I am somewhat bemused to once again see scout rifles being considered precision rifles. The scout rifle describes an implement best suited for practical shooting scenarios, where a high degree of precision can be neither exploited nor appreciated. Cooper's 3 legged stool, DVC is the cornerstone of the concept, speed, power and accuracy, and nowhere can precision be found.
Speed refers an open ended time frame. If you give a man 10 seconds to shoot, he'll train himself to shoot all his rounds in 9, but in a hunting scenario per-say, you might have but a moment get into position to make that single shot before the game bolts out of sight. There lies the primary difference between practical shooting and target shooting.
Power is subjective, and need only be sufficient for the job at hand, without producing intimidating recoil or blast. While it takes more power to slay an elephant than a jackrabbit, in the context of the all purpose rifle, power must be sufficient to take most game common to the area, or to dominate a fight. If a shooter has only experience with small bore rifles, he might well find a .30/06 unreasonable, but the .30/06 pretty neatly delineates enough from too much in an arbitrary sort of way.
Intrinsic rifle accuracy, and the sighting equipment mounted on the piece, must, along with a good trigger, enable the marksman. But in context, the selection of elements that combine to make an accurate rifle, must enable the shooter to engage large living targets, as opposed to say squirrels. Maximum range is determined by the distance at which a first round hit can be assured, without near range target engagements being rendered impractical.
