Ruger's new scout rifle

[Gem1950]

Ruger Scout Rifle

I think that this rifle will fit the bill for a lot of people who:

1) Have been itching to have a "Cooper" style scout rifle.

2) Have been wanting a good .308 bolt gun but are not into the long range super sniper precision rifle thing, or a full-on deer rifle.

3) Want a shorter, handier "utility/ranch" rifle with a little more oomph for longer range varmint shots or the occasional deer opportunity.

Worth watching: http://www.downrange.tv/blog/the-reb...le-video/7918/

[23 Blast]

Here's a nice write up from THR:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=563389

[xenophobe]

Oh, that looks like one of those C&R Spanish FR8 .308 bolt actions they made for training to switch over for the G3.... I wish I had bought one of those.

[Charlie50]

Here ya go

Ya know I like it, kinda... but there is a resemblance to a .303 Enfield Jungle rifle... I'm just sayin...

[jokat989]

or you can buy a 700 and have a gunsmith cut the barel to 16.5 inches.

[straykiller]

hmm interesting

[MasterYong]

I don't really understand scout rifles that are bolt-action.

I have the M1A Scout, which is great in semi. It just seems like if you have time to cycle a bolt by hand you probably don't need the advantages a scout setup offers.

Might be just me though.

ETA: Looking at it again, I DO like that it has stock iron sights- that's a nice touch. I don't like the barrel length (should be 18" to be a good Scout rifle IMHO) and for that price it had BETTER shoot sub-MOA (though I know it wont). Also, yes, I DO know that Cooper's original Scout concept was bolt-action. I just prefer semi, and very few companies offer that.

[Slash2]

Why not lever action?

I don't really understand scout rifles that are bolt-action.

I have the M1A Scout, which is great in semi. It just seems like if you have time to cycle a bolt by hand you probably don't need the advantages a scout setup offers.

[bombadillo]

Ever watched the old guys cycle a bolt action. Some of the guys who have been shooting for a LONG time can shoot the thing darn near as fast as an accurate semi-auto

[Slash2]

By the time you've recovered from the recoil and have a sight picture again you've had plenty of time to lever in another round. Much faster than a bolt action.

Ever watched the old guys cycle a bolt action. Some of the guys who have been shooting for a LONG time can shoot the thing darn near as fast as an accurate semi-auto

[MasterYong]

Why not lever action?

That would work too.

I have several bolt-guns, and while I admit I've only have bolt guns for about two years I still don't see myself ever getting real fast with them. I try, but it seems to me that the more accurate the gun is the tighter the bolt is and it makes it even harder for me to cycle the bolt at high speeds. My Remington 700 5r is a good example of this: accurate as all hell but the bolt isn't very smooth. Only about 150 rounds through it though (match ammo is expensive LOL) so I'm sure it'll get smoother with time.

[reidnez]

What I don't understand is why they went with a single-stack magazine. If they went with a double-stack like, I dunno, almost every rifle since 1898, you could have a flush-mount 5-rounder or a 10-rounder that only protruded a couple of inches.

And yes, I'd also prefer an 18" or 20" barrel. You lose very little in weight/handling (pick up a 20" bbl Win 94 and tell me isn't handy) and gain quite a lot in ballistics. A 16"bbl .308 is a bit like a .357 snubbie: you're flushing a lot of the cartridge's potential down the drain. Lose the stupid flash hider and put some extra barrel there instead.

And finally, as others have stated, there are a million other rifles that have equivalent specs for much less money. Better yet, get something custom made. There's just nothing novel or interesting about it to me.

[rodeoflyer]

If it took M14 mags i'd be all over it.

[Slash2]

18" 308, M14 mags, lever action take down with forward scout scope mounts and iron back up sights. If I had to have one rifle.

If it took M14 mags i'd be all over it.

[-hanko]

Oh, that looks like one of those C&R Spanish FR8 .308 bolt actions they made for training to switch over for the G3.... I wish I had bought one of those.

I'm glad I did. A better gun than the Ruger at around half the price.

-hanko