Scout rifle
Encyclopedia
The Scout Rifle is a class of general-purpose rifle
s defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper
in the early 1980s.
These bolt action carbine
s are typically .308 caliber
(7.62mm), less than 1 meter in length, and less than 3 kilograms (6.6 lbs.) in weight, with iron
and optical sights and fitted with practical slings
(such as Ching sling
s) for shooting and carrying, and capable of hitting man-sized targets out to 450 meters without scopes. Typically they employ forward-mounted low-power long eye relief scopes or sights to afford easy access to the top of the rifle action for rapid reloading. Steyr
, Ruger
, Savage
, and several other gun makers now manufacture Scout rifles that roughly match Cooper's specifications.
A lifelong student of small arms, and recognized expert in the field, Cooper realized that rifles in the late 20th century differed little from those made one hundred years before, and that advances in metallurgy
, optics
and plastic
s could make the rifle a handy, light instrument "that will do a great many things equally well..."
"The general-purpose rifle will do equally well for all but specialized hunting, as well as for fighting; thus it must be powerful enough to kill any living target of reasonable size. If you insist upon a definition of 'reasonable size,' let us introduce an arbitrary mass figure of about 1000 lb (454 kg)."
n Mannlicher-Schönauer
of 1903 and the Winchester Model 1894
, Cooper defined several distinguishing characteristics of a scout rifle:
These features dictated short, thin barrels, synthetic stocks, and bolt actions. Other optional features included a retractable bipod, detachable magazines, a butt magazine, and an accessory rail for lights and other attachments. The addition of some of these features often render the rifle technically not a scout as originally defined, but this has come to be accepted by many as still conforming to the spirit if not the letter of the concept.
Being slightly shorter than most full-caliber rifles increases the muzzle blast from a Scout Rifle, and being lightweight increases the felt recoil
(to a significant level in the Steyr Dragoon Scout due to its .376 Steyr
cartridge). Even the recoil of the .308 Win. in a scout was described as feeling like a .300 Win. Mag.
by Gun Tests. Because of this, the 7mm-08 Remington is a popular, Cooper-approved alternative for scout rifles. "For hunters the 7mm-08 is a great medium-range cartridge that is capable -- with the correct bullet -- of taking big game up to elk with no problem. It is a great cartridge for women, young shooters or anyone who is sensitive to recoil. Even in the lighter rifles the recoil is very tolerable. . . . The 7mm-08 is a great choice for a lightweight mountain rifle that will get the job done admirably at any reasonable range" (italics added).
Should the scope be damaged, it can be rapidly removed and the ghost ring sight used.
.
For many years scout rifles were only available from custom gunsmiths. However, in the late 1990s, Steyr-Mannlicher of Austria began series production of the Steyr Scout
, which is also known as the Mannlicher Scout. Jeff Cooper spent many years of reflection and working with Steyr before they began production built to the specifications developed. A heavy-caliber version, unofficially known as the "Dragoon Scout" (a designation which was seen on a prototype), is chambered for the proprietary .376 Steyr
cartridge, but exceeds (by approximately one inch) the overall length limit of the Scout Rifle specification. This version carries four rounds in the magazine, compared to five in the standard Steyr Scout. A version is also produced in the 5.56 mm .223 caliber used in various current military carbines. This is below the Scout Rifle caliber standard, so this version of the rifle has become (somewhat derisively) known as the "Cub Scout."
The Steyr Scout features an integral bipod
, as well as storage for a spare, loaded magazine. The rifle is also designed to allow either single-shot, manually-loaded fire or normal magazine feeding. This is accomplished by simply including a second notch in the magazine catch, which permits the magazine to ride in the weapon slightly too low for the bolt to engage the top cartridge. The shooter may immediately switch to magazine feeding by driving the magazine all the way into the well. Single-round feeding is aided by the mounting position of the scope.
The length of the buttstock on the Steyr Scout is easily adjusted, through the use of detachable sections, though Cooper promotes the practice of removing all of the sections to allow bringing the rifle to the shoulder faster.
There are very few options and accessories for the Steyr Scout because the necessary and desirable features are designed into the standard configuration. The primary choices are caliber, color of stock (grey or black), and type of bolt handle (flat or ball-end). Some owners opt for aftermarket or custom slings, which are easily removed and adjusted. Most owners will also purchase extra magazines and an ammunition holder which mounts to the stock.
offers the Model 10FCM Scout with their adjustable AccuTrigger
(allowing the owner to safely adjust trigger pull weight to anywhere between 2.5 and 6.0 lbs without the need of a gunsmith), black synthetic AccuStock with aluminum spine and three-dimensional bedding cradle, a 20.5" free-floating button-rifled barrel, oversized bolt knob for rapid manipulation of the bolt, ghost ring rear sight, forward scope mount, and detachable 4-round box magazine in either .308 or 7.62x39 with a total weight of 6.75 lbs and a over-all length of 39.75" Price: $814USD Dec. 2010. As of January 2010, Savage had a "Special Orders" service that will build a Savage Scout to a customer's specifications from parts they normally use in various other Savage models, such as different calibers (e.g., 7mm-08); different barrel lengths; stainless steel
; left-handed versions; and other options.
Significantly, in late 2008, after-market 9-round box magazines for the .308 family of cartridges (i.e., .243 Win., .260 Rem., 7mm-08 Rem., .308 Win., .338 Fed.
, and .358 Win.), became available for the Savage Scout.
In April 2009, Layne Simpson of Shooting Times compared a .243 Win. barreled action in the old Savage synthetic stock and the new AccuStock and found an improvement in accuracy with four of five different loads. The improvement ranged from 0.1" to 0.5" with an average of just under 0.2" at 100 yards. He speculated that the accuracy improvement would be even greater with cartridges that recoiled more. He wrote that with the AccuStock, Savage has "elevated the performance capability of an inexpensive injection-molded stock beyond that of the most expensive synthetic stock containing either a conventional bedding block or pillar bedding." Mr. Simpson concluded, "it really works." Additionally, he noted that "since the front sling-swivel stud is attached to the end of the rail, the stock is ideally suited for use with a bipod." The aluminum "AccuRail" within the AccuStock prevents pressure from the bipod from causing the forearm to contact the barrel.
In a 2002 head-to-head comparison of the Steyr and Savage scout rifles, Gun Tests concluded: "Bottom line: Save your money and buy the utilitarian Savage unless you’re bound and determined to own the very nice Steyr."
In the Guns Magazine 2001 Annual, Barrett Tillman opened his review of the Savage Scout with: "Well designed and well built, this general purpose rifle has everything you need and nothing you don't!" He ended his review with: "In the 22 years I've been writing about firearms, I've been offered a few 'deals,' but I've never accepted one. So, if you want to know what works, ask gun writers which firearms they buy on their own --- and which ones they keep. I bought my Savage Scout and I may buy another, because this little rifle is a keeper" ("Savage Scout Rifle").
Both of these articles were before Savage upgraded their Scout with a more reliable box magazine design, improved safety design, AccuTrigger (2003), Personal Anti-recoil Device (P.A.D.) advanced recoil pad (2008), and AccuStock (2009).
offers several M77
Mark II Frontier rifles in stainless steel in various chamberings from varmint to heavy game all featuring a non-rotating, Mauser-type controlled-feed extractor and a fixed blade-type ejector.
In a review of a 7mm-08 Frontier Model 77, John Taffin, wrote, "If it is possible to love an inanimate object such as a rifle, I am definitely in love. This Model 77 Mk II Frontier is everything I had been looking for in a lightweight, compact, easy-to-carry 7-08mm bolt-action rifle and more." Since the Ruger allows the mounting of a scope in either the forward or traditional rear position, Mr. Taffin compared a forward mounted low-powered Scout scope and a rear mounted high powered one for accuracy. His conclusion: "Is there any practical difference in group size using a 2.5X scope or a 8X scope? The answer was not what I expected. For all practical hunting purposes at ranges of 100 to 150 yards neither the hunter nor the animal would see any difference in the scope being used." He found target acquisition to be particularly fast with a forward mounted scout scope and he appreciated that it gave the hunter an especially large "natural field of view" with both eyes open. He decided to keep a scout scope mounted in the forward position and to keep the rifle.
action and developed with Gunsite Training Center
. The new rifle debuted at the 2011 SHOT show bearing the adopted name "Gunsite Scout Rifle" mounted on the grip cap. The rifle features a matte black receiver, a 16.5" cold-hammer forged alloy steel barrel, a forward mounted picatinny rail, a 5 or 10-round detachable box magazine, a flash suppressor, an adjustable ghost-ring rear iron sight, a polymer trigger guard, and a black laminate wood stock with length-of-pull spacers. The rifle is chambered in .308 Winchester and weighs in at 7 lbs. Ruger has also introduced an "export" version of the Gunsite Scout Rifle for sale outside of the United States since the US State Department won't allow the rifle to be exported with the flash hider. The 'export" model of the rifle comes with an 18 inch stainless steel barrel with no flash hider and without the "Gunsite Scout Rifle" name and logo on the grip cap.
, offers three semiautomatic rifles that, while significantly overweight (and thus are at best Pseudo Scouts), are chambered for .308 Win., utilize short barrels, and have forward scope mounts. These are the Scout Squad, the SOCOM 16, and the SOCOM II variants of the M1A rifle
. Of the three, the SOCOM 16 probably comes the closest to a true Scout since it is only 37.25" long, features a ghost ring rear sight, and weighs the least (9.3 lbs).
Scout" (in honor of the location where the combination was first developed). It is a Winchester
Model 94
with a forward-mounted long-eye-relief
telescopic sight. Although the original Brooklyn Scout was in .30-30
, the 7-30 Waters
(having energy equivalent to the .30-30), would be a flatter shooting and lower recoil alternative. Hornady's
LEVERevolution ammo and FTX and MonoFlex bullets, allowing the safe use of higher ballistic coefficient
spitzer
bullets in lever action rifles, significantly improves the performance of a Brooklyn Scout, bringing it closer to the Scout ideal.
A semiautomatic Pseudo Scout rifle could easily be based upon the Ruger Mini platform, either the Mini-14 (.223 Remington
or 6.8 mm Remington SPC
) or the Mini-30 (7.62x39mm). Although all three calibers are underpowered for a true Scout, the 7.62x39mm version would come closest to the ideal. All three are already available with stainless steel short barrels, synthetic stocks, and ghost ring rear sights. All three make the length and weight requirements. After market forward mounts for Scout Scopes are available from UltiMAK (see below). A third sling swivel for a Ching sling is as easily added as for any other rifle (see below).
Below are some of the parts and suppliers needed to convert various rifles to the Scout format. Note that often, given the time, expense, and effort of a DIY Scout, a Savage Scout ends up closer to the ideal and costing less.
and other bolt-action rifles (XS/Clifton Scout Scope Mount), as well as the Marlin 1895 (XS Lever Rail) other lever-action rifles (XS Lever Scout Mount).
B-Square offers forward scope mounts for building Scouts based upon the Remington 700
, the Mauser, and the Mosin-Nagant
.
UltiMAK offers forward scope mounts for a variety of semiautomatic weapons (e.g., AK and variants, M-14/M1A, AR-15/M-16, .30 M1 Carbine, Mini-14/Mini-30, and Saiga 12 gauge shotguns).
Galco offers Ching slings as well as their Safari Ching Sling (8 oz) that requires only two sling swivels.
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper
Jeff Cooper
John Dean "Jeff" Cooper was recognized as the father of what is commonly known as "the Modern Technique" of handgun shooting, and one of the 20th century's foremost international experts on the use and history of small arms....
in the early 1980s.
These bolt action carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s are typically .308 caliber
.308 Winchester
The .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65...
(7.62mm), less than 1 meter in length, and less than 3 kilograms (6.6 lbs.) in weight, with iron
Iron sight
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
and optical sights and fitted with practical slings
Sling (firearms)
In the context of firearms, a sling is a type of strap or harness designed to allow a shooter to carry a firearm on his/her person and/or aid in greater hit probability with that firearm...
(such as Ching sling
Ching sling
The Ching sling is a tactical rifle sling created by Eric S. H. Ching and popularized by Jeff Cooper. The purpose of the sling is to stabilize the rifle as a shooting aid with a minimal amount of adjustment.-Origins:...
s) for shooting and carrying, and capable of hitting man-sized targets out to 450 meters without scopes. Typically they employ forward-mounted low-power long eye relief scopes or sights to afford easy access to the top of the rifle action for rapid reloading. Steyr
Steyr Mannlicher
Steyr Mannlicher is a firearms manufacturer based in the city of Steyr, Austria. Originally a part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch manufacturing conglomerate, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken in 1990.-History:...
, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Incorporated is a Southport, Connecticut-based firearm manufacturing company, better known by the shortened name Ruger. Sturm, Ruger produces bolt-action, semi-automatic, full-automatic, and single-shot rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, and single- and double-action...
, Savage
Savage Arms
The Savage Arms Company is a firearms manufacturing company based in Westfield, Massachusetts, with a division located in Canada. The company makes a variety of rimfire and centerfire rifles, as well as marketing the Stevens single-shot rifles and shotguns...
, and several other gun makers now manufacture Scout rifles that roughly match Cooper's specifications.
A lifelong student of small arms, and recognized expert in the field, Cooper realized that rifles in the late 20th century differed little from those made one hundred years before, and that advances in metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
, optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
and plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s could make the rifle a handy, light instrument "that will do a great many things equally well..."
"The general-purpose rifle will do equally well for all but specialized hunting, as well as for fighting; thus it must be powerful enough to kill any living target of reasonable size. If you insist upon a definition of 'reasonable size,' let us introduce an arbitrary mass figure of about 1000 lb (454 kg)."
Defining Characteristics
Drawing inspiration from several sources, specifically the AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Mannlicher-Schönauer
Mannlicher-Schönauer
The Mannlicher-Schönauer is a type of rotary magazine bolt action rifle produced by Steyr-Mannlicher for the Greek Army in 1903 and later was also used in small numbers by the Austro-Hungarian Armies.-Design Characteristics:In the late 19th century, the...
of 1903 and the Winchester Model 1894
Winchester Model 1894
Winchester Model 1894 is a lever-action rifle which became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles...
, Cooper defined several distinguishing characteristics of a scout rifle:
- An unloaded weight, with accessories, of 3 kg (6.6 lbs); with 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lbs) the maximum acceptable.
- An overall length of 1 meter (39.4 in.) or less.
- A forward-mounted telescopic sight of low magnification, typically 2-3 diameters. This preserves the shooter's peripheral visionPeripheral visionPeripheral vision is a part of vision that occurs outside the very center of gaze. There is a broad set of non-central points in the field of view that is included in the notion of peripheral vision...
, keeps the ejection port open to allow the use of stripper clipStripper clipA stripper clip or charger is a speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier loading of a firearm's magazine. A stripper clip is used only for loading the magazine and is not necessary for the firearm to function...
s to reload the rifle, and eliminates any chance of the scope striking one's brow during recoilRecoilRecoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
. Cooper has stated that a telescopic sightTelescopic sightA telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
is not mandatory. - Ghost ring auxiliary iron sights: a rear sight consisting of a receiver-mounted large-aperture thin ring, and typically a square post front sight.
- A "Ching" or "CW" sling. Against common practice, Cooper advocated the use of a sling as a shooting aid. The Ching slingChing slingThe Ching sling is a tactical rifle sling created by Eric S. H. Ching and popularized by Jeff Cooper. The purpose of the sling is to stabilize the rifle as a shooting aid with a minimal amount of adjustment.-Origins:...
offers the convenience of a carrying strap and the steadiness of a target shooter's sling with the speed of a biathlete's sling. (The CW sling is a simpler version of a Ching sling, consisting of a single strap.) - A standard chambering of .308 Winchester.308 WinchesterThe .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65...
/7.62x51mm NATO or 7mm-08 Remington for locales that forbid civilian ownership of cartridges in chamberings adopted by military forces or for its "slightly better ballistics." As Cooper wrote, "A true Scout comes in .308 or 7mm-08." The .243 Winchester.243 WinchesterThe .243 Winchester is a popular sporting rifle cartridge. Initially designed as a varmint round, it is now more frequently used on medium to large game such as whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, wild hogs, and even black bear and caribou...
is an alternative for young, small-framed, or recoil-shy people, but needs a 22" barrel. Cooper also commissioned "Lion Scout," chambered for the .350 Remington Magnum.350 Remington MagnumThe .350 Remington Magnum was introduced in 1965 by Remington Arms Company for the Model 600 rifle. It was later offered in the Model 660 and Model 700 rifles but was discontinued as a regular factory chambering in 1974 after a poor sales record...
cartridge. - Accuracy: Should be capable of shooting into 2 minutes of angle or less (4") at 200 yards/meters (3 shot groups).
These features dictated short, thin barrels, synthetic stocks, and bolt actions. Other optional features included a retractable bipod, detachable magazines, a butt magazine, and an accessory rail for lights and other attachments. The addition of some of these features often render the rifle technically not a scout as originally defined, but this has come to be accepted by many as still conforming to the spirit if not the letter of the concept.
Shooting & Usage Characteristics
Originally an experiment, the Scout Rifle configuration has proven its value. Although it is unusual in appearance and design when compared to traditional rifles, the features which set the Scout Rifle apart were selected for utility rather than appearance. The scope sight is mounted on the barrel both for stability and to allow a faster acquisition of the sighting line when the rifle is brought to the shoulder. It also keeps the breech and ejection port of the weapon clear of obstruction, allowing rapid top-loading of cartridges and clearance of jams or other obstructions.Being slightly shorter than most full-caliber rifles increases the muzzle blast from a Scout Rifle, and being lightweight increases the felt recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
(to a significant level in the Steyr Dragoon Scout due to its .376 Steyr
.376 Steyr
The .376 Steyr cartridge is a rifle cartridge jointly developed by Hornady and Steyr for use in the Steyr Scout rifle.Introduced in 1999, it is based on the 9.3 x 64 Brenneke case, necked up to accept a diameter bullet...
cartridge). Even the recoil of the .308 Win. in a scout was described as feeling like a .300 Win. Mag.
.300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester Magnum is a popular, belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963 as a member of the family of Winchester Magnum cartridges. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a magnum cartridge designed to fit in a standard length...
by Gun Tests. Because of this, the 7mm-08 Remington is a popular, Cooper-approved alternative for scout rifles. "For hunters the 7mm-08 is a great medium-range cartridge that is capable -- with the correct bullet -- of taking big game up to elk with no problem. It is a great cartridge for women, young shooters or anyone who is sensitive to recoil. Even in the lighter rifles the recoil is very tolerable. . . . The 7mm-08 is a great choice for a lightweight mountain rifle that will get the job done admirably at any reasonable range" (italics added).
Should the scope be damaged, it can be rapidly removed and the ghost ring sight used.
Steyr Scout
The version considered by many to be the benchmark is the Steyr ScoutSteyr Scout
The Scout is a modern scoped bolt-action rifle manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher and chambered primarily for 7.62 NATO , although other chamberings are offered commercially. It is intended to fill the role of a versatile, lightweight all-around rifle as specified in Jeff Cooper's scout rifle concept...
.
For many years scout rifles were only available from custom gunsmiths. However, in the late 1990s, Steyr-Mannlicher of Austria began series production of the Steyr Scout
Steyr Scout
The Scout is a modern scoped bolt-action rifle manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher and chambered primarily for 7.62 NATO , although other chamberings are offered commercially. It is intended to fill the role of a versatile, lightweight all-around rifle as specified in Jeff Cooper's scout rifle concept...
, which is also known as the Mannlicher Scout. Jeff Cooper spent many years of reflection and working with Steyr before they began production built to the specifications developed. A heavy-caliber version, unofficially known as the "Dragoon Scout" (a designation which was seen on a prototype), is chambered for the proprietary .376 Steyr
.376 Steyr
The .376 Steyr cartridge is a rifle cartridge jointly developed by Hornady and Steyr for use in the Steyr Scout rifle.Introduced in 1999, it is based on the 9.3 x 64 Brenneke case, necked up to accept a diameter bullet...
cartridge, but exceeds (by approximately one inch) the overall length limit of the Scout Rifle specification. This version carries four rounds in the magazine, compared to five in the standard Steyr Scout. A version is also produced in the 5.56 mm .223 caliber used in various current military carbines. This is below the Scout Rifle caliber standard, so this version of the rifle has become (somewhat derisively) known as the "Cub Scout."
The Steyr Scout features an integral bipod
Bipod
A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two axes of motion .-Firearms:...
, as well as storage for a spare, loaded magazine. The rifle is also designed to allow either single-shot, manually-loaded fire or normal magazine feeding. This is accomplished by simply including a second notch in the magazine catch, which permits the magazine to ride in the weapon slightly too low for the bolt to engage the top cartridge. The shooter may immediately switch to magazine feeding by driving the magazine all the way into the well. Single-round feeding is aided by the mounting position of the scope.
The length of the buttstock on the Steyr Scout is easily adjusted, through the use of detachable sections, though Cooper promotes the practice of removing all of the sections to allow bringing the rifle to the shoulder faster.
There are very few options and accessories for the Steyr Scout because the necessary and desirable features are designed into the standard configuration. The primary choices are caliber, color of stock (grey or black), and type of bolt handle (flat or ball-end). Some owners opt for aftermarket or custom slings, which are easily removed and adjusted. Most owners will also purchase extra magazines and an ammunition holder which mounts to the stock.
Savage Scout
Savage ArmsSavage Arms
The Savage Arms Company is a firearms manufacturing company based in Westfield, Massachusetts, with a division located in Canada. The company makes a variety of rimfire and centerfire rifles, as well as marketing the Stevens single-shot rifles and shotguns...
offers the Model 10FCM Scout with their adjustable AccuTrigger
AccuTrigger
The AccuTrigger is a trigger developed by the Savage Arms Company in 2002. The trigger was designed for ease of use and the ability for end users to adjust the weight of the pull on the trigger...
(allowing the owner to safely adjust trigger pull weight to anywhere between 2.5 and 6.0 lbs without the need of a gunsmith), black synthetic AccuStock with aluminum spine and three-dimensional bedding cradle, a 20.5" free-floating button-rifled barrel, oversized bolt knob for rapid manipulation of the bolt, ghost ring rear sight, forward scope mount, and detachable 4-round box magazine in either .308 or 7.62x39 with a total weight of 6.75 lbs and a over-all length of 39.75" Price: $814USD Dec. 2010. As of January 2010, Savage had a "Special Orders" service that will build a Savage Scout to a customer's specifications from parts they normally use in various other Savage models, such as different calibers (e.g., 7mm-08); different barrel lengths; stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
; left-handed versions; and other options.
Significantly, in late 2008, after-market 9-round box magazines for the .308 family of cartridges (i.e., .243 Win., .260 Rem., 7mm-08 Rem., .308 Win., .338 Fed.
.338 Federal
The .338 Federal is a rifle cartridge based on the .308 Winchester case necked up to .33 caliber. It was created by Federal Cartridge and Sako in 2006 and intended as a big game cartridge with reasonable recoil for lightweight rifles.-Comparison:...
, and .358 Win.), became available for the Savage Scout.
In April 2009, Layne Simpson of Shooting Times compared a .243 Win. barreled action in the old Savage synthetic stock and the new AccuStock and found an improvement in accuracy with four of five different loads. The improvement ranged from 0.1" to 0.5" with an average of just under 0.2" at 100 yards. He speculated that the accuracy improvement would be even greater with cartridges that recoiled more. He wrote that with the AccuStock, Savage has "elevated the performance capability of an inexpensive injection-molded stock beyond that of the most expensive synthetic stock containing either a conventional bedding block or pillar bedding." Mr. Simpson concluded, "it really works." Additionally, he noted that "since the front sling-swivel stud is attached to the end of the rail, the stock is ideally suited for use with a bipod." The aluminum "AccuRail" within the AccuStock prevents pressure from the bipod from causing the forearm to contact the barrel.
In a 2002 head-to-head comparison of the Steyr and Savage scout rifles, Gun Tests concluded: "Bottom line: Save your money and buy the utilitarian Savage unless you’re bound and determined to own the very nice Steyr."
In the Guns Magazine 2001 Annual, Barrett Tillman opened his review of the Savage Scout with: "Well designed and well built, this general purpose rifle has everything you need and nothing you don't!" He ended his review with: "In the 22 years I've been writing about firearms, I've been offered a few 'deals,' but I've never accepted one. So, if you want to know what works, ask gun writers which firearms they buy on their own --- and which ones they keep. I bought my Savage Scout and I may buy another, because this little rifle is a keeper" ("Savage Scout Rifle").
Both of these articles were before Savage upgraded their Scout with a more reliable box magazine design, improved safety design, AccuTrigger (2003), Personal Anti-recoil Device (P.A.D.) advanced recoil pad (2008), and AccuStock (2009).
Ruger Frontier
Sturm, RugerSturm, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Incorporated is a Southport, Connecticut-based firearm manufacturing company, better known by the shortened name Ruger. Sturm, Ruger produces bolt-action, semi-automatic, full-automatic, and single-shot rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, and single- and double-action...
offers several M77
Ruger M77
The Ruger M77 is a bolt-action rifle produced by Sturm, Ruger & Company. It was designed by Jim Sullivan during his three years with Ruger. The rifle features a traditional Mauser-style two-lugged bolt with a claw extractor.- Design and features :...
Mark II Frontier rifles in stainless steel in various chamberings from varmint to heavy game all featuring a non-rotating, Mauser-type controlled-feed extractor and a fixed blade-type ejector.
In a review of a 7mm-08 Frontier Model 77, John Taffin, wrote, "If it is possible to love an inanimate object such as a rifle, I am definitely in love. This Model 77 Mk II Frontier is everything I had been looking for in a lightweight, compact, easy-to-carry 7-08mm bolt-action rifle and more." Since the Ruger allows the mounting of a scope in either the forward or traditional rear position, Mr. Taffin compared a forward mounted low-powered Scout scope and a rear mounted high powered one for accuracy. His conclusion: "Is there any practical difference in group size using a 2.5X scope or a 8X scope? The answer was not what I expected. For all practical hunting purposes at ranges of 100 to 150 yards neither the hunter nor the animal would see any difference in the scope being used." He found target acquisition to be particularly fast with a forward mounted scout scope and he appreciated that it gave the hunter an especially large "natural field of view" with both eyes open. He decided to keep a scout scope mounted in the forward position and to keep the rifle.
Ruger Gunsite Scout
In 2011, Ruger introduced a re-designed scout rifle based on their Model 77Ruger M77
The Ruger M77 is a bolt-action rifle produced by Sturm, Ruger & Company. It was designed by Jim Sullivan during his three years with Ruger. The rifle features a traditional Mauser-style two-lugged bolt with a claw extractor.- Design and features :...
action and developed with Gunsite Training Center
Gunsite Training Center
Gunsite is a privately-run firearms training facility based in Yavapai County, Arizona, just north of Paulden in the United States. It offers tuition-funded instruction in handgun, carbine, rifle and shotgun shooting, as well as other specialty firearms. Located on a facility, Gunsite has...
. The new rifle debuted at the 2011 SHOT show bearing the adopted name "Gunsite Scout Rifle" mounted on the grip cap. The rifle features a matte black receiver, a 16.5" cold-hammer forged alloy steel barrel, a forward mounted picatinny rail, a 5 or 10-round detachable box magazine, a flash suppressor, an adjustable ghost-ring rear iron sight, a polymer trigger guard, and a black laminate wood stock with length-of-pull spacers. The rifle is chambered in .308 Winchester and weighs in at 7 lbs. Ruger has also introduced an "export" version of the Gunsite Scout Rifle for sale outside of the United States since the US State Department won't allow the rifle to be exported with the flash hider. The 'export" model of the rifle comes with an 18 inch stainless steel barrel with no flash hider and without the "Gunsite Scout Rifle" name and logo on the grip cap.
Springfield Armory's Scouts
Springfield Armory, Inc.Springfield Armory, Inc.
Springfield Armory, Inc. is a firearms manufacturer and importer based in Geneseo, Illinois, founded in 1974. It is one of the largest firearms marketers of imported firearms in the United States and is a four-time recipient of the National Rifle Association Gun of the Year Award.-Formation:After...
, offers three semiautomatic rifles that, while significantly overweight (and thus are at best Pseudo Scouts), are chambered for .308 Win., utilize short barrels, and have forward scope mounts. These are the Scout Squad, the SOCOM 16, and the SOCOM II variants of the M1A rifle
M1A Rifle
The M1A is a civilian version of the M14 rifle designed and manufactured by Springfield Armory, Inc. in 1974. The term "M1A" is a proprietary title for Springfield Armory's M14 pattern rifle. Early M1A rifles were built with surplus G.I. parts until Springfield Armory, Inc...
. Of the three, the SOCOM 16 probably comes the closest to a true Scout since it is only 37.25" long, features a ghost ring rear sight, and weighs the least (9.3 lbs).
Parts for DIY Scout Rifles
Some individuals choose to build their own Scout or "Pseudo Scout" rifle (a rifle that does not meet one or more of Cooper's criteria) based on a wide variety of brands and action types. An example is what Colonel Cooper called the "BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
Scout" (in honor of the location where the combination was first developed). It is a Winchester
Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
Model 94
Winchester Model 1894
Winchester Model 1894 is a lever-action rifle which became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles...
with a forward-mounted long-eye-relief
Eye relief
-Eye Relief and Exit Pupil:The eye relief of a telescope, a microscope, or binoculars is the distance from the last surface of an eyepiece at which the eye can obtain the full viewing angle. If a viewer's eye is outside this distance, a reduced field of view will be obtained...
telescopic sight. Although the original Brooklyn Scout was in .30-30
.30-30 Winchester
The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire/7.62×51mmR cartridge was first marketed in early 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle. The .30-30 , as it is most commonly known, was the USA's first small-bore, sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder. The .30-30 is...
, the 7-30 Waters
7-30 Waters
The 7-30 Waters cartridge is a wildcat cartridge developed by author Ken Waters in 1976 to give better performance to lever action rifle shooters than the parent .30-30 Winchester cartridge, by providing a higher velocity and flatter trajectory with a smaller, lighter bullet...
(having energy equivalent to the .30-30), would be a flatter shooting and lower recoil alternative. Hornady's
Hornady
Hornady Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of ammunition and handloading components, based in Grand Island, Nebraska.The company was founded by Joyce Hornady in 1949 and is currently run by his son Steve Hornady who took over after his father's death in a plane crash in 1981.Hornady...
LEVERevolution ammo and FTX and MonoFlex bullets, allowing the safe use of higher ballistic coefficient
Ballistic coefficient
In ballistics, the ballistic coefficient of a body is a measure of its ability to overcome air resistance in flight. It is inversely proportional to the negative acceleration—a high number indicates a low negative acceleration. BC is a function of mass, diameter, and drag coefficient...
spitzer
Spitzer
Spitzer may refer to:* Andre Spitzer, Israel's 1972 Summer Olympics fencing coach and victim of the Munich massacre* Bernard Spitzer, father of Eliot Spitzer* Eliot Spitzer, 54th Governor of the State of New York...
bullets in lever action rifles, significantly improves the performance of a Brooklyn Scout, bringing it closer to the Scout ideal.
A semiautomatic Pseudo Scout rifle could easily be based upon the Ruger Mini platform, either the Mini-14 (.223 Remington
.223 Remington
The .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with almost the same external dimensions as the 5.56×45mm NATO military cartridge. The name is commonly pronounced either two-two-three or two-twenty-three. It is loaded with a diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from , though the most common...
or 6.8 mm Remington SPC
6.8 mm Remington SPC
The 6.8 mm Remington SPC is a rifle cartridge that was developed with collaboration from individual members of United States Special Operations Command . Based upon the .30 Remington cartridge, it is midway between the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO in bore diameter and velocity...
) or the Mini-30 (7.62x39mm). Although all three calibers are underpowered for a true Scout, the 7.62x39mm version would come closest to the ideal. All three are already available with stainless steel short barrels, synthetic stocks, and ghost ring rear sights. All three make the length and weight requirements. After market forward mounts for Scout Scopes are available from UltiMAK (see below). A third sling swivel for a Ching sling is as easily added as for any other rifle (see below).
Below are some of the parts and suppliers needed to convert various rifles to the Scout format. Note that often, given the time, expense, and effort of a DIY Scout, a Savage Scout ends up closer to the ideal and costing less.
Scout Scope Forward Mounts
XS Sight Systems offers forward scope mounts for building Scouts based on the SMLE, MauserMauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
and other bolt-action rifles (XS/Clifton Scout Scope Mount), as well as the Marlin 1895 (XS Lever Rail) other lever-action rifles (XS Lever Scout Mount).
B-Square offers forward scope mounts for building Scouts based upon the Remington 700
Remington 700
The Model 700 series of firearms are bolt-action rifles manufactured by Remington Arms since 1962. All are based on the same centerfire bolt action. They often come with a 3, 4 or 5-round internal magazine depending on caliber, some of which have a floor-plate for quick-unloading, and some of which...
, the Mauser, and the Mosin-Nagant
Mosin-Nagant
The Mosin–Nagant is a bolt-action, internal magazine-fed, military rifle invented under the government commission by Russian and Belgian inventors, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations....
.
UltiMAK offers forward scope mounts for a variety of semiautomatic weapons (e.g., AK and variants, M-14/M1A, AR-15/M-16, .30 M1 Carbine, Mini-14/Mini-30, and Saiga 12 gauge shotguns).
Scout Scopes
Leupold, Burris Optics, Millett Sights, and Leatherwood/Hi-LUX Optics all offer Long Eye Relief (LER) scopes designed specifically for Scout rifles. Armament Technology, Inc., offers two ELCAN SpecterDR dual power forward mount scope: one is 1x and 4x, and other is 1.5x and 6x. Flipping a lever switches between the two powers. As Cooper long advocated, the ELCAN Specter scopes have their reticles etched on glass, and their windage and elevation adjustments are in the mount.Ghost-Ring Rear Sights
XS Sight Systems offers ghost-ring sights for building Scouts based on the SMLE, Mauser, and other bolt-action rifles as well as the Marlin 1895 and other lever-action rifles.Ching Slings
Both Pachmayr and Millett Sights offer the flush mount, hammer-head sling swivels Cooper preferred.Galco offers Ching slings as well as their Safari Ching Sling (8 oz) that requires only two sling swivels.