I've always liked the "scout" rifle idea, but never got around to it either. I think the Mountain Rifle craze is so hot right now, that the scout got lost in the dust. I must admit, I like mountain rifles, they just seem to feel and fit just right. Savage still makes the Sierra, which is close, and Ruger makes the 77RL, which is similar. The forward scope mounting doesn't really turn my crank, but I haven't tried it either. The only thing the current crop seem to lack is good open sights. I bet those ghost ring sights are really nice.

Bobby...

I've since read that Savage discontinued the Scout Rifle because they are concentrating more resources to expanding the AccuTrigger offerings. One could assume that they discontinued the slowest-selling model, of course.

The scout concept isn't for everyone, that's for certain. I think the ghost rings will be the way I use it most often, as they should do quite well on quick shots fairly close in, such as hogs/deer in tight cover.

I'm getting off the subject a little bit. I looked hard at the savage scout rifle in .308 for our Wisconsin brushy whitetail hunting. Then I was lucky enough to win a browing blr lightning in a bar raffle. (in .308). Equipped it with "see thoughs" and a 1-3 weaver. WOW what a sweet handling little devil that is. I have a pretty big head and the see throughs get the scope high enough that when I bring the gun to my shoulder that little 1-3 is right in front of my eyes and with that low power you can see without closing an eye. love that little 20" barrel for going throug the brush. The 1-3 weaver is just as clear and (maybe clearer) than my 1.5-5 leupold vari-x III. Just thought I'd tell you about my alternative and how happy I am with it!! ALSO--I had a little trouble finding a load it liked but finally found magic with good old hornady 150 flat base bullets and RE12--even with the 3x scope it will shoot 5 shots into 1.25". It's been fun, looks classy, shoots plenty good, and still has really quick handling.