answered

[swiftone]

answered

[TMB 1]

If the 660 was loud and kicked the heck out of you. I think the Ruger would be just as loud or louder and kick the heck out of you also. You should probably just get the 223.

[JMP]

I'd go with the .308. Except for a bit more accuracy, the 16" barrel .223 won't do much more than an AR-15, so I think you'd find the .308 to be more enjoyable by adding a little variety to your collection. There's no need for light loads for a .308; the barrels last a long time. If it's got too much recoil, remove the flash hider and put on a brake. As for powder, what works for .223 Rem usually works with .308 Win. I'd go with either Varget or 4064 in .308 Win to shoot accurately.

[CurlyDave]

Since you are going to reload for it anyway, you could get the bolt action in a number of lower recoil cartridges. Start at .243 and work your way up to 7mm-08. With stops at .250 and 6.5 mm along the way.

OTOH, walking the property, especially the property line, is what the AR is very, very good for.

In Oregon, I walk the property with the AR, but hunt with .308. If ammo were more common, I might prefer a 7mm-08, but I already have a .308 and the recoil is manageable for me.

[SonofWWIIDI]

I say save a bit more...and buy both!

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

I have the .308; with the factory flash hider in place, it's loud, but by no means does it "kick the heck out of you" as a previous poster put it. If you're not ready to dive into .308 loading, the 5.56 might be better for you right now, though. Time later to pick up a .308, they're not going away soon.

[JohnCCW]

.308

[TMB 1]

At least that is what I remember...and I was a lot younger, less experienced and ermmm....a bit smaller back then.
It is looking more and more like the 308 is the stronger candidate.

Only you know what you can handle now I guess. I just put 223 because of your comment about the 660 being loud and kicking the heck out of you. The 660 is about the same as the Ruger scout, 660 just has a little longer barrel & fixed mag.

[k1dude]

Try to shoot the .308 Scout before you buy. When I shot the .308 Scout, I didn't think the recoil was bad at all.

If the recoil doesn't bother you, go with the .308. Every proper collection requires a .308.

I'm with CurlyDave, walk the property with an AR. Use the Scout for hunting.

[23 Blast]

.308.

I tried out a .308 Ruger GSR at a range, and it's not a hard kicker at all. I am not a large man, nor do I have extensive experience shooting rifles. I cut my teeth shooting Mosin-Nagants (with their steel buttplates) when I started out, so anything with a cushion on the buttstock instead of naked steel feels comfy to me.

Also, even though you've already got ARs and could share ammo with the bolt gun if you bought the .223, a bolt-action .223 doesn't really bring anything to the table that a scoped, heavier-barrel AR doesn't.

Also agree that for a "patrolling rifle," something you could reasonably fight with (AR) is an infinitely better choice than any bolt-action, particularly if the bolt action in question is in the same caliber as the semiauto AR.

[rsrocket1]

I would go with the .308. I am personally looking for a good .223 bolt rifle, but I already have a very accurate .308 bolt gun (and an AR).

The .308 is an inherently accurate cartridge. There are a bunch of reasons, of which I don't recall, but my experience agrees. You can load it anywhere from mild to wild. You can go down to mild with .223, but you can't do subsonic hard hitting rounds like you can with a 200-230g 30 cal bullet. A 110g Xtreme 30 cal RN bullet with 10g Unique has less recoil than your AR.

If you ever get into casting, 30 cal is easier to cast good bullets than .224 and the bullets will be more forgiving of small imperfections than those cast tiny 22 cal bullets.

[Gem1950]

Both

1st - .308

2nd. - .223

[beardog308]

I have the .308 scout. Thought about the .223 but expensive proprietary mags turned me off.

[200Apples]

know a true scout rifle should be in 308 - I had a early one made from a Rem 660 with a Leupold pistol scope back in the day. Fun gun but loud and kicked the heck out of me.

My Ar's are retro styled bullet hoses so a bolt gun will not be an "extra" be kind of nice to have a 223 so I could develop a accurate load to shoot.

On the other hand I could make up a lighter 308 load for range use and have the option of a full power load if necessary.

You have answered your pwn question, my good man.

.308 it is.

[Spaceghost]

You could also swap out the flash hider for a good muzzle brake. I say .308 wins.