well-
1: I do not have the money, and probably won't ever have the money, to buy a 4 figure scout rifle. The concept isn't important enough to me, for a couple reasons. I'll explain in a bit.
2: I'm actually less than religious about the Scout Rifle as an archetype. (for example, caliber choices, barrel lengths, and optics).
3: It's not necessarily a hack job. The synth stock is something I'll try, but I have no problem refinishing and tuning the wood stock if it ends up better. But I expect it will work. The barrel shortening isn't going to be anything not done by the russians when modifying their own rifles! I won't hack, I can crown a match barrel
(still 3) :
IF I do the bolt- I have no problems operating the safety with my right thumb only to disengage- it will be professionally done. The one area I've seen more hacking and bubba-smithing on these rifles is here. I actually like the straight bolt, and only would
need to change if doing a traditional scope.
(last part of 3) : the scope mount is the only possible hack level area. And I'm willing to give it a shot and see how the concept and execution works before milling myself a steel weaver base to fit on the rear sight mount.
I think this platform is really good- it's an easy round to custom load for (which partially alleviates the barrel length problem you mentioned), the rifle is solid and bombproof. And it's cheap- which I actually think matter a lot, here.
I'm 50/50 on the LER scope versus a traditional scope. Truthfully, I'd skip the scope idea entirely for my normal shooting expectations- inside 250 yards- if I had a decent peep sight. DOesn't have to be super target, I'd take a basic m14 model.
I don't really see barrel length as a huge issue the way some people do in the scout world. I actually think 22-24 inches is fine, and that if you really want an 18" carbine, you should get a caliber that really makes that sing, like a 38-40 or a 44mag) I'll probably start with 24 inches and see if I like it, with 21 as the minimum.
Now, all this comes from my different views on range and utility. Where I'm moving to, for the first time, I'm going to be looking at the possibility of 100 yard varmint shots
in my yard. And 250 yards isn't that hard out in the countryside in nevada. I'm used to brush, where a 75 yard shot requires a major setup and some luck. 50 yards is more right. And, really, for a compact longarm that I want to hike around the dense bush with, where my max range is almost certainly under 100 yards- I want a shotgun.
