Has the Scout Rifle Outlived it's Hey Day?
- Thread starter Shrek Of The Arctic
- Start date
K98 Mausers adapt nicely to forward mounted scopes using the original rear sight assembly and Picatinny adaptor with no drilling.
Y'know, I never really gave much thought as to a so-called "Scout rifle." For my needs, I like a short-barreled, compact saddle gun that is handy, light-weight, and something that I don't think twice about when it comes to packing it. For me, it's my Ruger M77 Mk II Compact in 7mm-08 with a Leupold 3x9 scope. It fits nicely in a saddle scabbard and undoubtedly one of the last rifles I would ever give up. I suppose one might consider it a Scout rifle....sorta. Like I said, I never gave it much thought. It's small, light-weight, bolt-action and in what a Scout rifle would consider an acceptable caliber. It doesn't have a box magazine or a forward mounted scope. That's okay. I don't care. I replaced the trigger mechanism. Didn't like the original. It now has a 2½-pound trigger pull and I can pack it without it exhausting me at the end of the day.
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I no longer walk miles when hunting, but I still like a light short rifle. Sometimes I take my Scout to the blind and sometimes my Standard Reminton M7 in .260 Remington which has a Kevlar stock and a 2.5 to 8 Leupold compact - it weighs well under 7 lbs "all up" (Scope, sling and 15 rounds of ammo - 10 in a butt cuff).
I had to have to guess which one has taken more deer but both the Scout and the M-7 are quite capable.
I built me a nice '98 Mauser in .257 Roberts a couple of years ago but it is a bit too heavy and right on the cusp of being too long for my deer blind.
Riposte
I had to have to guess which one has taken more deer but both the Scout and the M-7 are quite capable.
I built me a nice '98 Mauser in .257 Roberts a couple of years ago but it is a bit too heavy and right on the cusp of being too long for my deer blind.
Riposte
Apparently I stuttered. "...in the Jeff Cooper context." We're not talking about carbines, cavalry carbines or military scoped rifles, although in this case the forward mounted scope was done for similar purposes.
And they offer fully controlled feed.
It depends what you want. Copper never said is was perfect as a scoped rifle.
Rather its a compromise that allows:
- loading from a stripper clip (forward mounted, long eye relief);
- carrying at the balance point (another reason for forward mounting)
- shooting with both eyes open (1-1.5x low end magnification, and its easier to look past a forward mounted scope with a small objective lens).
The maximum magnification only needs to be enough to see and hit a game animal at 400-500 yards (4x is plenty, 6-7x isn't going to hurt. A 2-7 variable still works provided your eyes can integrate the magnified image in your dominant eye and the unmagnified image in the other.
Pretty sure that if you're an intelligence officer, you can't say you're an intelligence officer. He was at least a Colonel by then, so I find it unlikely he killed anyone. There's certainly no independent evidence of such . . .
Then have a great day under that rock you live in.
Seems kinda mean, and totally non responsive to the discussion . . .
Much like questioning Jeff Cooper's life history when the topic is the relevance of Scout Rifles?
The Garand Scout did knock down a few coyotes
and a couple of hogs but it was a load
for a senior citizen like me.
As luck would have it,
about that time, Ruger came out with
the Ruger American Compact Rifle.
Just what the grandchildren needed.
But after picking off a coyote
at 230 yards the first time out,
I reckoned the grandkids would have to wait.
That little rifle was the epitome
of a "handy, friendly" Scout Rifle.
And though it was available in 308
I had chosen 243 which the Colonel
allowed for weak, small shooters.
As a little, old man, I figured I qualified.
Next up, how to ruin a Scout Rifle.
and a couple of hogs but it was a load
for a senior citizen like me.
As luck would have it,
about that time, Ruger came out with
the Ruger American Compact Rifle.
Just what the grandchildren needed.
But after picking off a coyote
at 230 yards the first time out,
I reckoned the grandkids would have to wait.
That little rifle was the epitome
of a "handy, friendly" Scout Rifle.
And though it was available in 308
I had chosen 243 which the Colonel
allowed for weak, small shooters.
As a little, old man, I figured I qualified.
Next up, how to ruin a Scout Rifle.
Lol, I don't care what people say about 243. It's a rifleman's hunting caliber. Like a scalpel to a doctor. It's not for everyone.
Nope your mind is made up and it is pointless to talk further. Have a great day! Better.
The original Ruger American Rifle magazine
was notorious for failing to feed.
It was so infuriating
that I bought a Magpul American Hunter stock
just so I could use Magpul AICS magazines
to solve the problem.
The Magpul stock, a bipod
and the big scope that I had mounted
brought the weight of the little Compact
back to the weight of a hefty M1 Garand,
and I had more than doubled the cost.
Then a thought came to me.
A 6.5 Creedmoor had been on my wish list.
What if I bought a Ruger American Rifle
with the optional Ruger AICS stock
(AICS stocks were not sold separately)
and then put the Magpul stock on the 6.5
and put the AICS stock on the Compact?
That's what I did.
To complete the transformation,
I moved the big scope to the 6.5
and installed a modest, little, lightweight
2-7x33 Redfield scope on the Compact.
The handy, friendly "Scout Rifle" was restored.
My idea of a "Green New Deal".
(A confirmed COB, a green stock was cheaper than a black one.)
was notorious for failing to feed.
It was so infuriating
that I bought a Magpul American Hunter stock
just so I could use Magpul AICS magazines
to solve the problem.
The Magpul stock, a bipod
and the big scope that I had mounted
brought the weight of the little Compact
back to the weight of a hefty M1 Garand,
and I had more than doubled the cost.
Then a thought came to me.
A 6.5 Creedmoor had been on my wish list.
What if I bought a Ruger American Rifle
with the optional Ruger AICS stock
(AICS stocks were not sold separately)
and then put the Magpul stock on the 6.5
and put the AICS stock on the Compact?
That's what I did.
To complete the transformation,
I moved the big scope to the 6.5
and installed a modest, little, lightweight
2-7x33 Redfield scope on the Compact.
The handy, friendly "Scout Rifle" was restored.
My idea of a "Green New Deal".
(A confirmed COB, a green stock was cheaper than a black one.)
I always thought Ruger missed the boat on the Scout - they built a heavy carbine with a goofy magazine when they had an almost perfect Scout in the Frontier Compact - they could have just added a double stack box magazine (of about 10 rounds).
I've seen a custom Fronteir where the Gunsmith converted it to take M-14 mags though the folks at Ruger said it could not be done.
Oddly Mossberg made a 16" carbine that takes both unmodified M14 mags and Mag-pull AR-10 mags - sadly It does not make weight but it isn't a bad truck gun. I have one I use a suppressoro on - it could stand a little weight reduction, I don't think of it as a Scout rifle but rather a useful, if portly, carbine.
Just Ramblin'
Riposte
I've seen a custom Fronteir where the Gunsmith converted it to take M-14 mags though the folks at Ruger said it could not be done.
Oddly Mossberg made a 16" carbine that takes both unmodified M14 mags and Mag-pull AR-10 mags - sadly It does not make weight but it isn't a bad truck gun. I have one I use a suppressoro on - it could stand a little weight reduction, I don't think of it as a Scout rifle but rather a useful, if portly, carbine.
Just Ramblin'
Riposte
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The Frontier was the best Scout Ruger made.
Glenn R. McMannly
Member
He was a good man and an even better shooter.
I proudly carry a Steyr when in the field. It's the special gray Cooper edition scout.
I proudly carry a Steyr when in the field. It's the special gray Cooper edition scout.
cuffs007
Member
- Joined
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Curious what you mean by "pistol scope."
I have a Vortex rifle scope on mine and haven't figured out what you mean. Thanks.
Extended Eye Relief - the old Leopold M8 2X had about 11" of eye releif, later versions (intended for pistols) had a little more.
To add to the confusion, there are "Scout rifle" scopes - which have slightly shorter eye relief than "Pistol Scopes" - there are now a few brands that do this including Burris, Leupold and Weaver. On those the Diopter (rear lens) sets level wit the front of the ejection port on a typical bold action.
Also there was the Redfield 294 which was developed for the Winchester 1894 to set in front of the receiver and allow top ejection - it was a nifty set up, which actually started this whole concept. On that the scope base, from which the rings and scope were easily detached, had an iron sight in the base visible when you took the scope off.
The main idea there is to clear the action for easy acess and loading by stripper clips but it is also to allow for balancing at the front action screw and to have an affordable grip on the gun at the balance point for carrying when not at the ready.
An unintended benefit of the forward mounted scope is often the rilfe shoots a bit more accurately than with a reciever mounted scope - but not always.
There may be other features I am unaware of.
Riposte
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