According to Col. Jeff Cooper, a scout-concept rifle should be magazine-fed, bolt action, chambered in a full-powered rifle caliber, relatively short-barreled, and designed to run iron sights or a low-zoom intermediate-eye-relief scout scope mounted ahead of the action. Ruger’s Gunsite Scout Rifle in .308 Winchester checks all the right boxes. It’s a handy, rugged little package that’s equally at home hunting deer, providing self defense for the homestead or fending off a North Korean invasion (Wolverines!).

 

 

The solid, stainless-steel bolt runs smoothly. It unlocks and cocks without a fuss.

 

 

Drawing that Mauser-style, controlled-round feed bolt to the rear puts that big ol’ extractor to work. Pretty sure it could suck the . . . well, it hangs on tightly, which helps the fixed ejector kick those empties all up in your range neighbor’s business.

 

 

The Gunsite Scout’s gray/black wood laminate stock fools no one with its almost-like-the-real-thing figure (grain), but I happen to like the look of laminate. It also provides more weather resistance than a solid piece of ex-tree without weighing the 7.1-pound rifle down.

Using the included spacers one can easy adjust the length-of-pull from 12.75″ to 14.25″. To accommodate the sling — a mandatory component of a scout rifle — the Ruger Gunsite Scout sports a swivel stud at the front and rear. (A light Ching sling would be nice.)

 

 

Ruger adorned the sporter-style grip and forend with laser checkering. It looks great from a few feet away and no one can claim it isn’t functional. [ED: As if they would!]

 

 

A flash hider rides up front — on the 5/8×24 muzzle threads — ready to accept the .30-caliber suppressor of your choice. Or, try one of these muzzle brakes to let everyone know what’s up.

 

 

The Ruger Gunsite Scout’s all-black, shielded front sight is serrated to prevent glare. It’s thick enough to be easily visible through the rear peep/ghost ring but it’s not the long-range or precision shooter’s first choice. Good thing minute-of-bad-guy/deer at a few hundred yards is the extent of a scout rifle’s accuracy requirements.

 

 

When it’s time for a refill, push the flappy paddle (similar to that found on the Mini-14) under the front of the trigger guard forward to release the single-stack, 10-round  detachable box magazine.

 

 

A three-position safety sits on the right of the Ruger Gunsite Scout’s bolt sleeve. All the way forward and it’s ready to fire. All the way back, locked into the groove in the cocking piece, is full-on safe. In this position the bolt is locked, the firing pin is blocked, and the trigger is disengaged/blocked. In between “safe” and “fire” is a load/unload notch. It prevents firing while still allowing you to manipulate and/or remove the bolt.

 

 

For a “battle” or “survival” rifle, the Ruger Gunsite Scout’s trigger is a welcome surprise. Short on creep with a fairly clean break, it looses rounds downrange at a hair under 5 pounds pressure. A couple of months on Nutrisystem (or Haribo gummy bears…read the reviews) — say 2 pounds worth of a diet — wouldn’t hurt. But again, for the Gunsite Scout’s intended use (i.e., shot from a bipod, not shot from a rest) it’s dead-on perfect.

 

 

Should you be so inclined, though, the Gunsite Scout is plenty comfortable shooting from a rest anyway. With just a 2.5x red dot, shooting 168-grain Federal Tactical TRU,  not handloads, the Ruger Gunsite Scout turned in groups hovering around the 1.3 MOA mark.

 

 

Gorilla Ammo’s 175-grain Sierra Matchking load shot similarly, delivering shot groups of about 1.6 MOA.

 

 

Then I got all fancy with some Hornady Superformance 168 grain ELD Match. I don’t think the secant ogive played well with the RGS’ leade angle, and/or the bullets are too far from the lands. The result: 3.6 MOA from a round that has produced one-lumpy-hole-sized groups out of a couple other rifles for me.

 

 

These groups would have tightened up a bit with a higher-powered scope attached to the integral scope mounts (machined directly on the solid-steel receiver). If that sounds more your speed, fret not, as the RGS receiver is grooved for rings. In fact, the Ruger Scout ships from the factory with a pair of 1-inch rings.

 

 

Should you choose to go the iron sights-only or standard scope route, that section of Picatinny rail ahead of the receiver is easily removed to jettison extra weight or provide extra clearance for the objective bell.

 

 

Through hundreds of rounds between multiple TTAG writers and a mess of silly optics at silly heights, the Ruger Gunsite Scout performed flawlessly. Even dirty and hot, it ran smoothly and shot straight. Thanks to a classic stock design and a soft rubber buttpad, recoil is almost as comfortable as a bro’s shoulder pat.

On the other hand, shooting .308 out of a 16-inch barrel with a wood-stocked bolt gun provides a kind of sensory feedback that you just can’t get from .223. Instead of a whip crack, you’ll enjoy the sonorous, deep thump of a full-power cartridge. The push and movement of the rifle signals that something of gravitas has just happened. It’s comfortable enough to shoot all day long, but it has a wallop and thump that puts you in the moment and makes you smile.

 

 

Despite being drawn to this specific rifle when it was announced some six years ago, I’d never actually shot a new Ruger Gunsite Scout until I got my hands on this guy. As I’d hoped, it’s exactly what it should be and nothing more. Which is everything it should be.

 

 

Specifications: Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle (.308)

Overall Length: 37 inches to 38.5 inches

Barrel Length: 16.1 inches, CHF, 1:10″ RH twist, 5/8×24 muzzle threads, matte black finish, flash suppressor

Weight: 7.1 pounds

Caliber:  308 Winchester/7.62 NATO

Capacity: 10-round magazine, magazine fed

Length of Pull: 12.75 inches to 14.25 inches

Stock: black/gray laminate wood stock, free floats barrel, soft-rubber recoil pad with spacers

Sights: protected blade front sight, adjustable peep/ghost ring rear sight, 1″ scope rings, scout location Picatinny rail

Action: Bolt action (based on Ruger M77 bolt actions) with Mauser-style controlled round feed

MSRP: $1,139 ($855 from the guys at 1800GunsAndAmmo)

Ratings (out of five stars):

Reliability * * * * *
Not a single hitch or glitch whether clean, dirty, cold, hot, or not. From steel-cased Wolf and Colt to the fancy stuff, it fed, fired, and ejected rounds reliably and smoothly.

Accuracy * * *
A scout rifle should be capable of 2 MOA. The Ruger Gunsite Scout delivered about half that (in the good way). It’s more than accurate enough for its intended uses. That said, the $1,139 rifle falls well short of what dozens of other bolt-action rifles can achieve at that price and below.

Action * * * *
It’s no custom, but Ruger’s Gunsite Scout Rifle is smooth and snag-free. The bolt unlocks, cycles and locks up again easily, the trigger is perfectly judged, and the detachable magazine inserts and locks in place easily. The safety is easy to use, and a large lever on the left of the receiver makes removing the bolt fast and simple.

Utility * * * * *
I can’t argue with a rifle of handy size and weight with a good balance that comes out of the box ready-to-rock with functional iron sights and the ability to immediately mount up a scope or a scout scope. Or a suppressor.

Overall * * * *
I’d like to see short Pic rail sections machined onto the receiver in place of the proprietary rail sections, and some quick-detach sling sockets would further modernize the gun. Overall, the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle is a fantastic hunting rifle, and a hard-use, survival or battle rifle — and exactly what Jeff Cooper had in mind with the scout-rifle concept.

More from The Truth About Guns:

Gun Review: Savage 110 Scout Rifle With AccuFit System

Gun Review: Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle in .450 Bushmaster

New From Ruger: Gunsite Scout Rifle in 5.56/.223

Steyr Launches a Scout Rifle Chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor

Evolution of the Winchester Lever-Action Rifle

Gear Review: Leupold VX II Variable Scout Scope Review (First Impressions)

Gun Review: Inland Mfg M1 Scout Carbine

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

84 COMMENTS

  1. A seven pound rifle is not a scout rifle. Weight is a huge component of the scout rifle concept. This is supposed to be a “hump all day and take one shot at medium to short range rifle”. A scout rifle is not meant to be a combat weapon. It’s supposed to be a bush hunting tool. For that, 7lbs is too heavy. (Official limit is 3kg or 6.6 lbs as an absolute maximum.) My .30-06 700 comes in at a pound less than that with much better glass.

      • Yup. I consider Ian (aka Gun Jesus) to be one of the gold standards for obscure gun guru information.

        Based on what I’ve read about the scout rifle concept, it is important to judge such a rifle by what it’s supposed to be.

        A frontiersman’s general purpose gun.

        Not an infantry combat weapon.

        When you look at it from that perspective, weight becomes a MAJOR issue. This is supposed to be a gun that is used by somebody out in the middle of nowhere with exactly zero logistics support for weeks at a time. In those kinds of circumstances, a pound of weight savings has a grossly disproportionate impact.

        • You make good points and I apologize for overlooking the 6.6 lb weight target. This could probably be achieved by skeletonizing the laminate stock, using the Ruger polymer magazine for the gun (which is better in other ways, too, including being shorter), ditching the muzzle device, hollowing out the bolt knob and otherwise milling out extra material from the bolt, etc. You could probably get down under 6 lbs easily this way. OR…Ruger sells two Gunsite Scout models with synthetic stocks that weigh just 6.2 lbs.

          It *would* be cool to see them make an ultralight version — skinnier fluted barrel plus some of the aforementioned things and maybe a non-steel receiver (or just some fluting and such) in a really lightweight stock or minimalist aluminum chassis, etc…

      • I don’t normally go for that Euro-style look in a rifle but that rudely expensive rifle looks pretty good to me. I don’t know why. I also very much like the Ching sling, I have one of the leather ones on my 10.5″ AR and it works very well.

    • The “sight forward” element from Jeff Cooper is a clear design (thought) flaw. It puts the weight balance forward, closes your sight picture, and requires the use of a low-magnification pistol scope on a rifle. There’s nothing compelling about the scout rifle formula that interests me, I’ll sign up for something like a Tikka T3x Arctic all day long instead. Hell, I’ll take a Ruger American bolt action in a Magpul Stock instead.

      • “The “sight forward” element from Jeff Cooper is a clear design (thought) flaw. It puts the weight balance forward, closes your sight picture, and requires the use of a low-magnification pistol scope on a rifle. ”

        This is not a concept for everyone, it works very very well for what I need/want in a rifle

        The forward mounted scope is intended to put the weight somewhere near the geometric center of the rifle which (in theory) allows it to be directly under the scope. This is intended for facilitating carrying one handed at the balance point for long periods.

        Having weight mounted forward isn’t as big of a deal since this is a pack-for-hours then aim-n-shoot for less than a minute or two. It’s not a combat rifle so it doesn’t need to be held in a ready position for extended periods so that balance doesn’t factor in much.

        Low power scopes aren’t a drawback either. The concept is really limited to 300m ranges (not 1000m) at which point a skilled marksmen with a 1-4x scope would be plenty sufficient for cleanly taking game. And still serve a vital role at 10m as a close range optic that gives you quick target acquisition (w/ both eyes open) in the event you’re getting charged by, say, a bear, in which case an 8-40x scope isn’t going to help

        Cooper wasn’t opposed to close mounted high power scopes, I think a few of his early concept rifles featured them. The concept surely isn’t perfect but his intent was not to build a rifle for specifically for an infantrymen, tacticool operator, 3 gun competitor or long distance paper target shooter. He was designing a rifle that could be used by hunters and frontiersmen (for the few remaining) in remote regions with little support besides what they could pack out.

        It does a little bit everything somewhat well

        • I get all that, and a very thoughtful post BTW, but if we are willing to limit to 300 meters and put a primary emphasis on weight, I might be inclined to walk away from the .308 requirement and pick a CZ527 in 7.62×39 and load it up with 8M3…that’s small, super light, super handy, super fun bolt action that won’t weigh you down in the brush.

        • Madcapp, the use of 308 is somewhat debatable, really any 30-ish would work at those ranges. The reason Cooper chose 308 is because it’s commonly available (making a scout rifle build more practical), recoil is high but easily manageable.

          The big reason Cooper chose it was because it has the necessary take down power at close ranges for anything from small deer to big bears. It pretty much serves as a higher powered replacement for what the 30-30 did for the Western sportsmen and ranchers. Capable of taking most anything without being nearlyimpossible to handle

          The scout is a huge series of trade offs but it’s kinda funny if you listen to most people argue against it they will say it’s not as accurate as X at long range, not as fast follow up as an AR not as powerful as Y etc etc etc.

          The fact that people have to compare it to that many different systems says a lot about how good it is at performing so many roles. Funny to me cause most people actually argue in favor of the scout without knowing it. Which is the whole point in the first place, one rifle that can do a little bit of everything.

  2. I have the 18″ stainless version. It has a PWS FSC30 brake, Vortex Diamondback 4-12x, Spec-Tech adjustable trigger and Magpul AICS-style pmag. It will shoot 3/4″ moa with handloads. Great rifle.

  3. Saw a used one for sale at Cabella’s for $850…so looks like everyone selling “used” guns for new prices is now the norm.

    • Strange phenomena isn’t it, selling used firearms at new or sometimes above new prices. Look at how many used firearms on Gunbroker are not getting any bids because of this.

      • Typical of my local conditions. Somebody wants to buy a used something, they want you to basically give it to them. That same somebody wants sell that same used something, well, it has appreciated in value rather than depreciated. I mean, it’s like they think they’re a gun store and need to make a profit.

        • I don’t mind paying a fair price for a used firearm, and I certainly understand how some can appreciate in value…but it is getting pretty ridiculous. Private sellers selling for new prices because there’s “only” a hundred rounds thru it (yea right) and gun dealers too. Case in point, last gun show I went to (why bother at this point) there was a decent Zastava M88, probably about 25 years old, complete with holster wear and Interarms stamp. The dealer, assuring me it was new, wanted $400 for it.

      • I swear 90% of sellers on Gunbroker never check to see what else is available in the same search as what they’re selling. That or they just think there’s a sucker born every minute.

    • People got scared and maxxed out their credit cards thinking hillary was going to win. Now they’re stuck with over priced guns, angry wives and a debt load.

      They’re trying to salvage what they can. This is a good time to buy a new gun if you need one.

  4. According to Jeff Cooper a Scout rifle should also strive to be light. 6.5 pounds was the goal weight. This Ruger is over 7 pounds empty. With an optic and mount, you’re looking at a rifle in the 8.5-pound range with optics and a loaded magazine. Too heavy!

    • It’s that action, it’s pretty heavy and makes the weight goal tough. The composite stock version comes in at 6lbs so with a low power scope you’re just pushing above the 7lbs mark

  8. Still needs a stripper clip guide to top off/recharge the magazine. This was one of the reasons for the forward mounted scope.

    • Unfortunately they don’t make them like that anymore, not unless you pick up an old military surplus rifle. My Norinco M14, with 18.5″ barrel and synthetic stock is probably a bit heavy for the Scout concept, as well as being semi-auto, but I do like the way I can just slide bullets in with the stripper clips.

      • It uses removable box magazines so it sort of cancels out the need for stripper clips. It also wouldn’t work with these mags in the first place as they’re single-stack and require you to depress the follower in the front then slide the round rearwards under the feed lips. Double stack mags have the advantage of more capacity for a given mag length but using the single stack one allows the controlled round feed action and often a slimmer receiver and more direct-into-the-chamber feeding and such.

  9. Cooper spec’ed several Scouts over the years. Am in Africa with my RGS, Timney trigger, XS rail, Leupold 1.5-5x Firedot…longest shot has been 475 yards on a black wildebeest…closest, 125 yards, on a zebra who was hammered by a single Hornady 178-gr ELD-X. Nailed a big warthog running full out at 100 yards.

    That’ll do, pig…

    And yes, I have world class video for SHOOTING GALLERY next season.

    BTW, damn site lighter than the last rifle I carried to the Dark Continent! Been through 2 classes with it, red stag in NZ, and it’s the rifle that stays in my office.

    Michael B

    • Michael, I think thats the best review of a RGS (or any scout) I’ve ever read.

      And exactly what Cooper intended it for. People in the field needing a practical, dependable and capable rifle that can take most any game out they come across

  10. This is a useful package, being left-handed, when I decided to get a scout rifle (approximately 20 years ago) left-handed bolt actions were expensive, so I built a Winchester model 88 in 308 , Boyds laminate stock, 2×7 scope on quick release mounts. I use this as my primary hunting rifle for the Coast range. Usually with iron sights, I rarely use the optic. With the scope off a bench I can get a .75″ groups with Federal fusion. 150gr.

  11. This looks like a nice rifle but I’m wondering what it offers over something like a Savage lightweight hunter weighing 5.6lbs (without scope) that also has a 20″ barrel. I can understand how having 4″ less barrel makes the Ruger handier, but is that compromised by the greater weight?

    http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/16LWH

  12. While it’s easy to tell who wrote the review from a thumbnail, not all photography needs to use HDR… 😉

    • While it’s easy to tell who wrote the review from a thumbnail, MOST photography doesn’t need to use HDR…

      FIFY.

  13. A couple of notes:

    – It is true that the original Cooper Scout “spec” called for a rifle to be 3kg in weight (6.6 lbs), but this was relaxed upwards to 3.5kg (7.7 lbs) for larger bore rifles (eg, the .35 Whelens, 9.3’s, etc)

    – The Ruger version of the Scout does meet the spec, if you get the composite stock. The laminate stock weighs more. You could eliminate some weight off this rifle with a different stock and some changes in the metal work. For example, why have a brake or flash hider? Hollow out the bolt handle, make some lightening cuts on the receiver, flute the barrel. It can be done. I’m not so sure that I’d get all that hung up on meeting the weight “spec” such as it is. For many shooters, a rifle under 7.5 lbs is a “light” rifle in a full power cartridge. If you really wanted to lighten a rifle, and cost were no object, I’d start with a titanium Mauser 98 clone action – which should set you back about five to six times the cost of this entire rifle.

    – The point of a Scout rifle is to be light, fast-pointing, handy and “always there.” Hence the weight and short length ideas that Cooper laid down.

    – Many gunsmiths and guns manufactures have tried to come up with the idea of a “light” rifle; with some results of ultra-light “mountain rifles” (at about 6.0 lbs) in .300 WinMag or .338 WM, and they kick like a pissed-off mule, have thin, whippy barrels, plastic stocks, etc. Sheep hunters seem to be the market for these punishing rifles. I’ve shot a couple of these “mountain rifles” where I wasn’t entirely certain which end of the rifle was supposed to be the killing end.

    – Until recently, most gunmakers were reluctant to make rifles with short barrels (ie, under 20″). The Winchester lever-gun carbines of old had 20″ barrels, and that was the idea for a “carbine” length barrel for a long, long time… until the Scout and several other ideas came along. Now with many AR’s being shipped with 16.5″ barrels all day, every day, no one thinks a whit about a centerfire rifle with a barrel less than 20″ – even when they have a stupid amount of slow-burning powder to incinerate down the barrel.

    – For hunting in North America, I think the .308 is a fine all-around cartridge. If Cooper were still with us, I’d debate him on this issue and champion the 7mm08 as a better choice, mostly due to better bullet selection with higher sectional density and higher Bc’s.

    – For African, or dangerous game hunting, I still think that the idea of the 9.3×62 Mauser, the 9,3×64 Brenneke, or .35 Whelen is an excellent idea in a long action. The problem is…. Americans don’t seem to appreciate the mid-30’s caliber cartridges much. As soon as one speaks the word “Africa” to American hunters, they start babbling endlessly about cartridges that are far larger and need 26″ barrels to burn the dump truck’s worth of powder they use. The pernicious influence of mindless marketing also comes into play here, with the notion that “it’s not a magnum if it doesn’t have a belt!” being promulgated endlessly in the glossy bathroom reading publications. Really, if you want to see a modern and thoroughly ridiculous concept for a cartridge, look no further than things like the .416 Remington Mag.

    A properly chosen and constructed 250 to 350 grain bullet, going downrange at 2200+ fps, should be more than enough for most hunters of dangerous game, assuming they know how to shoot. Alas, some nations in Africa set an arbitrary standard for required rifle chambering at a minimum of 0.375 caliber. It was with this restriction in mind that Steyr came out with the .376 Steyr, which was a .375″ pill (any of them used in the .375 H&H) stuffed on top of a 9.3×64 Brenneke case – thus meeting the legal requirement diameter, but in keeping with sound gun-making principles, by using a cartridge designed to absolutely maximize the amount of powder you could burn in a standard length action. The 9.3×62 is almost there, but isn’t quite the maximum, because it starts with a 8×57 Mauser round – the 9.3×62 was designed to minimize the changes necessary to a M98 military action, in order to keep the overall costs low.

    The 9.3x64B requires some work on the magazine, feed lips and perhaps the feed ramp of a receiver, but it will fit without too much trouble into a standard length action – unlike the .375 H&H. This is why Steyr and Cooper thought .376 Steyr was the choice for the “Super Scout” concept. For people who don’t want to hunt in Africa, but want a thoroughly capable cartridge for anything “dangerous” in North America (bears, bison, etc), the 9.3’s (x62 or x64B) will fit the bill and then some.

    • “I’d debate him on this issue and champion the 7mm08 as a better choice”
      There’s not much debate in a ballistics table and grains of powder expended per foot pounds of terminal energy. The 7mm08 wins every time. The scout rifle concept is interesting, but I think all the more so in 35 Whelen or maybe 338-06, but I’d still take the 35 Whelen.

      The ultralight magnum craze is pure foolishness. 5 1/2lb 300 and 338 Win Mags? And to compensate for the ludicrous recoil, an equally ludicrous muzzle break is attached, making the entire experience of shooting horrible for the shooter and doubly horrible for anyone around the shooter. I don’t understand why people endure this misery. Has no one ever heard of a biathlon sling? An extra 2lbs on the rifle will feel a whole hell of a lot better on the shoulder, improve your shooting, and slung up right you will never feel it on your back.

    • It makes my heat sing to hear someone whos opiniom I hold in such high regard referring to one of my favorite pet calibers. My 550 FS in 9.3×62 is the one rifle in my cabinet that is not ever discussed as trade bait.

      • Just played with one of those today at Sportsman’s Finest in Austin! Had a full Mannlicher stock on it and the wood was great. They actually have at least two 550s in stock in 9.3×62

        • you will not regret it. I run a vx3I- 1.5-5 with a custom german No.1 reticle. I feel like I’m slipping through the Bushveldt every time I chase whitetails with it.

  14. Not impressed. My Ruger American in .30 06 shoots < 1 MOA with good ammo and 2 MOA with Wolf steel case weighs less and has a 22" Barrel for better ballistics. My FNAR (308) also shoots 1 MOA with good ammo but interestingly enough the same wildly bad groups with the Hornady ELD-X. Heck Wolf shoots better then the ELD-X in my FNAR! Not sure of what the point is for this rifle other than for those that like short barrels.

    • I mounted a 2-7x scope to see what it was truly capable of. I’m no great rifle shot, and I could get 1MOA at 100yds all day with cheap PMC 147gr. AMax 155gr produced just under 1″ at 100yds.

      The rifle is very capable.

  15. Not a scout fan. I don’t care for the long eye relief optic or bolt action. I did purchase a Springfield scout squad, removed the rail, and put a standard hand guard. Then had it cerakoted in a nice tiger strip cammo. Love the size, and some of the best iron sight out there. It’s more of a combat rifle now. I think it could fill the roll of a scout rifle if needed minus the scope. 600 yards with iron sights is plenty good for me. Now I just need to swap out that loud a## muzzle brake for a good flash hider.

    • I bought a .308 MVP a couple of years ago and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s very accurate with good commercial ammunition or my reloads and the recoil isn’t too bad. I like the idea that it uses M-14 or M1A magazines that are lots cheaper than the proprietary Ruger mags. I did a water transfer blue and grey USN pattern cameo on the stock and it looks pretty cool.

  17. My son has one of these with polymer stock and lighter weight.

    It is a joy to shoot and could replace my Winchester 94 as my Scout rifle.

    As far as specs, weight and such are more like guidelines than laws.

    This a great rifle do the money. Needs a stripper clip cut and it is ready to roll.

  19. This is my wife’s “into the woods” rifle and has been since 2012 or 2013. Great gun and easy for a smaller person to manage. I paid $795 +taxes for it NIB back when we acquire it.

  20. Seeing AR-15 height optic mounts on a bolt gun makes my eyes bleed. Do you really not know any better?

    • This!

      Also, the putting a heavy, cumbersome bipod on something nominally called a “scout rife” would not elicit a positive reaction from Col. Cooper. Did you guys even test it in any kind of realistic field positions?

      • Those were the only things I had when it came to taking photos! I joked about it in the text of the review, but perhaps you skipped the words? 😛

        BTW that bipod is NOT heavy, and it was put on to do accuracy testing. Obvs. Again, the review said this isn’t a gun made for shooting off a rest, but we did that anyway to shoot groups, etc etc. Okay seriously, do y’all not actually read the review at all? Just here for the photos? LOL

    • that seemed weird to me too.
      these ruger scouts are nice. the export version without the brake has a couple more inches of barrel. i like the laminate, weighty though.
      i have the savage 10fcm, cheesy plastic version. aluminum bedded, adjustable trigger, a little over 7lbs with a 4x scope. could use a better recoil pad. about $600 new.
      for sure useful past 300yds… i only have 3 centerfire rifles and the other two are levers.

    • The mount does appear to have a see-through hole that might, in theory, allow to use irons. Moot point, though, because rear peep signt is removed.

  21. A frontier/homestead/ranch rifle for general purpose utility out to 300 yards? Get a 94 Swedish Mauser carbine, put it in a lighter stock, equip it with a good set of peep sights and call it good. 6.5 Swede will do the job.

  22. I followed the link to 1800 guns in hope that they had a good price on the Tikka T3X CTR (which is a comparable to this rifle), but no joy.

    • I think the “CTR”-designated one was discontinued but they still sell the same gun just called the T3X? Brownells carries it: https://goo.gl/ntjhF4 …I linked to 1-800 Guns & Ammo mainly because they have really low prices on, well, guns and ammo and seem to do a good job.

  24. There’s also a dealer exclusive walnut stock that Ruger lists at 6.7 lbs, which is a compromise between the composite (6.2) and the laminate styles like the one reviewed. It’s gorgeous, too, probably the one I’d prefer if I go for it. I’m a scout concept fanboy even though it’s basically a gun for a fictional world (barring dystopia). Thankfully my inability to commit on willingness to spend between the Steyr and the Ruger has kept my from buying one at all… so far.

  25. Great rifle. Mine is stock, except for the Nikon M308 scope, plastic mag and Spec War suppressor/muzzle break. My family has shot many Wyoming deer and antelope with it, mostly one shot kills, including a 365 yard one shot affair. A touch heavy, but plenty accurate. Even better, mine only cost $600 after trading in the value from a Savage raffle win.

  26. Save for forward rail, iron sight no one bothers to use and 10-round box, is there any benefit of this rifle over, say, another Ruger like American Rifle with compact 4x scope?

    (indeed RAR appears to lack threaded muzzle, because some marketing genius in Ruger thought that “ranch” contraption in weird calibers should have this honor)

  27. Just a slight qualm with the article, if I remember correctly Mr. Cooper wanted a semi-automatic action in the Scout rifle. He opined that that would add too much weight, so it was never made a huge priority in the rifle.

  28. Jeremy….sorry…lost wi-fi…178-gr Hornady ELDX Precision Hunter held 1.25 on my scout; within 1.5 MOA for the 9 scouts we had in Africa–Ruger, Steyr, 2 customs, including one of the old GUNSITE “Sweethearts”.

    Mb

  29. My 18.5″, stainless variant has produced a .67 MOA, three shot group, with Hornady ELD-X. Importantly, this group was shot from a cold barrel. Once experimentation moved to higher round counts, barrel heating started to play havoc with paper target accuracy. So far, my best ELD-X, five shot group (fired in relatively quick succession) has been about 1.5 MOA. I’m ok with this, as most of us will require sub-MOA accuracy for no more than three successive rounds. I shot one 20 round group, with Federal Lake City 7.62×51 NATO Ammunition. All 20 were fired with in a span of about three to four minutes. That barrel got hot!! The group measured just over 3.5 MOA at the point of aim.

    I love this gun!

  31. you should watch the reviews by gunblast on youtube.. much better accuracy than this review states. as far as shooting more than 3 rounds in succession it doesn’t matter if the groups open up because the heat off a suppressor will get too bad to see well anyway. Who shoots more than three rounds hunting? Even if you walk up on a group of pigs you’d be lucky to get three rounds off. This is NOT a self defense rifle, get an ar or ak variant if you want that. the forward scope rail is a joke and should be removed as well as the peep sight. add a suppressor and a moa or mildot scope and you have a hunting machine that is as short as any standard length rifle.

    • Different scope, ammo, rifle, and 3-round groups are going to result in different accuracy measurements. 1-2 MOA is the norm for this rifle model with factory ammo and industry-standard 5-round test groups, and 2 MOA is the goal for a Cooper-inspired Scout Rifle anyway. If I were shooting 3-round groups with that Federal TRU ammo it would have turned in some half-MOA ones, but it would be misleading as this rifle’s average accuracy with that ammo and proper, 5-round groups is 1.2 MOA. I could probably shoot some 1-round groups of 0 MOA, so this thing’s a laser beam, right?

  32. I tried the forward scope mount on mine and hated it. Shot a nice, fat doe with open sights the first time I ever hunted with my Ruger Scout. I’ve hunted with a Remington BDL Model 700 Varmint Special with the heavy bull barrel for my entire life and found the Scout a pleasure to tote around. I’ve always felt the extra weight made me a better offhand shooter and it does.
    BTW, I don’t live in the mountains and I don’t plan on fending off the North Koreans with my Scout- I have other rifles and measures for home protection like 180 Bull Mastiffs. This Jeff Cooper guy must have been one heck of a dude- he’s still being talked about after he’s long gone. His blueprints are mighty important to a lot of people still hung up on what is considered to be the perfect scout rifle. The perfect rifle is the one you can shoot well with and hit what the heck you’re aiming for- if you can’t get rid of it! Just my opinion. I’ve got venison in my locker and that’s all the proof I need- and my gun prints 3 shots easily under an inch from my bench rest. I shot my doe freehand at about 60 yards and she dropped in her tracks. My “go-to” caliber is the .308 Winchester so that’s what I went with in this rifle.
    Good review- keep up the good work!

  33. Why the AR height optics on a stock design that requires optics to be close to the barrel bore? Tall AR optics don’t work well for the shooter on traditionally stocked rifles.

  34. My Ruger Scout shot 4- 3 round groups of 1/2″, 3/8″,1/2″ and one 5/8″. I used a lead sled and mounted up my Night Force 5.5-22×50 NXS scope. I used this scope for its magnification as my eyes are getting old. I mounted the scope traditional style and needed to remove the scout picatiny rail. I then used (I believe these were Leupold) 30mm rings to clear the 50mm objective lens. I used the next size up in height.

    Ammunition used was Buffalo Bore excellent 75 Grn “sniper” ammo. I fired 3 round groups as that was the magazine I had. The trigger while stock was actually pretty nice for a factory anything trigger. little creep and a nice crisp break. I don’t have a trigger pull gauge but believe the trigger broke around 5 lbs.

    Say what you will for the Scout Rifle by Ruger but for me the stout little 16 inch plus barrel shoots amazingly well! In fact I suspect it shoots such tight groups because it is shorter than your typical 22″ thinner profile barrels. The harmonics affect on a longer barrel will adversely effect accuracy. while on a shorter stouter barrel that effect would be minimal. Well that’s my story any way.

    This rifle now sits in my truck set up as she was intended. A rifle that can do pretty much anything I need her to. I replaced the Night Force with a Leupold 1.5-5 scout rifle scope were Ruger and Jeff Cooper intended, forward of the chamber. I have also picked up more Poly Mags from Rugers website. I have added a few 10 round as well as a few 5 rounders. I discovered that you can actually top these off with the bolt open. That was the intention of “Jeff” Cooper.

    I will be taking my grandson Deer hunting this New Year. His first hunt with Grandpa or G-Pa as he calls me. He will go home with a Deer and a new Ruger Scout Rifle set up just for him. Yah I love these Rifles.

  36. I have shot the Ruger Scout and I like it but my personal choice for a truck/farm/survival gun is still a 30 30 lever action. In my experience I can operate a lever gun faster than a bolt. I think it’s faster and easier to top off the mag by thumbing cartridges into the side gate than to detach the mag. My lever gun, a Mossberg 464, is easy to handle and comes to the shoulder easily. And the iron sites are adequate for anything I would need it for. I have very successfully used it for hunting and as a varmint gun and I think she could hold her own in a fire fight, but that’s all just my opinion/ preferance. All of you are basing your opinion of what a scout rifle should be on the opinion/preference of one guy, just go with the platform YOU are comfortable with. I don’t think there is one solitary definition of the perfect scout gun, it just depends on the person shooting it.

  37. Hi Jeremy,
    Great read. I was wondering what rear support you had attached to the rear sling mount on the scout.
    Thank you!
    Tony

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