JCooperfan1911
member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2020
- Messages
- 2,709
Hello everyone. I just got back from an outing with this fine rifle:
I recently bought one of Steyr-Mannlicher’s scouting pieces in caliber .308 Winchester/7.62mm x 51 NATO. This is the Jeff Cooper’s package variant with all the bells and whistles. An early serialed gun, the firing pin needed some adjustment to reliably set off the hard primed 7.62mm M80 ball loads I had around. This is a known issue with these early scouts.
With the adjustable tension firing pin set to full striking force, the primers are all set off nicely now. Yet, this increased bolt lifting forces to a less-than-desirable level of pressure. A call to Mr. Herbert Wohlmuth, resident gunsmith at Steyr USA, yielded details of improved bolt bits.
I sent in my bolt and Herbert set me up with newer updated parts of improved geometrical specifications. It only took a week or so and the rebuilt bolt arrived at my doorstep. The forces have been reduced dramatically, and the bolt is now incredibly smooth and fast to work at the shoulder. The people at Steyr USA were extremely friendly and very quick and easy to get ahold of. I cannot say the same for other firearms companies I’ve had to deal.
Additionally, the rifle seemed to be striking primers offcenter slightly which nagged me a bit. Well whatever Herbert did, the primer strikes are all nicely centered and deeply hit. It could of well been loose tolerances on the primer cup coordinates of the cheap M80 rounds I had before.
I have since fired this rifle about 100 times and reliability and accuracy are stellar. I have placed the original rare discontinued Leupold 2.5x28mm Steyr factory marked scout scope and rings in reserve and have instead placed one of my favorites on the rifle, a Burris 2.75x20mm scout scope in Warne low QD rings. I prefer the Burris and the QD rings allow the optic to be quickly removed from the rifle to allow utilization of the reserve backup ghost ring iron sighting system during moments of duress.
I have also swapped out the rather heavy and bulky leather factory Ching sling with a far lighter, simpler, Magpul RLS loop sling. I greatly enjoy this sling and it can be looped up very quickly and provided a stable shooting platform. I have the hardware set up with a deliberate half loop for best comfort when slung up. A shooting support sling was considered a must by Cooper and I think he’d be pleased with the Magpul RLS.
I have been carrying the Steyr in the field and it is a supremely well balanced and ergonomic piece of shooting equipage. The forward-mounted scout style optic allows the piece to be carried about its natural balancing point at the magazine well. I have found the sling carrying method of the African style to work very nicely. Very quick to mount the gun and offer a snap shot to any beast or attacker. This is simply a far more comfortable rifle to tote than any AR-10 or similar.
The integral bipod shown deployed above is ingenious. When not in use, it snaps securely into the handguard and is quick to deploy and use. The original style polymer bipod pivot can be damaged if abused, but the clever people at Steyr have since invented a stronger solid aluminum pivot as a replacement. My rifle features the original polymer example but many in the know agree this is just fine as long as the gun isn’t slammed hard on the ground etc. I’ve found despite the somewhat fragile appearance, it is more than steady enough for good shooting in the prone and is very useful to keep the rifle out of the dirt/sand/mud.
Another swell feature of the Steyr is the spare magazine stowage compartment in the stock. When the primary magazine is run dry, it can quickly be plucked free of the magazine housing, the rear mag retrieved from the stock, sent home, and the bolt pushed forward. It is extremely rapid and gets the rifle back into action fast without the need for a bulky extended magazines.
For those not familiar with the concept of the scout rifle, it was meant as a weapon for military scouts as well as explorers in remote regions of the world and is the brainchild of Colonel Jeff Cooper USMC Ret. Much has been written on the scout concept by Cooper, compatriots, as well as by some detractors of the concept. I personally feel it a good idea.
Some try and claim the weapon is supposed to be a direct replacement for a battle rifle or carbine and this is absolutely not so. Cooper designed the rifle to be handy, compact, powerful enough to defeat a living target as large as 1000 lbs at intermediate ranges, be useful for hunting, wilderness defense against dangerous beasts, and emergency defense against human attackers such as an enemy scout or patrol when evasion was not possible. It was never meant to be a primary weapon of combat.
In one of the Colonel’s earliest articles, there was the quote “you may need single hits, not volume fire”. One can envision the scenario of a scout on patrol encountering another in his role but of the enemy’s persuasion. A single, quick and accurate snap shot may be all the chance he gets. Blasting off a magazine from an assault rifle would only serve to pinpoint his location and draw unwanted attention. It is for this usage the scout rifle was meant for, not by members of the infantry platoon.
For civilian use, this rifle is legal just about everywhere in the continental United States. Not so for semi-automatics. A scout style rifle would be a natural choice for such less fortunate areas of our nation and could be pressed into defensive use very effectively and be an excellent gun for carrying around and hunting just about anything from gophers to elk.
The Steyr Scout was very well received by Cooper and is considered the golden standard for the class by many proponents of the concept. Mine is rapidly becoming my favorite rifle and it just begs to be handled and fired. It is snag free, light, quiet in carry, streamlined, amazingly well balanced, rapid to shoulder and excellent for snap shooting. I look forward to deer hunting with it this autumn and possibly boar hunting with it at some point.
So in closing, the Steyr Scout is an excellent weapon. It does what it was designed to do and it does it very well. I recommend it highly. Take care and thank you for reading!
-JCF
I recently bought one of Steyr-Mannlicher’s scouting pieces in caliber .308 Winchester/7.62mm x 51 NATO. This is the Jeff Cooper’s package variant with all the bells and whistles. An early serialed gun, the firing pin needed some adjustment to reliably set off the hard primed 7.62mm M80 ball loads I had around. This is a known issue with these early scouts.
With the adjustable tension firing pin set to full striking force, the primers are all set off nicely now. Yet, this increased bolt lifting forces to a less-than-desirable level of pressure. A call to Mr. Herbert Wohlmuth, resident gunsmith at Steyr USA, yielded details of improved bolt bits.
I sent in my bolt and Herbert set me up with newer updated parts of improved geometrical specifications. It only took a week or so and the rebuilt bolt arrived at my doorstep. The forces have been reduced dramatically, and the bolt is now incredibly smooth and fast to work at the shoulder. The people at Steyr USA were extremely friendly and very quick and easy to get ahold of. I cannot say the same for other firearms companies I’ve had to deal.
Additionally, the rifle seemed to be striking primers offcenter slightly which nagged me a bit. Well whatever Herbert did, the primer strikes are all nicely centered and deeply hit. It could of well been loose tolerances on the primer cup coordinates of the cheap M80 rounds I had before.
I have since fired this rifle about 100 times and reliability and accuracy are stellar. I have placed the original rare discontinued Leupold 2.5x28mm Steyr factory marked scout scope and rings in reserve and have instead placed one of my favorites on the rifle, a Burris 2.75x20mm scout scope in Warne low QD rings. I prefer the Burris and the QD rings allow the optic to be quickly removed from the rifle to allow utilization of the reserve backup ghost ring iron sighting system during moments of duress.
I have also swapped out the rather heavy and bulky leather factory Ching sling with a far lighter, simpler, Magpul RLS loop sling. I greatly enjoy this sling and it can be looped up very quickly and provided a stable shooting platform. I have the hardware set up with a deliberate half loop for best comfort when slung up. A shooting support sling was considered a must by Cooper and I think he’d be pleased with the Magpul RLS.
I have been carrying the Steyr in the field and it is a supremely well balanced and ergonomic piece of shooting equipage. The forward-mounted scout style optic allows the piece to be carried about its natural balancing point at the magazine well. I have found the sling carrying method of the African style to work very nicely. Very quick to mount the gun and offer a snap shot to any beast or attacker. This is simply a far more comfortable rifle to tote than any AR-10 or similar.
The integral bipod shown deployed above is ingenious. When not in use, it snaps securely into the handguard and is quick to deploy and use. The original style polymer bipod pivot can be damaged if abused, but the clever people at Steyr have since invented a stronger solid aluminum pivot as a replacement. My rifle features the original polymer example but many in the know agree this is just fine as long as the gun isn’t slammed hard on the ground etc. I’ve found despite the somewhat fragile appearance, it is more than steady enough for good shooting in the prone and is very useful to keep the rifle out of the dirt/sand/mud.
Another swell feature of the Steyr is the spare magazine stowage compartment in the stock. When the primary magazine is run dry, it can quickly be plucked free of the magazine housing, the rear mag retrieved from the stock, sent home, and the bolt pushed forward. It is extremely rapid and gets the rifle back into action fast without the need for a bulky extended magazines.
For those not familiar with the concept of the scout rifle, it was meant as a weapon for military scouts as well as explorers in remote regions of the world and is the brainchild of Colonel Jeff Cooper USMC Ret. Much has been written on the scout concept by Cooper, compatriots, as well as by some detractors of the concept. I personally feel it a good idea.
Some try and claim the weapon is supposed to be a direct replacement for a battle rifle or carbine and this is absolutely not so. Cooper designed the rifle to be handy, compact, powerful enough to defeat a living target as large as 1000 lbs at intermediate ranges, be useful for hunting, wilderness defense against dangerous beasts, and emergency defense against human attackers such as an enemy scout or patrol when evasion was not possible. It was never meant to be a primary weapon of combat.
In one of the Colonel’s earliest articles, there was the quote “you may need single hits, not volume fire”. One can envision the scenario of a scout on patrol encountering another in his role but of the enemy’s persuasion. A single, quick and accurate snap shot may be all the chance he gets. Blasting off a magazine from an assault rifle would only serve to pinpoint his location and draw unwanted attention. It is for this usage the scout rifle was meant for, not by members of the infantry platoon.
For civilian use, this rifle is legal just about everywhere in the continental United States. Not so for semi-automatics. A scout style rifle would be a natural choice for such less fortunate areas of our nation and could be pressed into defensive use very effectively and be an excellent gun for carrying around and hunting just about anything from gophers to elk.
The Steyr Scout was very well received by Cooper and is considered the golden standard for the class by many proponents of the concept. Mine is rapidly becoming my favorite rifle and it just begs to be handled and fired. It is snag free, light, quiet in carry, streamlined, amazingly well balanced, rapid to shoulder and excellent for snap shooting. I look forward to deer hunting with it this autumn and possibly boar hunting with it at some point.
So in closing, the Steyr Scout is an excellent weapon. It does what it was designed to do and it does it very well. I recommend it highly. Take care and thank you for reading!
-JCF
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