Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle

[JoeH]

Ruger Gunsite Scout

Introducing the Ruger® Gunsite Scout Rifle, the ideal "fighting carbine" in .308 Winchester that is a credible rendition of Col. Jeff Cooper's Scout Rifle concept. Cooper called for a relatively lightweight, hard hitting, do-all rifle that in the hands of an accomplished shooter was able to place accurate, sustained fire out to long ranges, yet was quick-handling and light enough for all-day carry.

Developed in conjunction with Gunsite instructor Ed Head, the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle is a new platform in the Ruger M77® family. While the Scout Rifle has M77 features such as controlled round feed and integral scope mounts (scope rings included), the 10-round detachable box magazine is the first clue this isn't your grandfather's Ruger rifle.

"Ruger has taken an in depth look at the intended purpose of a Scout Rifle and developed a full-featured rifle designed to meet the Scout Rifle criteria of hunt, fight, defend," says Head. "This firearm offers outstanding features in an affordable, versatile and reliable rifle designed to deliver .308 Winchester performance in a variety of situations. It is compact, lightweight, offers 10-round box magazines, can be fit to the individual shooter, and accommodates a host of optics. It is a serious rifle for those serious about rifles."

As they say, beware the man with one gun, for he probably knows how to use it. Never has this been more true than with the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle, the one rifle to have if you could only have one. It is the perfect lightweight, hard-hitting, do-it-all bolt-action rifle - where rugged, reliable Ruger meets the practical, tactical.

[Shipyard]

make it a semi-auto and we'll talk...

nice lookin bolt gun though.

[DeanC]

It's a little heavy at 7lbs. And a little long. And cripes, there is no need for it to be $1000 list. I'll stay happy with my Savage Scout at less than half that price.

[Pinnacle]

That is about as good as it gets for a defensive rifle. Nothing to break, reliable, and high enough capacity..... They got it right.

If i were in the market, i would have one.

[goalie]

It's a little heavy at 7lbs. And a little long. And cripes, there is no need for it to be $1000 list. I'll stay happy with my Savage Scout at less than half that price.

While I love my Savage rifles, they are not the same as a Mauser action. The features of a true Mauser action, including the CRF, may not be the end-all-be-all in a bolt-gun, but they are not anything to scoff at either.

Now, make it about 6.5 pounds with a low-powered EER optic and good rings and I am almost convinced......

[Steelheart]

Up until I saw the mark-up for the Gunsite name I was interested. I think a grand retail is high for this. But depending on what street price turns into I might be interested again. Then again, I'm not a fan of proprietary magazines and I'm sure they won't be cheap...

Steelheart

[Ranger01]

Is it just me, or does this remind anyone else of the old Enfield Jungle Carbines?

[White Horseradish]

It is obviously completely different. The Enfield has no rail and is in .303. Plus, that wood isn't a tactical color. Pshaw.

[DeanC]

Since one must take care with one's speech it is appropriate that we address the issue of just what a "scout rifle" really is.

By the definition of the Scout Rifle Conferences held under the auspices of Jeff Cooper the scout rifle has been defined as a general purpose rifle suitable for taking targets of up to 400 kg (880 pounds) at ranges to the limit of the shooters visibility (nominally 300 meters) that meets the following criteria:

Weight-sighted and slung: 3 kilograms (6.6 lb). This has been set as the ideal weight but the maximum has been stated as being 3.5 kg (7.7 pounds ).
Length: 1 meter (39 inches)
Nominal barrel length: .48 meter (19 inches)
Sighting system: Typically a forward and low mounted (ahead of the action opening) long eye relief telescope of between 2x and 3x. Reserve iron sights desirable but not necessary. Iron sights of the ghost ring type, without a scope, also qualify, as does a low powered conventional position scope.
Action: Magazine fed bolt action. Detachable box magazine and/or stripper clip charging is desirable but not necessary.
Sling: Fast loop-up type, i.e. Ching or CW style.
Caliber: Nominally .308 Winchester (7.62 x 51 mm). Calibers such as 7 mm - 08 Remington (7 x 51 mm) or .243 Winchester (6 x 51 mm) being considered for frail individuals or where "military" calibers are proscribed.
Built-in bipod: Desirable but not mandatory.
Accuracy: Should be capable of shooting into 2 minutes of angle or less (4") at 200 yards/meters (3 shot groups).

Rifles that do not meet all of these specifications are technically not "scout rifles." Thus rifles of this general design in calibers other than those stated above are not true scout rifles but actually "pseudo-scouts." However, even though Steyr Mannlicher (and now Savage) are making production rifles of this general type (as well as some wild variations) they are under no legal obligation not to call their deviations "scouts" as a marketing tool. Thus, the Steyr .376 Scout also known as (and probably better referred to as the ".376 Dragoon" although the factory dislikes the term) nor the .223 variation are true scout rifles. For that matter neither are the custom made scout-like rifles made up in .30-06, .375 H&H, or what ever caliber. However, there are many parts of the scout design that can be handily used on non-scout rifles.

I guess they got the length right. I was thinking it had to be a yard or less long, not a meter. Me and my avoirdupois bias.

And yeah, Goalie, I am also very partial to the Mauser style CRF. My primary hunting rifle is a Ruger M77 and one of my sons' is a 1909 Argentine. That said, I am slowly losing that bias. I have never had a FTE using a non-CRF yet. But maybe I just haven't shot enough.

I'm warming up to this one a bit now that I see a new Savage Scout lists for over $800. Still kind of wish I had bought that Steyr I saw for $1500 back when I had money.

[Pinnacle]

A 308 does kick, and the lighter the thing is the more that it will buck around. For defensive shooting, it is not just the first round that counts, it is also about follow up shots.

I think that if Ruger wanted to be really clever, and build a gun that is more suited to the majority of shooters that cannot handle the sharp recoil of a 308, they could offer this in 7.62x39mm. That would be a great caliber for this type of rifle.

Another good choice would be this rifle in 223. I know that the mini 14 would be the other choice and likely better, but there are a lot of people that cannot operate a semi with a degree of confidence, and there are jurisdictions where a bolt action would be a little friendlier, well, like where i live.

I have always been a big fan of Ruger, great guns for the money.

[DeanC]

they could offer this in 7.62x39mm

Apparently, Savage did/does offer their rifle in this caliber. Mine is actually in 7mm-08.

Another good choice would be this rifle in 223.

Now you're talking heresy.

When we set up the criteria for the Scout at the factory in Austria, we agreed upon just two calibers, 308 and 7-08, the latter for use in those situations where the 308 is forbidden or restricted as a "military cartridge." But immediately the factory people pushed through a rifle in 223, simply to take advantage of the immense stores of this ammunition available throughout the world. The fact remains, however, that no rifle in caliber 223 should be called a Scout.

and it has no need to be offered in goofy calibers such as the 223.

I certainly do not claim to own the term "Scout Rifle." I believe I did apply it originally to a certain type of general-purpose weapon that I have found remarkably successful in the field. It is annoying, however, to have people subvert the terminology to the extent that we cannot know what we are talking about. A Scout, for example, is a general-purpose rifle and thus it must take a general-purpose cartridge, most particularly not a 223.

Somebody told me that the factory has come up with a rifle very much like the Scout, but in caliber 223. I cannot verify this, but I hope that it is not true. There is no possible reason for a scout-type rifle in that caliber, but then a year ago at the show I saw a muzzle brake on a 22. You can become very unpopular by asking people "why?".

Of course, I'm having a little fun here. I admit I worship Cooper and consider him infallible on just about any topic. A .223 would not be an entirely bad option, especially considering some of the advanced and heavier bullets they are putting out now. It just can't be called a "Scout".

[David]

I think that if Ruger wanted to be really clever, and build a gun that is more suited to the majority of shooters that cannot handle the sharp recoil of a 308, they could offer this in 7.62x39mm. That would be a great caliber for this type of rifle.

Agreed (for my purposes anyway), but then it wouldn't specifically be a "scout" rifle. Cooper was really big on shooting large things from a long ways away. 7.62 x 39 doesn't really fit the bill. They could come out with another version and just not call it a scout rifle.

[Pinnacle]

As a matter of practicality, regardless of the vaunted Cooper and his thoughts, the 308 is the perfect caliber for just about anything, other than the fact that there are people that cannot handle that amount of horsepower in a small light package.

Call it what you will, but for me, the 308 would be a little too much caliber for the intended purpose of this rifle, perhaps a 243 would be better........ I think that there are a lot of calibers out there for a reason. There is no one size fits all caliber.

[Heffay]

There is no one size fits all caliber.

No, the .308 is the one size fits all caliber. If it doesn't seem to solve your problem, you just happen to have the wrong problems.

[Molasses]

I'm warming up to this one a bit now that I see a new Savage Scout lists for over $800. Still kind of wish I had bought that Steyr I saw for $1500 back when I had money.

Heh. I took the plunge and bought a Steyr a few years back and I'm still looking at this thing, going

I don't like the flash hider, but that's just based on looks and of no consequence, as it's easily removed or swapped out for anything else threaded 5/8X24.

No midpoint sling swivel for a Ching or CW sling. Maybe just as well; I'd rather use Pachmayr or Millett flush-mounts anyhow, so it's just one less Uncle Mike's stud to replace and more latitude to pick the spot to put it.

The magazine is a bigger deal. AI mags? What, they wanted to make sure the Steyr owners didn't feel left out when it came to $pare mag$? Additionally, that choice is ergonomically challenged. Even the 5 round mag sticks down even with the bottom of the trigger guard and negates one of the neat things about a forward mounted scope; how it unclutters the balance point of the rifle and allows easy one-handed carry.

I'm no fan of Ruger's knockoff of the Model 70 Winchester safety. I have never developed the ability to reliably get those things swung all the way around forward to the off safe position, especially in a hurry. At least not without moving my right hand out of a firing grip on the rifle. It was one of the main reasons I got out of my Ruger Frontier. After recent discussion on the Scout Forums, I've been wondering if it wouldn't be possible to add material onto the safety lever's backside to get some extra reach, so even that isn't a deal breaker at the moment.

I'm looking forward to a chance to handle one. And even with all my gripes I'm thinking I just might do something stupid with a credit card once I do.