Help Needed: Scout Rifle Alternative
- Thread starter 1riot1ranger
- Start date
I was thinking something like this in a year or so (no money right now, you see).
Isreali mauser or something similar with full wood, chamber guide, bayo lug
S&K scout mount
Leupold 4x scout scope
Gives me a rifle that is rugged, quickly reloaded and in a commonly available caliber. On top of all of that it is easy to reverse the rifle to original specs
Isreali mauser or something similar with full wood, chamber guide, bayo lug
S&K scout mount
Leupold 4x scout scope
Gives me a rifle that is rugged, quickly reloaded and in a commonly available caliber. On top of all of that it is easy to reverse the rifle to original specs
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
There is much to commend the use of milsurp rifles for conversion to scouts. These rifles have been designed with functioning as the most important criteria in the design, and the result is a robust dependable rifle. I believe though that there are two disadvantages unless a great deal of customizing is done, which cancels out the low cost feature that leads most folks to this option. The first problem to contend with is weight. Military actions often have a great deal more iron on them than is necessary, and the stocks tend to be heavy as well. The triggers can be quite good though, as there is no reason why a two stage trigger cannot be the equal of a single stage trigger. The exception to the rule is the Mosin Nagant which has a horrible trigger, and there is little that can be done to improve it. A pal of mine down south has a scout made up on a Mosin carbine, and the rifle is quite good, other than the trigger. The stock I have a problem with, but that is an ailment I find common to many military bolt guns. The second problem is that the rifle might not meet the accuracy requirements of the shooter, which for most who can shoot is 2 MOA under field conditions, and it is under field conditions that the scout shines.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
I've often thought the Fronteir would be a nice little rig...especially in 338 Federal or 358 but a 308 wouldn't be a bad thing either.
One of the advantages to building on a milsurp action is the ability to load via stripper clips, which I think is the only real advantage a "scout" rifle has over a light compact rifle with a low power scope.
Here's the one I put together on a Mauser M96 a few years ago to see if I liked the concept.
Here's the one I put together on a Mauser M96 a few years ago to see if I liked the concept.
Turkeyslayer 1300
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Russell, Ontario
One of the advantages to building on a milsurp action is the ability to load via stripper clips, which I think is the only real advantage a "scout" rifle has over a light compact rifle with a low power scope.
Here's the one I put together on a Mauser M96 a few years ago to see if I liked the concept.
I really like the look of this rifle, I'm not normally a fan of this sort of thing.
albertaoutlaw
New member
- Location
- Calgary, Alberta
One option you may want to try is to utilize a lever action instead of a bolt. It will open up your options. Jeff Cooper dubbed it the "brooklyn scout" and was regarded by him as a kind of urban combat shorter range scout variation.
I know you want a .308 but by selecting the proper caliber and ammuntion, such as 30-30 hornady lever revolution, your lever rifle may serve adequatly. Remember Cooper believed that the the best round for the scout was the 30-06, however Cooper found that the .308 with modern loading technology could almost match the ballistics of the 30-06 in a smaller package, so for those reasons he choose the .308 as the foundation caliber. You are not limited to .308 to be a true scout rifle, you only need to have a cartridge which can deliver enough energy to serve as both a combat role as well as to bring down large north american game. So a 30-30 ? Well a little light for sure...but nothing is perfect if you don't want the actual steyr version.
Put a aftermarket forward mounting system on it, sit your leupold 2.5x scout scope on top, instal sling swivels, attach an ww1 military style shooting sling, and voila you got the fastest, slickest, coolest scout rifle going.
I know you want a .308 but by selecting the proper caliber and ammuntion, such as 30-30 hornady lever revolution, your lever rifle may serve adequatly. Remember Cooper believed that the the best round for the scout was the 30-06, however Cooper found that the .308 with modern loading technology could almost match the ballistics of the 30-06 in a smaller package, so for those reasons he choose the .308 as the foundation caliber. You are not limited to .308 to be a true scout rifle, you only need to have a cartridge which can deliver enough energy to serve as both a combat role as well as to bring down large north american game. So a 30-30 ? Well a little light for sure...but nothing is perfect if you don't want the actual steyr version.
Put a aftermarket forward mounting system on it, sit your leupold 2.5x scout scope on top, instal sling swivels, attach an ww1 military style shooting sling, and voila you got the fastest, slickest, coolest scout rifle going.
