Ruger Scout...the good, bad and the ugly

clhdluke

clhdluke

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Hi guys,

I have never owned a Ruger rifle, but a young lad behind the counter at my favorite gun shop couldn't stop talking about the virtues of the Ruger Scout rifle in .308...ergo, my question to you all is what have you heard or personally experienced regarding this rifle. I'm looking for a solid, all round do pretty much anything rifle. I'll be honest, I don't hunt...yet as I'm looking for a mentor as I pretty much know sh!t, but I'm intriqued by this beast. Let'er rip...
 
Good- Solid well made gun. Nice iron sights. 10+ round capacity is cool(ish). Looks good esp in black with flash hider. 308 is a great caliber. Adjustable LOP is a good idea.

Bad-Rattly mag. The fact that the rifle is technically a controlled round feed but the mag completely disallows the advantages of it. Can't top feed mag. Rifle itself is too heavy for it's intended purpose. Included rings don't allow for ''scout'' style mounting. (why not weaver/pic rings instead?)

Ugly- The 10 round mag, because it is.
 
I would buy a Remington LTR for a quick and easy do all factory rifle. Or the XCR Compact if the extra cash wasn't a big deal, although they are harder to find.
 
It's stupid heavy and you're going to put a conventional scope on anyway.
It's like a Nork 305 shorty you won't have to change a bunch of parts on.
I have handled sweetheart (Jeff Coopers fav scout)and its light years ahead of
Rugers product despite the gunsite logo.
Whatever you buy get the trigger fixed.
 
I own one, and I really like it.

As mentioned, lots of people dislike the 10 round mags, but there are also 3 and 5 round options. The steel mags are rather hard to topload, but it can be done, the polymer ones are apparently better for that. With the steel mags I'm fairly sure toploading them will eventually bend the feed lips, it takes a significant amount of force.

I myself would feel confident using the rifle in all manner of situations, once I actually get some shooting experience and am not a total embarrassment.

That said, if you're going to mount a conventional receiver scope, buy a conventional rifle, it will be easier on you. I'm going to use irons as long as my eyes will let me, and then I'll start guessing where the target is. I'm not going to try to fit this rifle into a niche where it looks awkward. If I ever do want to put a scope on it, I understand that I will be getting a IER or LER scope.

For hunting I would definitely get a smaller capacity mag for a more flush fit, but for just fun shooting I do love me the ten round mags. It's good to have options.

If you happen to be up in Edmonton at some point, I would be glad to let you try mine and see how it feels.
 
I like mine. I don't bother with the 10 round mag. I use a 5. If I can't hit and kill what I am hunting with 5 then I should not be in the bush.

It is about as heavy as any of my standard rifles.

I don't like that I had to remove the rail in order to mount a standard scope. The front bell on a 40 MM scope was too big.

It handles anything from 110 to 200 gr. Once you have it sighted in, you can repeatedly hit the same spot.

It has actually caused me to rethink my .308 guns. I have a Steyr prohunter that is more accurate but it is also twice the price and much longer.

The scout is good in tight bush.
 
I own a Norc M14 and a Shorty. The 10 round mags are cool in those. The shorty seems to be the same weight and length - except that it is a semi.

I own a Weatherby Carbine in 308 - it holds 5 in the mag. Balances nicely and very reliable.

Handled the Scout in P & D. Could not justify the price of a rifle which had a cluncky mag, a seemingly artificially extended stock, forward scope position and in my opinion - heavy for it's size.

There are no zombies and anarchy does not abound - so I could not justify the purchase of perhaps one more safe queen.
 
I own this rifle and am happy with it so far. But I don't have a lot to compare it to.

I agree that the mag is too lose. I've heard that you can get replacement mags that are better, but I haven't bought one yet. I plan on buying a 5-round polymer mag soon.

I put a normal scope on it, but that's only because I couldn't get the scout scope I wanted in time for this year's deer season.
 
Nutnfancy has a review on YouTube - it covers about everything that is relevant - I think he talked me out of one ;)
 
gunkle said:
Nutnfancy has a review on YouTube - it covers about everything that is relevant - I think he talked me out of one ;)
Click to expand...

He can talk me out of anything. 5 minutes of drivel from him is awful, let alone the 45 minutes most of his videos take.

The scout is a solid rifle.

The 10 round steel mag is rattly and expensive, but both problems can be solved by getting the aftermarket 10 round polymer mags. Much snuger in the magwell and can be toploaded, and only $40 a mag as opposed to $95+ for the steel AI mags.

If you are hunting, you don't really need a 10 rounder, but then again, this was not a purpose built hunting rifle, nor is it intended to be. It is a general purpose firearm that can do a little bit of everything, in essence the Swiss army knife of rifles.


I love mine and have a whole list of upgrades I am planning to do. I have 4 polymer mags ordered from Mystic Precision already, and plan to put a full length rail, mount a Burris XTR-14 1-4x optic, and build a custom stock that holds a spare mag under the rear of the stock.

Fun gun through and through.
 
I like Nutn....

That aside, I thought about its application. Scout rifle.
My preference is not long eye relief. Could I buy an after market rail? Yes. An additional cost.

I love the look of it....but am I brush hunting? Could I use a bit longer barrel to increase accuracy and stabilization? Sure. I don't need a tanker / CQB rifle in this platform (M14 would be my choice there).
I guess, my last immediate thought is that though readily available, I'm not in love with 308.

All that said - we all have different needs and aesthetic preferences.... As a curiosity...how do you intend to use the rifle?
 
gunkle said:
I like Nutn....

That aside, I thought about its application. Scout rifle.
My preference is not long eye relief. Could I buy an after market rail? Yes. An additional cost.

I love the look of it....but am I brush hunting? Could I use a bit longer barrel to increase accuracy and stabilization? Sure. I don't need a tanker / CQB rifle in this platform (M14 would be my choice there).
I guess, my last immediate thought is that though readily available, I'm not in love with 308.

All that said - we all have different needs and aesthetic preferences.... As a curiosity...how do you intend to use the rifle?
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I bought one (or two ;) ) Thinking it would fill many needs/wants I had from a rifle. Turns out, as most "jack of all trades", it was lacking in all and far from master of any.

I don't own any scouts, now.
 
Weight
- Its not light, my Savage 99 in .308 was lighter with a scope and you can get a savage with a magazine. But alot of the weight is the in the laminate stock - its tough beyond regular wood (built to take bumps, bangs & dings & still work).

**Side note... There is a fix for a rifle that weighs a little bit more than others - MAN UP AND WORKOUT, stop #####ing like a girl. It is NOT that heavy. If a centerfire rifle is too heavy for you, maybe you should go back to rimfires.

Magazine
- The steel mag moves a TINY bit front to back if you move it the right way, I don't have a problem as I like the option of having a magazine for a bolt action rifle - as others before me have said, buy a polymer magazine and they fit tighter & lighten the weight (I have 2). **Side note.... The steel magazine will hold 13 rounds (I have done it - it works, just tight.)

Scope options
- The forward mounts scope IS a nice feature, all too many people complain about it, but I wonder why they buy a scout rifle, then complain about a front mount scope OPTION. I can swap my Ruger Scout rifle scope back and forth between a LONG eye relief scout scope, or my Leupold VX-R mounted one an American defence 3" cantilever quick release picatinny mount and I still have my Iron sights on all the time.

**Sidenote.... I had a scope get 'bumped' last year on a rifle that made the rifle useless while hunting & I had no backup sights - I can shoot 4" centers with the Iron ghost sights on my Ruger scout and I WISH I had that option last year. This year - no worries, I have my Ruger scout.

Accuracy
- YUP. It is (at least mine is). Is it $5000 .338 Lapua rifle accurate ? probably not - it WILL shoot 500 yard shots all day with ease.

Bolt Action
- The Ruger uses the M77 Mauser based bolt action. As 'Nutnfancy' says - it is not the smoothest bolt action out there. The M77 bolt IS a tractor. It's just a damned tough reliable action. It will pull the stubbornest stuck casing out of the barrel, it will shoot when not perfectly clean or wet, it works just about every ammunition brand out there without a hiccup - all day, every day.

This is a 'own one gun' rifle. If you can own 5 - then get 5 different purpose rifles. If you want ONE that does a lot of everything - the Ruger scout is a great option (in my opinion).

I love all my rifles - but the first one I grab is usually my Scout. (the other times its my Marlin 45-70 haha)
 
Coho said:
This is a 'own one gun' rifle. If you can own 5 - then get 5 different purpose rifles. If you want ONE that does a lot of everything - the Ruger scout is a great option (in my opinion).
Click to expand...

This is a lot of the reason I bought it. I'm more of a handgun guy than a rifle guy. It is going to take me several years before I have several different purpose rifles. In the mean time, I want something that will handle most things well enough.
 
Coho said:
**Side note... There is a fix for a rifle that weighs a little bit more than others - MAN UP AND WORKOUT, stop #####ing like a girl. It is NOT that heavy. If a centerfire rifle is too heavy for you, maybe you should go back to rimfires.
Click to expand...

Geez dude...lighten up. For a little gun...it has a lot of weight, so does my M14 shorty.

The Op Thread is Good, Bad and Ugly. I thought the clunky mag and it`s weight were bad. Why you so defensive with a simple opinion that my comment constitutes "#####ing like a girl"?

It's a good thing I didn't draw some comparison to the virtues of a Tikka to the M77 jobbered platform - 'cause it's likely you'd have come unglued and popped a blood vessel or something. Or worse....I dread to think what would have happened if I compared the M77 action to a Remmy 700! Laugh2 :D
 
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