Scout Rifle

[Crunchy Peanut Butter]

Anyone use a scout rifle? I have ended up pretty fixated on the notion and like the idea of something fairly compact that can be quickly fired out of a truck window/used in woodland.

Anyone have any experience? Keen to hear of the inevitable limitations of them as well.

CPB

 

[tackb]

Anyone use a scout rifle? I have ended up pretty fixated on the notion and like the idea of something fairly compact that can be quickly fired out of a truck window/used in woodland.

Anyone have any experience? Keen to hear of the inevitable limitations of them as well.

CPB

i had a 308 steyr scout , the concept was awesome and if it had shot i would still have it , sadly i never managed to get it to shoot well enough to use on deer

quite a few rounds and i would get it zero'd somewhere acceptably then it would throw the next round randomly 6-8" from point of aim , i could never trust it !

i remember that walloper venebles had one and claimed it was a 1/2'' gun but declined to ever prove it despite many requests

but , if it had been accurate my one i would have still had it and i didn't expect benchrest accuracy around an inch would have sufficed for hind culling and general deer stalking

 

[west_meon]

A bit like you, I saw a few in use and really liked the concept. Ended up with a 2nd hand Steyr Scout in 223 - justified as my summer muntjac stalking rifle, as well as one that was small and light enough for my daughter to use under guidance. Have to say that I am really chuffed with it.

It is certainly choosy about ammo. Mine has a relatively tight twist rate, so suits the heavier bullets, but be careful as twist rates vary even within calibres - The Steyr Scout rifle typically has a 1:12 inch twist rate for the .308 calibre. Some limited runs of .308 Scouts may have a 1:10 inch twist rate for improved performance with heavier bullets. Other calibres like 7mm-08 and .243 have a 1:10 inch twist, while .223 has a 1:9 inch twist (from t'internet!) .

Previous owner swore by Hornady V max 55 grain, but I could not get it to group that well with a similar bullet (Norma), plus I wanted something suitable for deer rather than vermin. Swapped to Sako Gamehead 55 grain and was able to consistently get 1" groups off sticks at 100m. It is light, handy, easy to put on sticks, and short enough (even with a moderator on) not to catch on branches when sneaking through woodland.

If you get an older model then you may need to replace the magazines as the earlier ones had a feed issue. I found mine would sometimes jam when feeding the Norma, but works perfectly with the Sako. What such a light rifle is like to use in a bigger calibre I am not sure, but in 223 it is great. It is a bit of a Marmite rifle - you will either love it or hate it.
Good luck.

 

[spanj]

Anyone use a scout rifle? I have ended up pretty fixated on the notion and like the idea of something fairly compact that can be quickly fired out of a truck window/used in woodland.

Anyone have any experience? Keen to hear of the inevitable limitations of them as well.

CPB

I have one in .308. Some can be a bit errant I believe but they are light and compact and perfect for what you need . I am considering selling mine as no longer stalk reds often enough to keep it, let me know if you’d be interested

 

[Long drag]

Had a Scout for 20 years, brilliant rifle used for Foxes and deer, never let me down it just got like me old.
Would I purchased another one yes,

 

[tackb]

don't let my bad experience put you off , but i would ask to see any scout rifle you are interested in shoot a few groups first before parting with money

 

[suburban bushwacker]

walloper venebles

Fantastic nickname

 

[Heym SR20]

Lightweight thin barreled rifles shoot well, but you do need to learn how to use them. They are very sensitive to how you hold them, especially those with a bit of recoil.

Recoil starts as soon as you squeeze the trigger and the rifle starts moving. This affects position of where the muzzle is in relation to the target when the bullet leaves the muzzle.

This is not an issue with a heavy barreled target / sniper rifle that is always shot prone off a bipod or rest. Its a big issue with a lightweight rifle being shot from multiple positions with a 308 or similar cartridge that will make the rifle move.

 

[Zio65]

Bergara B13 work very well

 

[tackb]

Lightweight thin barreled rifles shoot well, but you do need to learn how to use them. They are very sensitive to how you hold them, especially those with a bit of recoil.

Recoil starts as soon as you squeeze the trigger and the rifle starts moving. This affects position of where the muzzle is in relation to the target when the bullet leaves the muzzle.

This is not an issue with a heavy barreled target / sniper rifle that is always shot prone off a bipod or rest. Its a big issue with a lightweight rifle being shot from multiple positions with a 308 or similar cartridge that will make the rifle move.

goodness , if only i'd thought of that.......

 

[Bouncingoffthelocks]

I have 1 and think they are great. Place for a space mag in the butt, is great for carrying a loaded mag with the rifle but not anywhere near the chamber / bolt. Can always keep a spare loaded mag with you (handy in a truck). Internal bipod is useful in a pinch but honestly much more suited to keeping the rifle out of the mud / wet grass. Short compact nature brilliant for the use you have in mind. Lightweight fluted barrel not the best for range work - but find mine surprisingly accurate as long as you take your time and don't let the barrel get to hot. Flip up iron sights great fun and surprisingly good. I reckon it would be great with a red dot as well. 3 point sling gives you lots of carrying options and if your a jeff cooper disciple, you can fit a ching sling and try your hand at positional shooting. In 308, with a loaded mag, mod, and scope they are not quite as light as people make out, but yomping up and down mountains wasn't your MO so think it would be a great option. Nearly the perfect truck, woodland rifle. If your interested drop me a pm I could be tempted to part with mine.

 

[Tralle]

With the advent of todays good lpvo's isnt the scout concept a bit outdated?
I believe the most defining thing about the scout rifles is the special scope.

Any light weight short barreled rifle with an lpvo should do the same i believe.

 

[tackb]

With the advent of todays good lpvo's isnt the scout concept a bit outdated?
I believe the most defining thing about the scout rifles is the special scope.

Any light weight short barreled rifle with an lpvo should do the same i believe.

maybe , personally though i still think the concept is relevant perhaps just not here in the uk with our laws

as a general purpose all round rifle to carry a lot and shoot a little i think they make good sense

 

[Crunchy Peanut Butter]

I quite like the look of the Ruger Gunsite Scout. I think my issue is calibre. I have a .308 which I do not plan to replace, therefore I would probably look to another calibre. I am not sure what the offerings are in non toxic .223 but that would limit me to small deer anyway (of which I don't shoot many). I don't know a great deal about 450 bushmaster other than the factory ammo would be very hard to come by (although love the name).

Probably would find myself back with a steyer as a result.

Thank you for the feedback, good food for thought.

 

[tackb]

I quite like the look of the Ruger Gunsite Scout. I think my issue is calibre. I have a .308 which I do not plan to replace, therefore I would probably look to another calibre. I am not sure what the offerings are in non toxic .223 but that would limit me to small deer anyway (of which I don't shoot many). I don't know a great deal about 450 bushmaster other than the factory ammo would be very hard to come by (although love the name).

Probably would find myself back with a steyer as a result.

Thank you for the feedback, good food for thought.

i did consider a building a scout rifle in 338 federal so i could load useful subsonics for it , was going to inlet a badger ordnance mag kit in the stock so i could carry a spare aics mag like a steyr scout , but in the end i went with a moderated 45/70 marlin dark series

 

[Whitefront]

I have a Steyr Scout in 7mm-08. Brilliant. Lightweight but low recoil, very handy, very accurate (I use Fox Classic hunter 130 grain). The extra mag in the stock is great.

 

[JockStalk]

Have just acquired a short pointy CZ in 223 with 7 twist. Just over 6lbs and 37”. Short and pointy being the brief.

 

[Heym SR20]

I quite like the look of the Ruger Gunsite Scout. I think my issue is calibre. I have a .308 which I do not plan to replace, therefore I would probably look to another calibre. I am not sure what the offerings are in non toxic .223 but that would limit me to small deer anyway (of which I don't shoot many). I don't know a great deal about 450 bushmaster other than the factory ammo would be very hard to come by (although love the name).

Probably would find myself back with a steyer as a result.

Thank you for the feedback, good food for thought.

Re non toxic in small calibres, I have 1 in 12” twist 223 and it shoots the Peregrine 51gn and Fox 50gn non toxic bullets very well. Roe drop on the spot. Ditto foxes.

 

[simgre]

I love them! Had two Steyrs in the past, currently got the Ruger.

 

[Crunchy Peanut Butter]

I love them! Had two Steyrs in the past, currently got the Ruger.

How do you find the ruger? what sort of groups can you get? Also, I have never tried a forward mounted scope, do you ever have issues with glare on the lenses?