It is odd that the 30-30 discussion here attracts nothing but praise, but if the subject were the scout rifle, which was conceptualised from rifles such as the model 94, 336 etc, it would cause nothing but outrage if previous posts are anything to go by...
The scout rifle was inspired by the light handy carbines at the turn of the century. Cooper was right in saying that advancements in cartridges hit a brick wall shortly after the introduction of smokeless power. Today, those older cartridges such as the various 6.5mm (6.5x54, 6.5x55, 6.5x57), 7x57, 8x57, 9.3x62, 30-06, 30-30, etc. look even more brilliant in light of some of the whizz bang magnums that are touted today.
Where the real advancements have been made have been in the metallurgy, optics, synthetic stocks (if you call that an advancment) and bullet construction. Even the actions have remained essentially unchanged (straight pull is not a new idea). Powders have improved too, but primarily in efficiency. In terms of practical differences, nadda.
Cooper came up with the idea of a scout rifle in the 80s, but in the form of a bolt action and he wanted to create something for all-round use making most of these
real advancements. By all-round use, he didn't mean just for hunting, but for fighting too. His design has become popular with SHTF and doomsday preppers primarily because it takes into consideration many different scenarios in which the rifle could be used. It keeps utility at the forefront.
There is nothing wrong with adapting the concept to a lever gun, but the only thing that it would have in common is the forward mounted scope. If your eyesight is suffering and you need a scope then by all means mount one. Yes it takes away front he handling and aesthetics of the gun a little, but a 94 w/low powered scope is still a fantastic bush gun.
Not sure why anybody would condemn the scout rifle. It's not my taste, but it is a functional concept.