Yippee!! Scout Rifle! Scout Rifle!!

Runs With Scissors

Runs With Scissors

Joined
Dec 3, 2000
Messages
3,002
After years of wanting a scout rifle, but being too pi$$ broke to afford one, it looks like I'll have mine on order tomorrow.

Not one of the Steyrs, but a Savage, which is fine by me. I've always thought highly of their products, especially when we're talkin' about a rifle that will be used hard and heavy. That extra 2K or so would make me cringe a little harder when clanging it around in the bottom of a canoe, or beating through the woods. Oh, not to mention I'm still fairly po'

Should be a good rifle though. a good sturdy, versatile utility gun if there ever was one.

I'm excited! Lets talk 'bout Scout Rifles! love 'em? hate 'em? shot any of 'em from? favorite acessories? like the common calibers?
idiosyncracies? customizations?

Between the Scout Rifle and a 45-70 I should have all the rifle I could ever possibly need. (the .22 rimfire is a given):D
 
Ah heck, I shoulda been clearer on that. I don't have a 45-70. Still borrowin' my fathers. I'm just lookin' at one next on my wish list. (yup, already plannin' my next purchase before this one's even complete)

I consider a 45-70 to be more of a close range big critter brush gun, while the Scout has a bit more of a broad scope of utility. (lotsa critters ta' shoot at here in Alaska Ya' know)

I don't necessarily "need" anything more than my current scrounge a$$ beat to heck 30-06, but there are a couple other things that'd be darn nice to have. If my gun, knife, and tool purchases were govererned solely by "need" I'd get bored pretty darn quickly.:D
 
I set up my Ruger 10-22 scout style and love it. The low power pistol scope mounted way up there works great for pretty much everything. Very fast on target and easy to keep both eyes open. I too am on a budget and have a nice Yugo Model 48 Mauser that I am thinking on turning into a scout. I probably would have been money ahead if I would have just gone the Savage route like you did, but then I usually do things the hard way! I do have a Savage 110 in 7-08 that is a great shooting rifle.
 
A marlin guide gun will take anything in Alaska up to 200 yds. Fast accurate, with the right scope isn't that the definition of a guide gun ?
 
Congrats on your purchase. I bit the bullet and got a Steyr shortly after they hit the market. It has been a fantastic "all around" rifle. I know they are expensive but they are still just tools. It took me awhile to get that concept. I was at an Urban Rifle Class taught by Clint Smith. We were doing one handed malfunction clearances. He came over to show my how to do a certain drill, taking my AR-15 and slamming the side of the barrel on the edge of a piece of plywood we were using as cover. My eyes grew to the size of pie plates. He saw that and noticing the small scuff left on the barrel told me "at least it's an honest mark". Since then I realized my guns are just tools designed to be used, not abused, but used. Honest marks are okay and I can live with them now.

Currently it and my .22lr are my normal rifles. My others are black menacing and work related. The only rifle I currently want to add to my collection would be the Wild West Alaskan Co-pilot but I could settle for the much cheaper Guide Gun in 45/70.

The scout concept is great as long as you realize it's strengths and weakneses.

Which scope are you planning on throwing on it?

KS
 
Big fan of the scout rifle concept here. Someday I'd like to set up a .22, preferably a NEF single shot. My Remington 700 30-06 takes care of all my high power needs so a .22 would make a more useful "project" gun for me.

Paul
 
I bought a Turkish mauser with my C&R license last year and converted it to a scout rifle. The rifle only cost me $40, the stock was cracked and beat up but the barrel was pristine. I had the barrel cut down to 18" and I mounted a scope in the scout style. I'm very happy with my $100 scout rifle. Ammo is very inexpensive, I have 1200rds of Turkish ammo and it shoots great, much better than it has any right to. To complete the project I plan on rebluing and maybe converting it to a bent bolt.

Congrats on the Savage, they are great rifles!
 
I've drooled over every Steyr Scout that's entered the state of Alaska by now, although I still haven't fired one. I'm firmly convinced between the Scout and the Co-Pilot/ guide gun I'll be set for any critter in Alaska that I would ever deal with.

I have alot of faith in Burris and Leupold both. I find myself leaning towards the Leupold, but might still change my mind at the last minute and invest the extra $70 or so towards some ammo or a class. Ah heck...I'd probably be better off with the Leupold on it. This will probably be my most often used centerfire, and it might be the last rifle I buy for another six years, so I'd might as well make it darn good.

I tend to recall there was some degree of dissatisfaction regarding the earlier Burris Scout Scopes, although the one I had on a Model Seven certainly gave me no troubles. I'm sure Burris woulda dealt with it by now if that were the case. Jury's still out, but I am finding myself leaning harder and harder towards the Leupold.
 
dewingrm:

Do you think you may put a conventional scope mount on your Yugo? Just wondered why you would want to change the bolt. I have also been quite pleased with how mine shoots. And ammo is so cheap you can not hardly afford not to own an 8MM! And speaking of 8MM, it is quite a pleasant and versatile round.
 
That Turkish Mauser sounds pretty cool. Hell, I'd love to have something like that to throw behind the seat of the pick-up, and what not.


I was fairly lucky to find the Scout that I did. I had actually scoured the internet a bit, and called umpteen shops in Anchorage looking for one. It took the guys who located one for me a couple of days. They're lettin' me get by for just $480+ S&H. Not a barn burner of a deal, but definitely a fair one, especially for how hard they worked to track one down for me.

too bad it's being discontinued. Guess the market just wasn't there for 'em.
 
Originally posted by knzn
dewingrm:

Do you think you may put a conventional scope mount on your Yugo? Just wondered why you would want to change the bolt. I have also been quite pleased with how mine shoots. And ammo is so cheap you can not hardly afford not to own an 8MM! And speaking of 8MM, it is quite a pleasant and versatile round.
Click to expand...


Well, I have both a Turkish and Yugo mauser. The Turk is the one I converted to a scout style rifle. The Turk has a straight bolt and I think that bent bolts are a little faster to work so I might convert it. I don't plan on doing anything to my Yugo since it's in perfect condition, looks unissued.
 
dewingrm:

Oops, my bad. Sometimes my brain crosses turk with yugo and vise verse.
 
By the way: (Runs With Scissors)

Be sure and let us know when you get it. And may I assume it is going to be in .308? Inquiring minds want to know!
 
Has anyone checked out one of the new Springfield SOCOM 16's? Looks pretty wild. 16" barreled 20 shot .308 MIA. I can only imagine the muzzle blast coming out of this thing. Probably give you flash burns out to 10 yards.
 
That Socom M1A Does look pretty dang cool. Be one hellacious brush gun if ya' din't mind the extra weight. If I had the money, and was looking for a dedicated battle rifle, that'd pretty much be top onn my list. (although the M-96 Expeditionary gets me all glassy eyed and drooling as well)


Got my Savage a few days ago, just been too busy to log onto the computer to mention it. I'd say it definitely meets my expectations, overall. It's been about -25f and windy as hell in my area, which aint very conducive to wringing accuracy outta it. I did shoot it enough to find out that it'll shoot MOIC at about 250 yds. (That would be minute of ice chunk) Shot some out at the inlet. It's a good thing I like the open sights on it, cuz I'm pretty well stuck with 'em for awhile. be another month or two 'till I can put some glass on it. Hopefully before spring. (prefer to shoot blackies in the early spring or late fall when they aint been munchin' salmon so much)

So some of the ups of my new rifle:

Oversized bolt handle is way nice- very fast, easy to manipulate, even with gloves.

open sights. Very sturdy, and very fast to line up, definitely quite sufficient, and very sturdy looking. I'll wind up painting a spot on the front sight most likely.

the lightwieght and short size are really nice, recoil aint bad.

I like that the bolt is black instead of stainless. Bad as I am as a hunter, I prefer not to take chances, even on something that minor.


Downs:

Factory trigger and safety are HORRENDOUS I've had double action pistols with a lighter pull than this thing had from the factory, and the safety had to just about be operated with two hands I've got the safety loosened up to be good enough, and the trigger SAFELY adjusted to a fairly crisp 3.5 LBS, but it took some time to get it right. Anything less than that would not be safe. (wouldn't survive jarring, shock, etc. to my liking)

Muzzle crown- darn thing looks like it was crowned with a hand drill and a wood bit. it truly looks awful. I'll take it out in a month or so for more serious testing. If it's just cosmetic I won't care, if no then I'll pay a few bucks for a recrown.

Gotta buy a couple extra mags...FAST. aint makin' these this year, and I have no reason to believe the mag supply is steady, so I'm gonna need to buy a couple extra mags quickly.

Overall, I'm real happy with the gun though, and it does live up to expectations. If anyone else thinks they may be interested in one, I'd move fast. This one was already pretty hard to obtain. (took a couple days to find)

Oh, BTW I did get the .308 chambered one. Too bad I didn't have 1,000 rounds of 7-08 layin' 'round the house. Saw one of those at the gun show that was in brand new condition for $425.

Oh, talk about scout rifles- ran into an aquaintance at the Gun Show this weekend that had bought a Steyr Scout rifle. one of the .376 chambered ones. Said he had a distributor that was selling them for $1200 each. Heckuva deal, if you got a use for that much power, eh?
 
Originally posted by Runs With Scissors



I did shoot it enough to find out that it'll shoot MOIC at about 250 yds. (That would be minute of ice chunk)


Hopefully before spring. (prefer to shoot blackies in the early spring or late fall when they aint been munchin' salmon so much)
Click to expand...

Ain't getting a new gun fun??!! Glad to hear you like it even though there are some things to work out. MOIC~~very funny. By the way, tell this flatlander why bears are better when they have not been eating salmon. And congradulations.
 
I been havin' myself a helluva time, although I think my wife is one more dry fire away from wrappin' beatin' me and wrappin' that gun 'round my neck.:D

Theory behind gettin' yer bear before the salmon start running heavily is to get 'em before they eat a heckuva lot of salmon, especially the ones that have been turning red. the diet tends to affect the taste of the meat to a large degree. get 'em in the middle of summer or so and they tend to taste alot more foul and gamey. get 'em outta salmon season and they are incredibly good.

similar concept goes with squirrels up here. In Georgia they were pretty darn tasty in a stew or roasted. Up here due to the harsh enviroment and the diet of evergreen pickin' rather than acorns and hickory nuts you couldn't force feed a dyin' cat Alaska squirrel on its dying day.

Anyhoo, thanks for the kind words. I have been pretty damn excited.:D I got 95% of the idiosycracies worked out, so I certainly can't complain.:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top