Hi all,

Any of you guys here own the ruger scout? I thought it could be a nice light rifle for camping and a truck gun. Also, does anyone have an idea on replacing the awful flash hider look? It's either that or a sporterized enfield in 303 with a shorter barrel. Thanks for the help!

I have a Marlin XS in 7mm-08, plastic stock, blind magazine, 22" slim barrel with no iron sights, a 3-9 VX1 Leupold on it and accurate out of the box. To me this light and handy rig is what I would choose as a camp/truck gun.

I have a scope on my 404 in the semi scout position but would not choose this for a rifle where a longer shot is called for. Don't really see the purpose of the scout guns, most people find the scout position scopes hard to get used to unless you go for a single point type sight for quick shooting then maybe.

putting the name Ruger in the same sentence with "nice" is an oxymoron.

If one really wants a scout rifle then get a Mauser and have it your way.

Short handy truck gun = Ruger American Carbine

I'm looking at one in 7-08 or 243 before fall

I continue to be puzzled by Ruger bashers; I have owned lots of them and find them to be excellent, reliable, hunting rifles. I can only assume that they have never actually used one.
As for the current Scout rifle; I have handled them, but not shot one. I don't subscribe to the scout rifle concept, but not because it is a Ruger by any means.

The scout rifle concept is either something you buy into or not. Col Cooper intended it as a general purpose rifle for animals 800 pounds and under or men out to 300 yards.

Thenruger fits the bill admirably.

I have not played with the Ruger Scout but I own a Stery Scout and I have a Savage 99 Scout as well as 2 Marlins set up that way.

Everyone I know who has shot the ruler speaks highly of it.

Ifmyoundont like that uglynflashnhider ther are tons of after market things to screw on there including a thread protector. My suggestion would be a 308 can from AAC or Gemtech.

I too can't see any advantage to the scout rifle concept, not a follower.
However I like light handy inexpensive "truck" rifles, I just like the scope back where it feels right.

Just my opinion.

Buy the scout... Put zeiss glass on it... 3-9.-40..... Mine will eat anything i put in it... Carries easy...get one and don't look back...

I just shot one extensively last weekend...and was impressed! Quite accurate as well for what it is. I hit the 8"x8" steel plates with regularity offhand at 100 yards.

I'm not a scout rifle fan, but more because I thought Cooper was a tool. Of the two you mention, the Ruger is the one I would go for. I also like short, light rifles for truck guns. The Browning Micros are what I picked.

I am sure they are well made and Ruger rugged....but to my eye they are BUTT ugly!


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quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:
I am sure they are well made and Ruger rugged....but to my eye they are BUTT ugly!


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This

I think ANYONE who bashes ANY rifle/shotgun/pistol/car/truck/boat etc is short sighted and limited in their minds to the techno advances of this day and age and also to show THEIR ages.

BUT...everyone is entitled to their opinions, right OR wrong...it just shows who/what they are.

Besides...if we didn't have bashers we would still be throwing rocks and eating cold, raw meat and living in ignorance.

I remember the "first" scout rifle I ever saw...in one of the Gun Digest offerings, must be near 50 year ago.

It probably didn't weigh 5# soaking wet and loaded, was on some Mouser action, short, trimmed down drilled/gouged out stock with a forend about as thin as an English shotgun forend, #1 or less contour barrel just legal length, open sights. I thought it looked weird and strange, but it didn't take long for me to make one similar to it.

Wasn't too many years before light weight "mountain" rifles came out, then some we called the "scout" rifles. Some are made out of titanium to lighten them even more and MOST were pricey custom made jobbies and we oohed and aahed and drooled all over them.

I think Ruger should dispense with that UGLY "flash hider" protrusion and if I had one I would remove it the instant it came out of the box, the stock is a bit thick and it would get a trip to the fat farm and any scope would get mounted in the "correct" location... but other than those picky items, I find nothing more wrong with it...however I wouldn't buy one, I have several rifles in my rack that are basically copies WITHOUT the flash hider.

You don't have to look far to see Rem's getting the hi-capacity treatment with new trigger guards and hi-cap mags.

Maybe we should all step back to the dark ages and forget all the totally rad new stuff available to gussy up our shooters and all start looking the same again.

If we did that the bashers would just find something else to whine about.

Every time I read some "extreme" bash, a picture of Scrooge with his pinched in, wizen face from an old, OLD, children's book pops into my mind along with a vision of the newer "Grinch who stole Christmas", and the bash falls into the "delete file"

Would be nice if visitors to forums would refrain from bashing but negativism seems to be de rigueur these days.

Two separate issues here: the concept of the scout forward scope and the Ruger rifle.

I have the Ruger rifle (as well as the Steyr, and a bunch of custom bolt and double guns to compare). The ruger gun pluses: well made, quite handy, 100% reliable, I like the box magazine, quite accurate (real 1 MOA, average of 5 5 shot groups), adjustable butstock very useful Minuses: the short barrel cost real velocity (tradeoff for handy), the trigger is a good factory trigger (now replaced with a Timmney). When I took my son to Tanzania this summer, this is the rifle he took. It was perfect, and the PH's were envious. One of these is my goto truck gun at out ranch. I like the rifle a lot.

I am less of a fan of the forward scout scope having shot a few thousand rounds trying to like it (I think highly of Cooper). Our Ruger scout has a 2-7 Leupold mounted in conventional Ruger rings. Seems to be just about the right thing.

Brad, we're in the same boat re scout-mounted scopes. Even my Steyr Scout wear a scope in the conventional position.

quote:

Brad, we're in the same boat re scout-mounted scopes. Even my Steyr Scout wear a scope in the conventional

+2.... I removed the piticanny rail..., and I used the conventional ruger rings..... I also use 4-5 round magazines to hunt with, and leave the 10 rounder at home....as far as the flash hider, it doesn't make any difference.....

quote:

Originally posted by larrys:
I'm not a scout rifle fan, but more because I thought Cooper was a tool.

Bingo, we have a winner.

I've had one of the Ruger Scout rifles since shortly after they came out. In my opinion it's very handy and easy to shoot, it's not the prettiest gun in the safe but makes up for it in other ways.

I like the "Scout" scope concept, but you have to learn to wrap your mind around it and it's not for everyone. The rifle came with rings to mount a scope in the standard/ conventional/ normal location. The rear sight is held on with one screw and returns to zero well if you remove and replace it. And the rifle is pretty shoot-able with just the issue peep sights too.

The Ruger Scout strays from Cooper and Company's concepts in several ways. It's too heavy, it has a flash suppressor, and it's barrel is too short. I doubt that the Colonel would have approved.

As for the standard complaints about the Gunsite Rifle: The magazines are the same as those used by Accuracy International bolt rifles and available from several different manufacturers. Ruger allegedly tried to get M14 magazines to work and couldn't pull it off (a few custom smiths tried to sell conversions for other bolt guns to M14 magazines and they aren't popular either). The 16.5 inch barrel is actually 17.25" long and give up 40 fps to my 22" Model 70 rifle with the same loads. If you don't like the flash suppressor, take a #60 Torx wrench and unscrew it. I replaced mine with a thread protector.
The ten round magazine is in a drawer somewhere and the rifle gets used with five rounders most of the time.

The little rifle will shoot sub 1" groups at 100 yards with the Leupold Scout scope and carries through the woods like a big handgun. In case you can't tell I like mine.

I like my gunsite ruger too, I have mine set up with a shurefire socomm mini can and a Burris scout 2.75x scout scope...excellent little,gun out to 250 yards. Mostly shoot sub sonic ammo thru it anyway...rarely over 100 yards...it's like a big pellet gun.

The Scout Rifle is something you like or do not like. Different needs, perceived needs, likes, dislikes and wants; they sure make the firearms industry interesting to me. I no longer need or care for the increasingly popular "tactical" kit but I do not judge those who do. I think the same diverse wants and needs that have brought on the "tactical" fad have also helped to bring back a lot of the old classic styles that a lot of us love.

I have used forward mounted optics and the scout concept on several rifles and enjoyed them all. I had an M1A set up like that in my former career, a Mauser action rifle I put together, a Savage 10FCM and a Marlin 1895. The forward mounted scope allows me to maintain a proper peep sight on the rifle and it permits better vision of the target area while allowing fast and precise shots when needed. On open top receivers, it allows clear access to the action and mag to load and clear the rifle. I found it very useful during my military time as well as for hunting. I killed a lot of pigs and brocket deer with a scout rifle set up. I left my Savage Scout with a friend in Bolivia who thinks it is the perfect set up for hunting the Chaco. I still have my Marlin 1895 scout set up and think it is a great rig for pigs during limited visibility or in close cover.

Ruger has always made rugged, accurate, affordable firearms. Give the Ruger a go if you like. It may be the specialty rig you never knew you needed.

My gun is a stainless lefty, so I had to wait a while for Ruger to come out with them. I have used irons, red dots, scout scope and conventional scopes on this gun. Right now it wears an old Weaver with the Heavy German 3-post reticle. I'm not a fan of the big box magazine, so I use a 3-round box and carry the 10 round box as spare ammo. I don't quite get the scout concept. I can use a conventional low powered scope with long eye relief better than the scout scope.

Really can not use open sites adequately any more.For me the scout concept solves that problem.I have two in 8x57 and 2 with 19" barrels in 7x57.
Sighting is as fast as a skeet shotgun. The forward scope puts you on target NOW. For game out to two hundred is no problem. The rifle will do better than that with a better shooter. roger

I have two scout set ups one and 03 in 30-06 another M95 in 7x57 both fast and would have no trouble hitting targets out to 300.

The 06 loaded now with 220grs bullets for hogs in the TX brush short fast deadly. I had no trouble hitting a yote on the run at a lasered 110 yards. With it across a stock pond.

They have there place and wouldn't bother me to pick them up and go hunting.

The same with the ruger.

quote:

Originally posted by jimatcat:
Buy the scout... Put zeiss glass on it... 3-9.-40..... Mine will eat anything i put in it... Carries easy...get one and don't look back...

This is exactly what I did with mine. Also removed flash hider, pic rail, added short suppressor. Perfect truck gun, gets used more in the utility role at the ranch than any other rifle I have.

Biggest issue I have with it, other than the heavy trigger, is I keep thinking about changing it. Maybe to 243, maybe to 6.5CM, but I always remember what it is, and leave it be.