Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles AR & tactical rifles, the thread title says.

The in between? the Scout rifle, or close versions?

Anyone find them interesting? Short reasonably light bolt actions with backup sights for the lower powered scopes.

Quick to reload in a viable chambering.

Hunt or defend is a couple of my ways of seeing them.

Thoughts?

A solution in search of a problem.

Especially in the age of good LPVOs.

Heavier, slower, lower capacity.
I don't see an upside.

I think the Ruger Scout in .308 would make a good ranch rifle, especially if shooting suppressed and/or with a thermal. I use a Tikka T3x w/ 5rd mags for thermal/suppressed and it works well. Especially when moving around all night looking for pigs, easy/quiet to load/unload in the dark and to make safe by keeping the bolt open when getting in/out of the truck.

But I also use a POF Revolution 16.5" AR-308 thermal/suppressed too. I've also had the POF jam hard in the middle of a dark night. AR's and suppressors are dirty business, and you really need to stay on top of cleaning/lube to avoid issues.

WTF are you asking?

OK.

Cooper's Scout rifle concept was the first of the modern LARPing rifle builds.

A short, light, capable, rifle with magnification wasn't anything new when Cooper starting his Scout rifle manifesto. The rest of the very specific requirements that he argued for were to fuel the imagination. No different than EOTWAWKI builds today.

The flat-top AR pretty much answered the mail for all that "scout rifle" notion.

Pick your chambering, bbl length, optic, irons, furniture etc.....like Burger King, have it your way.

More scoutier than a "Scout" rifle. Lighter too.

I’m a hunter and recreational shooter, not a soldier or scout, nor a wannbe of either. I have no need for extended magazines, or even the clip-loading guide that IIRC Cooper mentioned, and I find forward-mounted scopes slow me down. If I think a fight is in the offing, I’m gonna have something else or several somethings, not a bolt gun. Most of the commercial “scout” rifles depart from the original concept, being too heavy and too short of barrel, and have too much schitt hanging out that I don’t need, including front sights with wings, rails on the barrel, and big boxes of ammo underneath that would be more conveniently carried in a pocket.

I’m with Pappy, my Kimber Montana’s with good scopes on them are my scout rifles. I would like to have one in 308 with maybe an 18” barrel and a suppressor but that’s it.

I agree.

Scout rifles now are:

A-Truck guns (with an LPVO or RDS);

B- "Compliance" rifles in states with bans.

BMT

Ruger offered the Scout in 223 for a time & I'd think no way it has an edge over an AR. Like MM says, the flattop AR answers any Scout question in that caliber. Ruger wised up, or their sales wised them up, their Scout in 223 is no longer cataloged.

The Scout in a more serious caliber at one time was only challenged by pretty heavy & large AR10's, M1A's & the like. I have an M1A & have had a FAL & HK91. Great rifles but not as general purpose as a Scout IMO.

Now enter the lighter weight AR10's that are becoming available,,,,, a game changer for sure IMO. I've bought a Saint Victor & while it's not as light as a couple others, it's bearable & not far off from a syn. stocked Ruger Scout.

That leaves the Scout pretty much like BMT says. But besides a great truck gun, it's a great grab n go rifle. I use a stock pouch that holds a spare 6 round mag that if I have the gun I have a bit of extra ammo. I use a near flush 3 rounder in the gun. I like the center feed of AICS mags. My scope is conventionally mounted which makes it a Pseudo Scout I guess, but still a handy rifle.

Not sure of the year Cooper devised the criteria, but it dated for sure now.

The first scout rifle conference was in 1983. So the scout rifle idea is before that.

Yes, very dated. Optics, ARs, and ammo are all substantially better.

BMT

I put together a El Cheapo Scout Rifle using a RAR Ranch in 5.56 with a Skinner scout rail with a peep at the rear and a A2 post up front. Running a Burris scout 2.75x fixed and added a big rubber ball bolt knob.

Really short and handy if I'm not running suppressed and I'm liking the both eyes open when shooting it. Looking forward to trying it on coyotes in a few months.

Wanna variable burris scout scope?

I have a take off in very very good condition.

BMT

gfy inc. does not endorse this product...

My fave cartridge is the .270 Win.
In August of 2019, I had shoulder replacement surgery. Being horribly right-handed, i shifted to an AR15 to reduce recoil and still shoot right-handed!
So I adopted the 6.8mm Rem SPC (.277") in a DIY AR and have been quite satisfied.

Loading mags and hunting with a MSR (black rifle?) is okay by me. That it can double as a tactical rifle is also okay by me. 🤷‍♂️

That looks like a damn handy setup.