Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Muzzle Blast--16.5 inch Barrel New Ruger Scout

I was really quite surprised when I received the email on this rifle because I really like the Scout concept and have used one extensively but to date there has not been a durable and reliable commercial version (the Steyr has bolt lift and light primer strike issues/the Savage is delicate--bolt retaining pin, scope mount, magazine, etc) other than the Frontier but the 16.5 barrel kept me away. This new rendition is durable/reliable, has iron sights and most importantly, an apparent reliable box magazine but the barrel is only 16.5 inches! The muzzle blast must be tremendous. Am I right? If so, will the flash hider in any way attentuate the blast and noise?

The shorter 16.5" barrel chambered in most cartridges, is not for everyone.

From my own personal experience (but this is me and nobody else), I have no problem in dealing with any added noise (use hearing protection on hunts and at the range), or with any additional so-called muzzle blast when firing my 300 WSM Ruger Frontier. Also have a friend with a Ruger Hawkeye laminated compact chambered in a 300 RCM and another owning a 338 Federal Frontier.

From the standpoint of a shooter behind the butt and pulling the trigger, I don`t feel nor see all this muzzle blast even when using maximum loadings. I don`t hunt in low light or at night in the dark. No doubt in doing so, more visible blast would be obvious.

I use both a conventional scope and a scout scope as the need suits. The Frontiers are set up to use either, which imo has great appeal for optics versatility.

From the standpoints of recoil and noise, this new Ruger Gunsite scout in the 308, should be a pussycat when compared to what I`m used to.

Was looking at the Ruger Compact for my daughters and think the much milder 6.8 SPC might be the answer to the 16 inch barrel. I don't know how they handle, though.

I don't care that much for Ruger's hi-cap mag fed bolt gun in its current state. I think I would like it better with a smaller mag, conventional scope mounting and a can in place of the flash supressor! That probably would not be that hard to do.

Expat

the balance of the rifle would not work right for me. Its easier for me to hold a rifle steady with some weight out front. I have fired 16.5 inch 223 rifles, 18.5 inch 308, 16.5 inch ported 44 magnum without hearing protection, as I have grown older my ears ring constantly and my high frequency hearing is gone. Ruger is appealing to a certain type of person with this rifle and no doubt its a fine weapon. I would not want to use it in an emergency where you did not have time to put in your ear plugs. I have gone back to a 20 inch pencil weight 223 instead of the short fat 223 barrels. Turns out open sights are just as fast as an aimpoint for me anyway.

I was afraid of that. That is a pretty hefty action behind that little barrel.

Expat

Blast is going to be fierce because you are still on the steeply descending part of the pressure curve. You may still be at almost half of peak pressure when the bullet exits - and 30,000 psi suddenly released is gonna make something of a "pop"!

You could select a faster powder but it won't help much if you load to the same pressure level because the pressure will still be pretty high at bullet exit. You'd also lose even more velocity with a faster powder - and velocity loss is going to be pronounced in a short barrel to begin with.

Bottom line: you can have handiness or hearing, but not both.

...........Blast is not as fierce as you may think. Secondly, you sure can have the handling while keeping your hearing.

I had a .308 stainless laminate compact......, and blast was fierce. Nice fireballs, too.

And it was a good handling little rifle to hunt with out of treestands or elevated blinds.

I'd use another one. Problem is I like the Ruger I have, with a 22 inch barrel, and my Guide Gun is right handy in the stands/blinds, also. I can't justify buying it, and I know that, in itself, is a whole nuther argument.

My BIL has a Rem M7 (old style, wood stock) in 223, and that little gun is tremendously loud. My son's 10-inch Contender in the same caliber sounds like a big cannon. I can only imagine how loud the Ruger Frontier would be with it's 16-inch barrel.

Blast isn't fierce if you are already deaf, also. Mr Squeeze, I sincerely hope that is not your circumstance. I've done everything possible to protect my own hearing, having lost more than I think I can afford to. So forgive me if I tend to overemphasize it a bit.

..........My hearing is still in excellent shape after 45+ years. Over the years, I have tried to protect the hearing as best as possible.

I know that when in the field, hearing protection can be an inconvenience.

you'd have to cut the barrel to less than 10" (more like 7") to get 30K psi when the bullet exits. 16" will put at more like 14-15K PSI.

Doesn't muzzle blast transmit some through skull/jawbones to the inner ear regardless of ear protection? Short barrels would do it more, no matter if ear protection was 100%.

Bruce

Sound is transmitted by ALL the bones in your body. You hear some sound through your tailbone, in fact. But by far, the most comes through your ear canals - which ought to be no surprise. The only way to muffle all bone transmission would be to encase yourself completely in foam. Of course, breathing would be an issue ...

Fortunately, bone transmission is pretty inefficient. It would take sound levels high enough to kill you outright to damage your hearing by bone transmission alone.

Good friend toad, that's not quite correct. Exit pressure of some magnum rifles exceeds 15Kpsi even with 30" barrels. That equates to 140+dB. A 16" barrel in many different chamberings from .223 up can top that easily.

Ruger Scout is .308 Win. pull up QL, punch in a max load, and put the cursor on the pressure line of the graph. it will show you pressure and inches at that point.

i just pulled a couple loads out of thin air and both were very similar

To Flashman, Rocky Raab, Vic in Va, Big Redhead, bcp.....

Take a look at these two videos. Both are posted at,,,shootingtimes.com. Sorry but there`s no direct link.

On the home page just below the video section box, click onto "view all"..Then towards the upper right corner click "cartridges"...Scroll down until you find a 2 min 12 sec video called "338 Federal Rifle Cartridge." In that video you`ll see Boddington shooting a Ruger Frontier chambered in a 338 Federal at some steel plates.

While still in that same section, click onto "optics" at the same upper right corner. Scroll down until you find a 1 min 24 sec video called "Variable vs Low powered Fixed Scopes" with Wayne Van Zwoll. There too, you`ll see Van Zwoll bench shooting a Ruger Frontier with a Leupy scout scope. That Ruger Frontier that Van Zwoll is shooting is a 300 WSM Frontier, which he used on a New Zealand red stag hunt. That particular video was filmed in New Zealand while on that hunt. That article can be read in the `08 Ruger catalog. Van Zwoll was using 300 WSM factory ammo.

Cannot gauge the noise levels, but in your opinions, do either of these two Ruger Frontiers seem overwhelming as far as blast is concerned coming from their muzzles? You do see a small fireball from Van Zwoll`s 300 WSM Frontier, but no fireball from Boddington`s 338 Federal Frontier.

Imo, a 308 would have less a visual muzzle blast than either the 338 Fed or a 300 WSM when fired from a Frontier.

Flasher,
You didn't mention caliber but since you're talking the "Scout" rifle concept I'd guess you are primarily interested
in the .308. I've had the 16" barreled Ruger Compact in .223,.243, .260 & 708. Of those only the .243 displayed enough muzzle blast to be of concern. I made the assumption that it had more to do with velocity than caliber......
FWIW

I've got a Springfield Armory M1A "Scout",.....The combo Flash Hider / Brake on that thing is VERY effective, and we've handed two "standard models" and it back and forth between three shooters, all loading the same 'English Stuff' ( thank you J&G Sales).

All Agree that the Scout with it's nominal 18" barrel, and that brake has the quickest recovery / back on target time. The "SOCOM" is a beast,......loud, and KICKS,....go figure.

I've got to wonder W

A.) Why Ruger is calling their lash-up a "Flash Hider" only,....and not incorporating the geometry that makes this Springfield armory set up such a winner.

B.) Given what Col. Cooper WANTED as the main attributes in his concept,....WHY a 'Flash Hider' at all ?

......strikes me that the extra 3-4 inches of barrel would not have been such a worse idea.

"Tacticool" wins again, it would seem.

GTC

i have an 18.5" ported barrel on my 45-70..I don't think it is all that bad.Everyone is different to there tolerances but for example,if you have ever shot some of the Big Bore handguns,it won't be much different.

Jayco

So forgive me if I tend to overemphasize it a bit.

You were not!

.223 loaded to 1900/2000 fps cracked like a .38 Special in revolver. .308 was horrible, let's just say you didn't want to leave anything much lighter than a full 20 rd. catridge box within 2 feet or closer to the muzzle blast.