Steyr Scout accuracy , what to expect ?

[Heym SR20]

2nd hand rifles are usually an unknown entity. Before shooting it again go right the way through it checking that every thing is tight etc. I would drop the stock off and make sure there is no build up of crud, congealed oil etc around the action and bedding etc.

Give the barrel a really good deep clean and get it back to the original steel, not some sort of steel, copper, carbon composite. A bit of bore bright or JB compound can work wonders. Is the crown nice and sharp and concentric. Make sure the action is nicely clean as well.

And be honest with yourself - does the rifle fit nicely. Is the stock long enough and do you get a good cheek weld. Is the scope in the correct position for you, or are you having to move your head back and fore to get a good sight picture.

And as very rough general rule, most European brands of rifles tend to shoot well with European brands of ammo, and for American rifles, American ammo.

 

[User00025]

Had one in .222 twenty years ago. Couldn't get better than 3" group with factory or any home load. Got rid and bought a BRNO

 

[Muir]

I couldn't shoot it as much as I would have liked.
There's only one range in the Flemish part of Belgium. Due to covid it was closed for a long time. From today on, it will be easier to go and shoot there. Still only open in the WE's and 01:30hr driving.
I was a bit disapoointed with the performance of the 150 grain bullets. My goal was to get a quality 150 grain bullet , such as Power Max or Sako SHH , shooting sub moa. This would give me a very versatile rifle on most game and shooting situations available here.

Scope came with the rifle. Leupold Mark AR 3-9 x 40 , with Leupold PRW rings.
Would like to put a European 50mm scope on it, for better low light performance.

What I note is that with it shot well, then it didn't. My Scout shot just over a minute with Power Point 150's as well. As I hand load, I don't count that for much. My handloads have been superb from 125 grain to 165 grain. Maybe your scout is a picky eater? Write to Steyr and see what they say.

One note on the glass. The Leupold Mark AR scopes I've dealt with were not all that good at holding zero and the thick reticle made accurate shooting difficult. That's my opinion. Going to large glass brings up one more potential problem; lack of cheek weld and parallax error. The stock was designed for a low scout scope and it works well with that.

Just thinking out loud here.~Muir

 

[Mr. Gain]

Going to large glass brings up one more potential problem; lack of cheek weld and parallax error. The stock was designed for a low scout scope

This is why I fitted the Steyr adjustable cheek-piece and butt plate to my Scout. Initially I ran the rifle with a 1.5-6x40 optic, but when it proved good and accurate I wanted more scope, which meant higher mounts and no cheek weld. Indeed, with high mounts the ergonomics of the stock really stopped working, and the rifle became snappy and erratic until I had a cheek-piece I could raise and a butt pad I could drop.
I was out yesterday zeroing with a new set of super-high mounts acquired to give enough clearance under a 4-16x44 scope to allow me to fit my front-mounted thermal. Bore-sighting got my first round on paper at 100m; measuring off the reticle and roughly dialling in put the next round close to POA; and a tweak had the next one in the bull. A confirmation round enlarged the hole.
I'll stop mucking about with high mounts and bigger scopes soon, but I'll keep the adjustable bits, as they don't add much weight and let you get a perfect fit at the shoulder and cheek that really lets you access the inherent accuracy of the rifle.

 

[Hales Smut]

It shoots well with the bullet type I don't like. Both when I test fired it whan I bought it and last week when I did my first test on my own. So I don't think there is anything wrong with scope or mount.
Several 1" , 3 shot groups at 100m.
I tested it with three other factory loads and all were bad. 2" is what I call bad. This is 75% in the test , wich isn't shooting as it should.
I shoot out of a large front H type bag and a dog gone good Holland field bag in the rear. Also a Pachmayer Decelarator slip on recoil pad.
So maybe the barrel is fussy ?
So my question was : is this common for a Scout? Do most scouts have this drawback or do most shoot 1" groups with anything you feed it?
From what I read, there are great shooters, but also very bad.

My European 7x64 , is just like it should be. Anything you feed it, it shoots great. You can choose the bullet/round you want without having to think if it would shoot in the rifle.

I never had the problem of a scope being to high for my eye. More the other way around.
A Meopta 1,7-10x42 or 2-12x50 would be great for low light high seat work. All US or far East scopes lack low light ability.

 

[Muir]

Even the factory, in acknowledging the MOA claim for the rifle, will tell you that is was with a particular kind of ammo -not all ammunitions. As I said, the only factory ammo I have shot in my 308 was Winchester 150 grain Power Point. 1.25 MOA. I hardly took notice. I was zeroing my rifle. Contact Steyr to see what they say. If it ends up liking ammo that you don't, get rid of it. Simple.~Muir