Scout Style in 308 - Mossberg or Savage

[Gatehouse]

Never used the Savage, but Savages are pretty much Savages.

,I had a Mossberg in 5.56, it was a pretty good rifle. Accurate and uses AR mags. Functioned well. Great budget priced Scout style rifle.

I've used a couple of Steyrs and they are nice rifles, but I prefer CRF rifles,so the Ruger is my choice. Mine sits in a Mac stock and has a full length rail so you can use a Scout scope, regular scope or irons. I've used a Scout scope enough to know they work pretty good, but not my first choice. I can keep both eyes open and use a regular scope at low power and it works better for me.

The Ruger is very accurate and with a 16.5" barrel, very light and handy. I would shoot game out to 400 with it, targets much further.

 

[leveractionjunkie]

That Ruger looks bad ass Gates. Nicely done!

 

[BeaverMeat]

The Mossberg has a shorter barrel than I'd like, as does the current Savage model, but if that doesn't bother you, you have more choices. Try to find examples of each that you can try for fit and feel, get the one that feels best to you. Apart from that, I'd tend to favour the Savages based on their models 10 or 11 because I'd like the muzzle blast a couple inches further away and that's not too long to make it unhandy for someone of my size. I'm not going to tell anyone who prefers the Ruger that it isn't better, I just wouldn't think it was enough better for me to pay the extra. (I've shot a Steyr Scout, it's as well made as a Steyr should be and it works as well as a Steyr or anything else costing that much should, but even more so than the Ruger the extra money is worth more to me than the extra nice in the gun.)

Linear comp. “blast” solved.

IDK... a 16” barreled .308 isn’t all that “blasty” compaired to a short barreled magnum. .308 is one of those cartridges that lends itself well to a short barrel. 30-06 and up... blasty, blasty.

 

[todbartell]

What is a decent range for those short scout barrels? Looking at a rifle in .308 with an 18 I barrel for deer hunting out west..

I've shot my 18.7" Ruger scout to 1050 yards. That's pushing it, 800 yards and in was more accurate. For hunting you will be fine to 500 yards

 

[RatFink]

I've shot my 18.7" Ruger scout to 1050 yards. That's pushing it, 800 yards and in was more accurate. For hunting you will be fine to 500 yards

Absolutely. Even with the 18.7" barrel on mine, it is calculated to carry 1500ft/lbs to 600 yards at 2700fps with a 150gr bullet. My friend's dad took one look at how stubby it is and said he wouldn't shoot anything past 150y due to its lack of accuracy and low velocity.
I do love proving people wrong and squashing old wives tales.

 

[TheTooner]

Linear comp. “blast” solved.

IDK... a 16” barreled .308 isn’t all that “blasty” compaired to a short barreled magnum. .308 is one of those cartridges that lends itself well to a short barrel. 30-06 and up... blasty, blasty.

Sure, but I don't have and am very unlikely to get a short barrelled magnum to compare it to and I am big and clumsy enough that my own feet and hands will be in my way more than an 18 inch barrel will.

Ultimately, your preferences and mine, and the reasons we each have them are only relevant to the question so that Forest1488 can think about whether he wants to think about them. We're all going to go on with our own favourites.

 

[rascal1]

I've shot my 18.7" Ruger scout to 1050 yards. That's pushing it, 800 yards and in was more accurate. For hunting you will be fine to 500 yards

Good to know, certainly suitable for hunting in my area which appears to be close to your location as well. Cheers

 

[jjohnwm]

I've had a couple of the Savage Scout rifles, dating back to the original one with the mag button on the side of the stock. It was my first scout-style rifle; I still have one in 7.62x39 and enjoy it tremendously. I think the Savage offers by far the best value per dollar of all these guns. The newer guns leave a lot to be desired in the styling department; I prefer the more traditional look and feel of the older ones.

I would have a Savage in 308 as well, if I hadn't gotten a Steyr Scout a year or so after they were introduced. It is by far one of my favourite rifles, a life-time keeper for sure. More money, and not the value the Savage is...but still a superior rifle. I like it so much that I recently got one off the EE in .223 as well. I love shooting these guns; handling, accuracy, trigger, ergonomics...for me they are perfect.

Mossberg? Looked at one, played with it a bit, never fired it and don't really have any interest in doing so.

The Ruger feels heavy and clunky to me. Before someone pipes up and tells me what each of these weighs down to the tenth of an ounce...I don't care. The feel is what matters, and it is not good with this gun in my hands. The trigger is okay, but definitely the worst of these four guns. The goofy scope mounting arrangement, with Pic rings for the front position and Ruger rings for the rear bugs me. If I had to choose one word for the Ruger it would be "awkward".

You should at least try to handle these rifles in a store before making your choice; putting aside the specs, you're just going to prefer some of them to the others. That preference is much more important than an inch of length, an ounce of weight or a quarter-minute of extra accuracy.

Edited to add: Gatehouse has turned his Ruger into a sleek, cool-looking sporter, probably an excellent shooter and well-fitted for his shooting. It's almost as nice as a Steyr, and probably only a bit more expensive overall...

 

[Gatehouse]

The Ruger laminate stocks add unnecessary weight to the rifle. I don't really like laminate stocks at all on any rifle.

My rifle came with a synthetic injection molded stock and frankly had I not ordered the Mac stock prior to ordering the rifle, I may not have even bothered with the Mac stock, The synthetic stock made the rifle so light and handy compared to the laminate stocks. But no question I do love the Mac stock!

Having used the Steyr scouts a bit, I would choose it after the Ruger. There are a number of things on the Steyr that I wasn't a fan of, and their accuracy was a bit lacking compared to the Ruger, too. I'll probably get another Ruger in .223 and set it up similarly.

 

[Boomer]

A Scout Rifle, once considered, is an itch that can only be relieved by getting one. Jeff Cooper's original Scout concept takes the carbine idea a bit further suggesting an overall length that does not exceed a meter or weight that does not exceed 3 kilos, chambered in .308, or some other round that can drive a 150 gr bullet 2700 fps from the short barrel. The Scout rifle was to be equipped with a ghost ring and post irons, and a forward mounted low power scope, and a CW or a Ching sling. A maximum length of 1 meter has been fairly easily achieved, but a maximum weight of 3 kilos is much more challenging.

Since the idea was first developed with a M-600 Remington using the rib as a base for the forward scope mount, all sorts of things have been added to Scout Rifles, from hidden bi-pods, to muzzle brakes, to flash hiders, to detachable magazines, to chamberings which in Cooper's estimation were more suitable for shooting poodles. Perhaps free ranging poodles were a problem in Arizona. Scout Rifles have been built on all sorts of platforms since that first Remington 600, Scout Rifles have been built on all manner of rifles from the Styer Scout at the high end, to the Mosin Nagant 44 on the low end, in terms of price anyway, and the Ruger concept seems to be far and away the most successful commercial offering.

While detachable magazines have their advantages, no one can honestly say that they don't bring challenges to a rifle platform. Detachable magazines can be forgotten or lost, and while I prefer hinged floor plates, those poorly executed are an abomination. Inexpensive rifles like the Savage Apex have poor magazine retention mechanisms, whch are prone to failure. Clearly these rifles would have been better with fixed magazines, and a worthwhile addition to a rifle with a fixed magazine is a notch milled into the receiver to accept stripper clips. Naturally if you intend to use stripper clips to load the rife, rather than a detachable magazine, a forward mounted scope is essential to keep the receiver clear of obstructions.

While I have no experience with the Mossberg rifle, it should be pointed out that Clint Smith has worked with Mossberg to produce a Thunder Ranch model, and in his new book "The Scout Rifle Study" Richard Mann seems to promote the Mossberg version as the commercial rifle that comes closest to the original concept. For anyone interested in scout rifles, you might find it interesting . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCbyvhxE0qI

 

[jjohnwm]

A Scout Rifle, once considered, is an itch that can only be relieved by getting one.

That's the long and the short of it, right there. If you look at one and think "Hmmm...", you eventually have to get one.

OP, here's an idea. If you really want to get a feel for the forward-scope lightweight rifle idea, you can easily and inexpensively make one out of a .22lr and shoot it to your heart's content for peanuts. If you happen to have a 10/22 with a barrel-mounted cantilever scope mount, you can reverse the mount; instant rimfire scout! It's not much more work to mount a piece of pic rail on any heavy barrel rimfire to achieve the same thing. I have a couple of rimfires done up this way and they are a ton of fun to shoot. One is a Savage HB model that I found at a gunshow pre-assembled, which came complete with the forward pic rail, a cheekpiece pad, three sling studs (for Ching sling use)...and one of the screw holes drilled right through into the bore! It's still a laser and never misses a beat...just bugs me a bit knowing that dang hole is there...

 

[Forest1488]

Thanks all for the comments and ideas.

For years I was pretty ambivalent about scout rifles. However, some time ago I shouldered a Steyr with a forward optic. Really fast target acquisition, lightweight, and felt great. As noted by Boomer...."itch" was created then and there. I am generally an irons shooter and use optics when precision is needed. The scout lends itself to both which I find attractive. Yes the Steyr and Ruger are no doubt superior builds and if the funds were plentiful one of those two would already be in the safe. Not a huge fan of the AI mag in the Ruger so Steyr would probably have been the first choice.

Going moose hunting for the first time in 30 years this fall. Not getting any younger so a short barrelled, lightweight bolt action rifle that can be used with or without optics is what is needed. Unfortunately finances come into play this year hence the choice between the Mossberg and the Savage. Serves me right for having kids when I was in my mid-forties.

 

[jlagman]

Why a scout style though? I always wonder that when I see them... why would anyone like their optics mounted so far forward like on a scout rifle? Sure, a 10 round magazine is a plus, but the scope so far away just seems awkward. But, that's just my opinion... change my opinion with facts.

Not gonna lie, I kinda learned that lesson the "hard way" this past season. I thought a scout-style would make a great general purpose rifle, however, I now feel the opposite; it's pretty specialized. I personally see it best used as an eastern still hunting rifle, where making a snap shot at game like 50 - 80 yards away could be valuable. I tried using it as a plains rifle this past season and the max 4x magnification wasn't enough for me on game that's at least 200 yards away.

My $0.02

 

[GreenPepper]

I have a mossberg mvp predator in 7.62x51/.308 Laminate stock, deadringer 3-9x40. pinned 5/10 rd mag. Im looking to switch into 6.5creedmoor. Message me if you are interested in mossberg.

 

[Ardent]

Another vote to save the extra $600 and buy a real gun, Ruger.

 

[Nbhunt3r]

I owned the ruger American and gunsite scout also the mossberg. Both the mossberg and American felt cheap which they are compared to the gunsite. Gunsite is a nice gun but I think is over priced for what it is. I was also disappointed in the slop in the action especially for the price (no where's near as bad as the mossberg). I prefer the savage action so I might pick up a savage scout next, or build mine own.

 

[SuperCub]

Why a scout style though? I always wonder that when I see them... why would anyone like their optics mounted so far forward like on a scout rifle?

I don't get the scout style either. What does a low powered scope mounted over the bbl offer over a rear mounted low powered scope? Seems handling would be a weird weight forward configuration as well. Limited selection of scopes and or rifles. If there any real practical advantages over a lightweight carbine bolt gun, I'd be open to knowing them.

Sure, a 10 round magazine is a plus,

Why is a 10 round mag a plus? It's heavy, makes the gun awkward to carry and who shoots 10 rounds at game anyways? A 10 round mag is for battle rifles, plain and simple.


A Model Seven CDL in 308 (20" bbl) with a 1.5-5 or 2-7 would be a far better choice than a goofy scout wifle.

 

[Nbhunt3r]

I don't get the scout style either. What does a low powered scope mounted over the bbl offer over a rear mounted low powered scope? Seems handling would be a weird weight forward configuration as well. Limited selection of scopes and or rifles. If there any real practical advantages over a lightweight carbine bolt gun, I'd be open to knowing them.


Why is a 10 round mag a plus? It's heavy, makes the gun awkward to carry and who shoots 10 rounds at game anyways? A 10 round mag is for battle rifles, plain and simple.


A Model Seven CDL in 308 (20" bbl) with a 1.5-5 or 2-7 would be a far better choice than a goofy scout wifle.

Learn about Jeff Coopers philosophies.

 

[SuperCub]

Learn about Jeff Coopers philosophies.

I'm pretty sure that the obvious practical disadvantages (that I stated) will outweigh Cooper's philosophies.


OP wanted a hunting/target rifle. These scouts wouldn't be the best choice for either. No flame intended, just practical observations.

 

[Nbhunt3r]

I'm pretty sure that the obvious practical disadvantages (that I stated) will outweigh Cooper's philosophies.


OP wanted a hunting/target rifle. These scouts wouldn't be the best choice for either. No flame intended, just practical observations.

No the scout rifle isn't a good target rifle. But it would make a good hunting rifle especially in think bush where fast acquisition is needed, or a bolt action truck gun. There's nothing more reliable then a bolt rifle, they're perfect for shtf/survival situation.