Just a few thoughts...
Many don't consider the times that the scout rifle was proposed. The 1994 AWB was in effect. The Garand and M1A were probably as popular as the AR15 at that time. The only AR makers were Colt, Bushmaster, Olympic and Armalite of any size. Magpul wasn't even a dream at that time. I remember rummaging through army crates at gun shows trying to find surplus AR 20rd mags that weren't beat to hell. It didn't look like the AWB would be allowed to expire. In that context, a 10rd bolt gun looked like a good option. Like others have said, the optics back then were also very limited compared to today.
