Is this true, that a Steyr Scout Rifle or a Prohunter cannot have a barrel change ??

Why is this so ??

They can be rebarrelled but only at the factory. Steyr bbls. are not screwed in but installed by an expand/shrink process by heating/cooling respective parts.

Thanks Andre,

so a good smith could not acheive this Job ??

Is this a negative for Steyr Rifles ?? For people who shoot heaps of rounds it would have to be ??

I haven't seen this done on a rifle, but having installed a great many bearing races using this method, I don't think it would be rocket science to accomplish. Temperature monitoring and control would seem to me to be the two great issues here, and with modern pyrometers, should be relatively easily acheived. The front of the receiver would be heated, and the barrel shank would be cooled, and then tapped into place. I think only Steyr would have the relevant temperature info (at least for now) though, so it would be an experiment that could easily ruin the parts being used. Interesting, though. FWIW - Dan

In many instances with Steyr this is done more in the brochure than in actual fact. In theory (and in advertising) the barrel threads are cut to a slight interference fit then the receiver ring heated to allow assembly. Strangely enough,when disassembling some which were supposedly assembled this way, I have discovered a pretty conventional barrel thread fit. Go figure. Regards, Bill.

On all the Steyr rifles I have had the bbls had conventional bbl threads.....EXCEPT the SSG Sniper and Target rifles. Those bbls are "press fit" into the reciever. The factory can/will rebarrel them. It is not cheap.
I do not know which method they use for the Scout Rifles. I do know one American who rebarreled a SSG. If I remember correctly he cut the bbl off at the front of the reciever, threaded it and installed the new bbl in the conventional manner. He said it was a tough job and he did not want do do another. The new bbl shot very good.

So in essence it can be done !!

I think I would prefer a threaded barrel than a press fit in a centre fire

PC, NE was right.
Many Steyr SSG-69 P1 and P2 model here in my country. They're "press fit" barrel...no treads both on the front receiver and the breech of the barrel, so if you want to rebarrel them yourself (or by your gunsmith),you must cut the barrel right in front of the shoulder barrel in the lathe then make a new tread on the receiver so that you can install a new bbl. Samething with the Scout model. This is the easiest way to rebarrel this stuff, except you ask the factory to do the job.
Anyway the front reciever thickness is enough to accept new tread though.
The most important thing is, you should make a good and very square tread and shoulder.
I gunsmith myself and i don't think the job is very tough.

Steyr rifles were sometimes used in the UK for �fullbore target rifle� shooting some years ago but we hardly ever see them now.
They worked well but at that time & with the �issued ammunition� a target barrel (any � not just the one on the Steyr) would only last for 2 or 3 seasons shooting at top performance so the shrink-fit Steyr barrels caused some headaches for the gunsmiths.

The accepted & successful method of replacement was to remove the old barrel & thread the action.

Thanks for the low down folks !!

As always good information.

Paul,

I have one of each of the Steyr Scout and ProHunter rifles. I didn't know the answer to your question, so I asked a gent who does know, that being John Schaefer.

John says: "The SS bbl is fitted into the tubular receiver using an expansion collar
and the bolt locks into a bbl extension ala AR-15. It can easily be
removed using a special tubular wrench (I have the drawings). The problem
is that Steyr won't release any SS bbls. (I've been trying for 2 years now.)"

Check the picture on his website.

http://www.steyrscout.org/perobsrv.htm

John keeps up on the Steyr Scout rifle, and his website is the place to go for answers.

jim dodd

The barrels of the Steyr Scout and SBS Pro Hunter can be replaced. The SS barrel is secured by an expansion collar into the tubular receiver and the bolt locks into a barrel extension which is attached to the rear of the barrel. See the "personal observations" page on my Steyr Scout web site at

www.steyrscout.org

You simply drop a special tubular barrel wrench down the receiver and loosen the lock ring.

The ProHunter bbl screws in normally.

It is the SSG rifles that have heat shrink fitted barrels.

John S.
frfrog@sprynet.com

So the SSG bolt locks into the barrel extension and not the receiver and this is a shrink fit into the receiver. Is this correct? I confess to not having messed with the SSG models at all and assumed they were based on the conventional construction exhibited by the other Steyrs I have worked on. My mistake. Regards, Bill.

The SSG has a rear locking bolt that locks into the reciever as do all the other Steyr rifles with the rear locking bolts. They have multiple locking lugs. The bolt body does not rotate, the bolt handle is sort of a "collar" that fits around a reduced part of the rear of the bolt body. The locking lugs are on this collar. This "collar" rotates when you lift the bolt handle and also cocks the riring pin.
The SSG uses a larger reciever than the hunting rifles in 308. However the same magazines, including the 10 rounder will fit the Model L 308's.

Do people like the steyr scouts, they seem weird to look at do you think there ahead of there time or are they a gimmick ??

Paul,

I have been hunting with my Steyr Scout in .308 Win since I got it in '98, and it is an excellent general-purpose hunting rifle. I have had it on a couple of Canadian deer hunts, as well as four African ventures.

I have decided that a low-power variable scope mounted over the action is a better hunting solution thatn the low-power, fixed power scope forward mounted. I did a review of the rifle for Sniper Country some time back, and an African Hunter article.

jim

Thanks for the help thus far folks. The price is prohibitive though. I have handled one once and it was unique, it sort of grows on you . Have you used the peep at all ??

Paul,

I have not tried the back-up sights on the Steyr Scout, but I have corresponded with people who have. Some report having trouble "scroonching" their face down enough to get a sight picture. Others have commented that if it is a ghost ring, it needs to be bigger.

I have been selling rifles since I bought the SS, so perhaps it is not as expensive as you think. It replaced several previous rifles because of its positive features.

jim

Thanks Jim,

a bloke I know is getting one soon so I will be able to handle his to get a feel for it.

If I buy a scout it will be money I won't have for more cz's