Well I expected this thread to be an offgassing sillyass bear defence style deal....
A fun revisit of the Scout rifle and some great opinions and feedback....really enjoying it
Ill start by agreeing with a lot here that the scout rifle concept was initially very alluring ....and I initially dove in hard both enamoured of the concept/philosophy.....horned up by the look and feel....always a sucker for a compact light rifle.....and was a keen reader and admirer of Coopers writings.
Built a few project rifles ....then moved on when some reasonably competent offerings emerged from the mainstream makers .....
Never warmed up to the long eye relief concept
Rifle handling/balance...accuracy or even speed of use were all poor for me ....and I am an accomplished rifleman.
I always ended up scrapping the forward mount and went back to an action mounted low power scope ....and also quickly realized that any variable optic was to bulky/heavy/snaggy so sought out 1in tube fixed power short scopes
As for the rest of the scout rifle concept ....yes a barrel 16~18in sporter or actually slightly heavier profile was ideal....a trim but solid quality stock.....
As mentioned by someone here previously a quality box mag setup was ideal ....negates the need for stripper clips...
Quality backup iron sights were always a problem to adapt or even source aftermarket ....it was one thing a few of the manufactures did well with their Scout rifles
For me personally ....having good eyesight and military training/background I could have/would be fine with quality peep iron sights only
After building/buying several Scout rifles over the yrs ....I have ended up with several Ruger American Ranch rifles..... 6 rifles in total ....3 in 556 and 3 in 762rusky
I came to the conclusion that these cartridges are capable enough for the role of a Scout rifle for me ....and are affordable/widely available which makes practice and frequent shooting possible ....can carry a reasonable ammo load on person and or stowed away too.
A fixed 4power 1in scope conventionally mounted
A compact red dot mounted forward of the action but still on the receiver
A peep iron sighted only setup
These are light/compact/fast handling/reliable/durable/mag fed accurate rifles that are inexpensive to buy/own/maintain and fire the two most available/affordable to me cartridges that are capable enough to hunt/defend/offend for my needs.
Having multiple rifles of the same pattern affords redundancy of parts and or simply transitioning from one to the other when needed.
I do still have a Ruger Scout in 308 ....a tad heavy and clunky handling but screams Ruger quality/durablity .....has a very good set of iron sights and 308 authority if that is a concern ....which to me would only be if large dangerous predators were in the mix .....but I dont live/play where that is a concern.
On another note....:sadly the political/legal situation in Canada has deteriorated to what it currently is .....so the Scout rifle concept makes more sense than ever if one chooses to remain compliant with the current boot on the neck
One of the most important perals of the Scout rifle concept was philosophy of use ....skill at arms and proficiency with the chosen weapon ....much like Coopers pistol doctrine
A quality firearm of sufficient cartridge....configured/carried in a manner that can be quickly/accurately brought into action by a practised/competent user
With the above mindset and competence .....a Scout rifle can be physically variable
A fun revisit of the Scout rifle and some great opinions and feedback....really enjoying it
Ill start by agreeing with a lot here that the scout rifle concept was initially very alluring ....and I initially dove in hard both enamoured of the concept/philosophy.....horned up by the look and feel....always a sucker for a compact light rifle.....and was a keen reader and admirer of Coopers writings.
Built a few project rifles ....then moved on when some reasonably competent offerings emerged from the mainstream makers .....
Never warmed up to the long eye relief concept
Rifle handling/balance...accuracy or even speed of use were all poor for me ....and I am an accomplished rifleman.
I always ended up scrapping the forward mount and went back to an action mounted low power scope ....and also quickly realized that any variable optic was to bulky/heavy/snaggy so sought out 1in tube fixed power short scopes
As for the rest of the scout rifle concept ....yes a barrel 16~18in sporter or actually slightly heavier profile was ideal....a trim but solid quality stock.....
As mentioned by someone here previously a quality box mag setup was ideal ....negates the need for stripper clips...
Quality backup iron sights were always a problem to adapt or even source aftermarket ....it was one thing a few of the manufactures did well with their Scout rifles
For me personally ....having good eyesight and military training/background I could have/would be fine with quality peep iron sights only
After building/buying several Scout rifles over the yrs ....I have ended up with several Ruger American Ranch rifles..... 6 rifles in total ....3 in 556 and 3 in 762rusky
I came to the conclusion that these cartridges are capable enough for the role of a Scout rifle for me ....and are affordable/widely available which makes practice and frequent shooting possible ....can carry a reasonable ammo load on person and or stowed away too.
A fixed 4power 1in scope conventionally mounted
A compact red dot mounted forward of the action but still on the receiver
A peep iron sighted only setup
These are light/compact/fast handling/reliable/durable/mag fed accurate rifles that are inexpensive to buy/own/maintain and fire the two most available/affordable to me cartridges that are capable enough to hunt/defend/offend for my needs.
Having multiple rifles of the same pattern affords redundancy of parts and or simply transitioning from one to the other when needed.
I do still have a Ruger Scout in 308 ....a tad heavy and clunky handling but screams Ruger quality/durablity .....has a very good set of iron sights and 308 authority if that is a concern ....which to me would only be if large dangerous predators were in the mix .....but I dont live/play where that is a concern.
On another note....:sadly the political/legal situation in Canada has deteriorated to what it currently is .....so the Scout rifle concept makes more sense than ever if one chooses to remain compliant with the current boot on the neck
One of the most important perals of the Scout rifle concept was philosophy of use ....skill at arms and proficiency with the chosen weapon ....much like Coopers pistol doctrine
A quality firearm of sufficient cartridge....configured/carried in a manner that can be quickly/accurately brought into action by a practised/competent user
With the above mindset and competence .....a Scout rifle can be physically variable
