I followed with great interest Colonel Jeff Cooper's writings as he was developing his Scout Rifle concept over the years.
When he finalized a deal with Steyr to put his concept into regular production, I was very intrigued, but also turned off by the very high price of the Steyr Scout...until the first time I examined and handled one.
At a gunshow outside Philadelphia, a dealer had one for sale. I picked it up, shouldered it, and was just amazed at how good it felt, how ergonomically perfect it was, and how well that Leupold long eye-relief scope worked. I liked the Ching Sling, the action, the clever design, virtually everything about it...and when the dealer invited me to dry-fire it, and I felt that terrific trigger pull, I was hooked.
But I couldn't afford it.
A couple of years later, a dealer had one listed for sale on Gunsamerica. He had bought it for personal use, claimed to have fired no more than 100 rounds through it, and was offering the complete Jeff Cooper package for, if memory serves me, $1600, almost a grand under MSRP. I snatched it up.
It's truly my favorite rifle, for many reasons. First and foremost, it is the most accurate rifle I own, easily MOA-capable with the right ammo (more about that in a moment). It's light, but manages recoil well. It feels good and balances very well, whether holding it, carrying it, shouldering it, or shooting it. It's easy to clean and maintain.
On the downside, it's a female rifle: while it shoots well with any good ammo, it really likes only the most expensive stuff: Federal Gold Medal Match 168-gr. BTHP. (I don't handload, so perhaps there is something else cheaper that would work as well.) The scope magnification is a bit limiting at long range, but the rifle can easily be fitted with another scope. The intregral bipod feels flimsy: I've never shot the rifle with the bipod deployed, for fear the hinge would break.
All in all, I think Col. Cooper really did design the perfect all-around rifle...which is why I'm puzzled as to why the Steyr Scout, and the entire Scout concept in general (other companies such as Ruger and Savage make Scout rifles) haven't really caught on well.
Do any of you own Scout rifles, either by Steyr or another company? What do you think of them?
When he finalized a deal with Steyr to put his concept into regular production, I was very intrigued, but also turned off by the very high price of the Steyr Scout...until the first time I examined and handled one.
At a gunshow outside Philadelphia, a dealer had one for sale. I picked it up, shouldered it, and was just amazed at how good it felt, how ergonomically perfect it was, and how well that Leupold long eye-relief scope worked. I liked the Ching Sling, the action, the clever design, virtually everything about it...and when the dealer invited me to dry-fire it, and I felt that terrific trigger pull, I was hooked.
But I couldn't afford it.
A couple of years later, a dealer had one listed for sale on Gunsamerica. He had bought it for personal use, claimed to have fired no more than 100 rounds through it, and was offering the complete Jeff Cooper package for, if memory serves me, $1600, almost a grand under MSRP. I snatched it up.
It's truly my favorite rifle, for many reasons. First and foremost, it is the most accurate rifle I own, easily MOA-capable with the right ammo (more about that in a moment). It's light, but manages recoil well. It feels good and balances very well, whether holding it, carrying it, shouldering it, or shooting it. It's easy to clean and maintain.
On the downside, it's a female rifle: while it shoots well with any good ammo, it really likes only the most expensive stuff: Federal Gold Medal Match 168-gr. BTHP. (I don't handload, so perhaps there is something else cheaper that would work as well.) The scope magnification is a bit limiting at long range, but the rifle can easily be fitted with another scope. The intregral bipod feels flimsy: I've never shot the rifle with the bipod deployed, for fear the hinge would break.
All in all, I think Col. Cooper really did design the perfect all-around rifle...which is why I'm puzzled as to why the Steyr Scout, and the entire Scout concept in general (other companies such as Ruger and Savage make Scout rifles) haven't really caught on well.
Do any of you own Scout rifles, either by Steyr or another company? What do you think of them?
