was given a Spanish FR8 rifle a few years ago and think it is a great and unusual rifle. It does not have a detachable box magazine but checks off most of the scout rifle requirements.
It is a great shooter and It is always very popular when I take it the range.
Plus, it is super accurate.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

TBH I have never seen one in use anywhere, at the range or afield.

John

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Jeff Cooper was full of it. Short rifles and carbines have been used by hunters since rifles were invented. His promoting them as scout rifles made a lot of money off the wannabes. The barrel mounted scope wasn’t that popular but guns like REM 600-660 series with low power scopes were popular in the woods as well as carbine versions of the autoloaders and pumps. Even the carbine models of military rifles were prized as hunting rifles. The carbine version of lever actions has never been as popular as now. Cooper invented the concept like Al Gore invented the internet.

FANTASTIC POST!!!!

 

[rockquarry]

Arrrgh!
It’s not a military rifle!

FANTASTIC POST!!!!

Jeff Cooper was full of it. Short rifles and carbines have been used by hunters since rifles were invented. His promoting them as scout rifles made a lot of money off the wannabes. The barrel mounted scope wasn’t that popular but guns like REM 600-660 series with low power scopes were popular in the woods as well as carbine versions of the autoloaders and pumps. Even the carbine models of military rifles were prized as hunting rifles. The carbine version of lever actions has never been as popular as now. Cooper invented the concept like Al Gore invented the internet.

Perhaps the best post in this incredibly lengthy thread.

 

[KWW]

20/20 hindsight is always easy, and clear. Went to Gunsite in the early 90’s. Col. Cooper gave the introduction talk. He was an intelligent, passionate man about both the .45 and surviving gun fights. He was trying to help folks survive gunfights and bad situations. I’m hearing lots of s**t-talking about people in the past who tried to create ideas and conversation; no new ideas or concepts from the same s**t-talkers.

 

[rockquarry]

20/20 hindsight is always easy, and clear. Went to Gunsite in the early 90’s. Col. Cooper gave the introduction talk. He was an intelligent, passionate man about both the .45 and surviving gun fights. He was trying to help folks survive gunfights and bad situations. I’m hearing lots of s**t-talking about people in the past who tried to create ideas and conversation; no new ideas or concepts from the same s**t-talkers.

Are you assuming respondents have no legitimate basis for their comments?

 

[ELK284]

I’ve killed a lot of things from prairie dogs, woodchucks, coyotes, whitetail, black bear to bison with scout rifles from 50-500 yd.

The forwarded mounted 2-7 Burris Ballistic Plex has served me well and I appreciate the ability to quickly drop a round in an unobstructed opening.

If you dont appreciate them, so be it.

But I’ll keep all mine, thanks.

 

[Riposte1]

I handled Col. Cooper's 600 (he hadn't yet coined the term Scout but he did shortly thereafter) in his armory in 1980 - I cam home, bought a 660 and imedately set to building my own the same year.

I've been hunting with it since - it shoots great and has never changed zero - which is more than I can say of my other rifles with a few exceptions.

Along the way I learned to put sun shades front and back for when the sun was on the horizion. Likely have killed 2-dozen deer with this critter.

I have all sorts of rifles - this one actually meets the definition (under 2 kilos) unlike most commercial "scout" rifles.



I have other "pseudo scouts" (they don't make weight) and I normally use a Ching Sling or Andy L's Rhodesian sling but I left the CW sling on my first for sentimental reasons.

I wasn't able to make it out for the first Scout Rifle Conference but the Col. sent me the notes and I have them in the file cabinet.

Riposte

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

To correct my previous post about not seeing any SRs...I have seen a few of these. I think ol' Jeff may have stole the idea. This is the only reason, in my mind, to have a LER scope on a rifle.

John