Is the ruger scout worth it?

This is from an old Air Force guy. Welcome!

For your first hunting rifle, get something in a common format, such as the Savage you mentioned. The Scout is a wonderful rifle, but is a "niche" item, best suited after you've got several years and hunts under your belt.

And, at 19, you might want to save a few hundred bucks and get the Savage. Bank the difference for ammo, scope and other hunting equipment.

I love Rugers, but there are more reasonably priced options that may even work better. don't believe everything you read in gun mags, cause they are paid by the gun makers to give them a good review..."don't bite the hand that feeds ya"....doubt any gun mags will trash this or any other firearm...like I said, more reasonable options out there. your money.

savage makes a scout rifle that is way cheaper

If I'm going to carry a gun with a protruding box magazine it won't be a bolt action. It also won't have a shortened barrel.

For the same money I would sooner have a BLR, or spend a little more and get an M1A. But what I would actually do is spend the same amount of money and buy a good conventional bolt gun with a good Leupold scope and mounts, plus reloading dies and supplies. You can get a perfectly serviceable bolt gun for literally half the price of the GSR and I wouldn't miss any of the added bells and whistles. Well, in fairness the open sights are nice, but you can still find rifles with a good set of irons.

"If I'm going to carry a gun with a protruding box magazine it won't be a bolt action"


Thanks for "getting it".

Cooper and the majority of the other Scout Rifle Conference(s) attendees felt that a flush box magazine to allow easy one handed carry at point of balance was an essential part of the design of the Scout. The protruding magazine is absolutely in contradiction with the spirit of the Scout Rifle as envisioned by the originators of the concept. (As is the flash hider).



Willie


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Chicarones,

Man I never saw so much wood hogged out that wasn't covered by a buttplate. He could have done it much easier by using a 1903A3 stamped lower sling swivel and a 1/2" end mill on a milling machine and made it much smaller. I don't use Springfield Screws as they are too pricey. I use Phillips head wood screws and I first run screws in, then remove them and pour thinned ( w/ acetone) Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy in hole, let it soak in a bit and re-insert the screw. Never had to worry about screw backing out.

I had a phone repair guy give me a extra long 3/8" drill once. Its about 18" long. It is for drilling at a base board and making sure it comes out under the house even if it has to go to through several beams.

I was thinking about doing that and inserting a screw together M16 cleaning rod. Only problem is the Ruger buttplate would be a bear to get off so you would have to carry a screwdriver around your neck.

Assuming you are going to shoot it alot one needs to think about what the next barrel is going to be because it is going to have to be contoured alot to get it back in stock.

I would not put side swivel on front end because if you want to use the sling for long range prone shooting it won't work well. What would be better is several studs like on some bolt guns I see. One would be for Harris 6-9 bipod and other for sling swivel.

I can see not wanting a protruding mag for carry and whatnot, but I see no downside to a flash hider. I think it is a great feature on a rifle that sees lots of carry in the field, because it protects the muzzle crown... along with it's main intended purpose of course (keeping the muzzle flash from blinding the shooter). Seeing how it adds maybe half an inch and minuscule weight, I left the FH on my FR8 scout.

Personally I think a flash hider is a plus on just about any rifle.

Welding Rod said:

Personally I think a flash hider is a plus on just about any rifle.

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I think a threaded muzzle is a plus, especially if you own a can in that caliber.

Had they used a m16 Birdcage (open slots all the way around) the owners could us M16 muzzle caps to keep crap out of bore etc.

I bet the design time and the cost of production is like 12.00 on them where the AR Bird cages can be had for about five bucks. Just drill them out so the 30 cal bullets clear.

would have shortened the rifle about a inch as well.

They did this on some M60s and it worked fine.

I have a GSR and think it is great for what I need it for. But I would NOT recommend it for what you want! You can buy a much cheaper rifle that will fit your needs. Several have already been suggested. Pick one of them like the Savage or a surplus gun like the 2A1 Enfield in .308nato . You can pick up a used Ruger GSR down the road if you still want one. But it's your money in the end! By the way I got mine for $800 . And I thought that was a little to much! But at $1000 I would wait!

well think about it. a remington 700 with laminate stock will run you more than $700,

scout scope mount/picitini will cost a couple hundred dollars
magazine upgrade will cost a couple hundred
cutting the barrel and getting flash hider will be another couple hundred....


... I would say that the ruger is worth it compared to building your own.

I just wish it came in 243.

I have the 3, 5, and 10 round mags - so I can configure the profile as I see fit.

Exactly. With a 3 round mag in the GSR takes on a very different feel.

Hummer70 said:

Chicarones,
Man I never saw so much wood hogged out that wasn't covered by a buttplate.

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Yeah, a lot of wood had to come out for that set up. I do like the final flush fit and the appearance ain't too shabby once done. I won't take that on since I don't have anything but a couple hand tools for wood. Mine would look a bit butchered, I'm sure.

One thing about that flash suppressor on the Ruger GSR, is that it seems Ruger puts it on everything they make that has a flash suppressor. The 10/22 tactical, SR556, Mini14/30, and the GSR. They just change the bore and threads to suit the barrel.

Even though the flash suppressor works from a bystanders point of view, I don't notice the flash without the flash suppressor from the shooters point of view in any light. I mean it is a one-bullet-at-a-time gun after all. Of course, I haven't fired it night.

For me, I'd rather lose 1.5" overall rifle length by removing that 2.25" long generic Ruger flash suppressor. (about 0.75" is the threads on the barrel)

Of course, I haven't fired it night.

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isn't this one of the primary times a flash suppressor becomes useful?

one can always swap out the ruger unit for any other. i put an armalite a2 style on mine. the ruger unit haveing slots all the way around, kicks up a bit of dust and dirt when fired from prone.

back40 said:

isn't this one of the primary times a flash suppressor becomes useful?

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Yep, if I had a situation that I'd fire the GSR at night, it'd make sense for my use. Since I don't have optics on it for night use, well . . .

308 and a short barrel is just so loud... now with a can or with the 18" version maybe. I wish they would just take that 18" threaded barrel and left handed action and drop it in a regular laminate stock. I'd buy one then. I'm just not into the whole detach mag and scount mount and iron sights on an long range caliber rifle (yes, I know 308 isn't truly long range, but it is not meant to be a short range round like a pistol round either). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the scout setup on a short range gun like an m1 carbine, and marlin 1894, and if I can figure out a GOOD way to do it on my 10/22 without a lot of costly upgrades I'm there. But a 308 is a long range cartridge, and that wants a long range scope, and that does poorly as a scout setup.

My son has one. I got to shoot it. Now I want one. I think it is a great rifle.

I have two Scouts, one RH, one LH. One cost $990 and one cost $775. The lower priced one was purchased recently after the craziness wore off. I think it is a great rifle for lots of things; hunting, personal protection, fun shooting or whatever else you can think of. It is a good general purpose rifle and one of the few on the market that still has iron sights, which I like. It is a great truck gun if you want a little more power than a 30/30 lever gun.

I would not buy the GSR as my first or "only" hunting rifle because of the price. I would buy a Ruger American for half the price, but I like Ruger products. If you don't like the American, and have more money, I would buy a Ruger Compact in .308. Both of these require a scope. I am sure there are others out there for less money than the GSR.

Like it or not, the GSR is a fun rifle and I enjoy mine.

I have one. Bought it a cpl years ago. Its accurate, handy, relatively light, fast to get on sight, and has a decent trigger, and if I can see it I can hit it with my GSR.

The GSR like other scout rifles does not excel at one thing. It is an all around rifle for multiple purposes. If you want to shoot tiny groups buy a benchrest rifle. If you want to shoot a ram at 600 yds in the pump station perhaps its not the best rifle. But if you want an all around good rifle that you can hunt and defend yourself with, ill take my GSR.

Roadkill: You might have realized this after you posted that photo in April: it is a Gibbs in 7.62 Nato/.308. A friend has one and he really likes it. The sight is a rear leaf, in contrast to the Enfield #5 "Jungle", which has the adjustable rear aperture. I have two original Enfield #5s.

Your idea is excellent, and how many of you guys know what the Spanish FR8 actually is? Three of the four sight settings are apertures. Many FR8s have the original matching bolts and really bright bores.
The weak(er) Spanish 7.62 ammo was produced for either the small-ring 7mm Mauser conversions and/or the select-fire CETME.
Unlike the weaker FR7 (converted from the small-ring 7x57 mm), the FR8 is built on the large-ring 8mm Mauser action, and is quite strong.

They are sort of like a heavier "Jungle Carbine", but use a round which is easier to find, with bullets much easier to find for reloading. My FR8s have several of the benefits and features of the CETME G-3, without the risks associated with so many Century semi-autos.

I think its a nifty rifle. I have a New Frontier that was a gift with a forward mounted 2 1/2 scope. Much to my surprise almost everyone in my family loves it. It is neat and efficient. Quite accurate. Not surprisingly it has taken a number of deer already. I looked at the GSR about 2 weeks ago, and really like it. I view these rifles more as general purpose utility rifles. Much as I utilize a Garand or an 1903 Springfield. I think this is a design concept that is either liked or not liked. Hummer70 had some very interesting ideas as to improvements and changes he would make or suggest. I like some of his ideas. If I remember right, Jeff Coopers thoughs on rifles at that time, was that much time had been spent on cartridges and marketeering and not enough time on the launching pads themselves as far as innovation goes. A rifle that gets shot alot, is usually one that is enjoyed for various reasons and gets the job at hand, done. The GSR, to me seems as though it would be both fun to shoot, and capable. Hope this helps.

I first saw the Ruger Scout and loved it, but I could not justify coming up with the $700+ for it, and then I saw a sporterized Enfield No.4Mk1, and was intrigued that it had virtually all of the features of the scout, though not as "fancy". The Enfield cost $289 and had a very tight bore that allows the use of .308 bullets, and often prints 1MOA with them. Additionally, the Enfield is very "field servicable", so I picked up some spare springs, firing pin, screws, extractor and springs, and threw them all in a kit box. I don't miss the Ruger, and am completely satisfied with the old 303.