The Scout Rifle is a class of general-purpose rifles defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper in the early 1980s.
These bolt action carbines 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 slings) 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 plastics 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 1,000 lb (454 kg)."[1]
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Drawing inspiration from several sources, specifically the Austrian 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.
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 (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.[4] Because of this, the 7mm-08 Remington is a popular, Cooper-approved alternative for scout rifles.[3] "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).[5]
Should the scope be damaged, it can be rapidly removed and the ghost ring sight used.
The version considered by many to be the benchmark is the Steyr Scout.[6]
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.
Savage Arms 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.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9]
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."[4]
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").[10]
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).
Sturm, Ruger offered 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.[11]
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."[12] 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.
In 2011, Ruger introduced a re-designed scout rifle based on their Model 77 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.[6] The rifle features a matte black receiver, a 16.5" cold-hammer forged alloy steel barrel, a forward mounted picatinny rail, a 3, 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 7.62x51mm and weighs in at 7 lbs.[13] 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, Inc., 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.[14] 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).[15]
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 "Brooklyn 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.[16]
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 6.8 SPC 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.
XS Sight Systems offers forward scope mounts for building Scouts based on the SMLE, Mauser 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).[17]
B-Square offers forward scope mounts for building Scouts based upon the Remington 700,[18] the Mauser,[19] and the Mosin-Nagant.[20]
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).[21]
Leupold,[22] Burris Optics,[23] Millett Sights,[24] and Leatherwood/Hi-LUX Optics[25] 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.[26] 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.
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.[27]
Both Pachmayr[28] and Millett Sights[24] offer the flush mount, hammer-head sling swivels Cooper preferred.
Galco offers Ching slings[29] as well as their Safari Ching Sling[30] (8 oz) that requires only two sling swivels.
B-Square offers bipods suitable for a Scout rifle,[31] as does Harris Bipods.[32]