You can have a red-dot Scout Scope; SWFA sells a Leupold VX2 1.5-5X IER Scout Scope with the new Fire Dot reticle. It features a 30mm main tube, with the duplex Fire Dot in the center. Finish is either gloss or matte. Current price is $599. If you order the Leupold QRW 30mm low rings, they will fit directly to the Ruger GSR installed rail.
best bolt action for a scout rifle build?
- Thread starter jason41987
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jason41987
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i might consider holographic/red dot if it was something i could just grab and tear off the rifle if it malfunctioned, having the standard leaf and blade type iron sights as backup
rbernie
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The problem with that idea is that you'll not find a bolt gun that can naturally co-witness the irons and the optic. What you get instead is an optic that sits higher than the irons, meaning that you'll either get a crappy jaw-weld instead of a cheek weld when using the optic (butt stock set up to align with the irons) or not be able to use the irons because you can't smoosh your face down far enough on the butt stock (butt stock set up for a proper cheek weld with the optic).
If you do go down this road, you will need to design and build iron sights tall enough to co-witness with the lowest optic mount that you can run.
If you do go down this road, you will need to design and build iron sights tall enough to co-witness with the lowest optic mount that you can run.
jason41987
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i would rather just stick with an iron sight.. but a good one, possibly with fiber-optics or tritium for low light
Averageman
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rbernie
I had a similar issue scoping an M1A. Jaw hold wasnt going to work, so I built up what I call a potatoe. Small oblong piece of plastic, drill two small pillars, cover plastic with leather and you have good visual with your optics.
Pull the optics and the potatoe and you have irons.
It isnt co witness, but it gives you more optical options and would work in this case with a scout rifle too.
I had a similar issue scoping an M1A. Jaw hold wasnt going to work, so I built up what I call a potatoe. Small oblong piece of plastic, drill two small pillars, cover plastic with leather and you have good visual with your optics.
Pull the optics and the potatoe and you have irons.
It isnt co witness, but it gives you more optical options and would work in this case with a scout rifle too.
henschman
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The way I figure it, a FR-8 with an XS-Clifton Mauser scout mount will co-witness a red dot in a low ring. Look up a picture of a rifle with the mount... they sit pretty low.
I think a co-witnessed red dot is just about the ideal scout optic setup... light, fast, and easy to transition to irons if the dot craps out on you. Relying on batteries is not a big issue with the Aimpoints, since they will run for several years even with the dot left on constantly. So with a few tiny batteries, you can keep one going for decades. As for the range issue, if you need to spot at longer range when you're out scoutin', that's what binocs are for.
FYI an illuminated reticle scope, like that Leupold Scout, is not the same thing as a Red Dot Sight. The scope will still have magnification, eye relief, and parallax. The red dot has none of these, which is what makes it so fast.
I think a co-witnessed red dot is just about the ideal scout optic setup... light, fast, and easy to transition to irons if the dot craps out on you. Relying on batteries is not a big issue with the Aimpoints, since they will run for several years even with the dot left on constantly. So with a few tiny batteries, you can keep one going for decades. As for the range issue, if you need to spot at longer range when you're out scoutin', that's what binocs are for.
FYI an illuminated reticle scope, like that Leupold Scout, is not the same thing as a Red Dot Sight. The scope will still have magnification, eye relief, and parallax. The red dot has none of these, which is what makes it so fast.
35 Whelen
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A red dot on a Scout rifle seems counterintuitive to me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but red dots are designed for quick acquisition at relatively close ranges and as such they have large "dots" which would preclude any kind of precision shooting at ranges much over 100 yds. A Scout rifle chambered in .308 is easily a 400 yd. rifle.
35W
35W
wlewisiii
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It can be a 400 yard weapon, though any I carried would be optimized for 100 yards. For me, I'm still trying to figure out the co-witnessed irons & red dot problem on a bolt action. It may well turn out to be insurmountable, but I am still puttering with it.
If I actually expected to be shooting at 500 yards, I'd have that 14 lb. Ishapore I posted upthread along instead of a 7 lb. scout rifle because those are two very different environments; very different jobs. But then, I was a scout during a big chunk of my time in the US Army and that colors my approach.
If I actually expected to be shooting at 500 yards, I'd have that 14 lb. Ishapore I posted upthread along instead of a 7 lb. scout rifle because those are two very different environments; very different jobs. But then, I was a scout during a big chunk of my time in the US Army and that colors my approach.
Ed1163
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If Thor had a Mosin M44, he would've hung up his hammer. 
Israeli Mauser-.308. Got it with a bulged barrel, cut it back to 18", replaced the stock with a choate, sexed up the bolt handle and added a redfield receiver sight. I've read that a Thompson Contender scope mount with mount to the barrel for a scout scope....
wlewisiii
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Got word I can pick up my VZ-24 action with new 19" barrel. Took him two & 1/2 months to get to mine, but, OTOH, the cost is only $50 Still need a stock and iron sights for it but I can deal with that down the road. Since the old mil irons wouldn't fit the new barrel (which is apparently a "different" mil step ) I may just put a peep sight on the rear receiver & see if I can fit a M1 carbine front sight like up thread.
Still need a stock and iron sights for it but I can deal with that down the road. Since the old mil irons wouldn't fit the new barrel (which is apparently a "different" mil step ) I may just put a peep sight on the rear receiver & see if I can fit a M1 carbine front sight like up thread.henschman
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Yes, a red dot excels for up close shooting. They don't all have big fat dots that obscure your target at intermediate ranges, though. Many of the Aimpoints come with a 2 MOA dot. That will fully cover the kill zone of a deer at 800 yards, or a man's torso at 1000 yards, but would be very useable for distances under that, as long as you know your come-ups or hold-offs.
Red dots rarely have a dot that is fatter than the typical front post with iron sights... IMO they are useable to the same types of distances irons are, with the added advantage of quicker sighting up close. The reason I think a red dot would be good for a Scout is that the typical hunting or combat shot that is taken under 150 yards, which is right where a red dot is in its prime. Of course a forward mounted 2.5x scope is no slouch for closer distances either, but in my experience a red dot is a little faster, and useable in lower light.
Of course the optics should be set up for the typical distances at which you use the rifle. I don't know 35W, you've done a lot of hunting with your scout... what is the typical range you make your kills at? Do you think a 1x dot optic would have been a disadvantage for any of those?
Red dots rarely have a dot that is fatter than the typical front post with iron sights... IMO they are useable to the same types of distances irons are, with the added advantage of quicker sighting up close. The reason I think a red dot would be good for a Scout is that the typical hunting or combat shot that is taken under 150 yards, which is right where a red dot is in its prime. Of course a forward mounted 2.5x scope is no slouch for closer distances either, but in my experience a red dot is a little faster, and useable in lower light.
Of course the optics should be set up for the typical distances at which you use the rifle. I don't know 35W, you've done a lot of hunting with your scout... what is the typical range you make your kills at? Do you think a 1x dot optic would have been a disadvantage for any of those?
Don357
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Something no-one has mentioned is a M-48 Yugo Mauser. It's a large ring, intermediate length action/with stripper clip guide, and leaf sights. Comes in 8mm but can be rebarreld for whatever. Only two drawbacks tho'. It's heavy, but if you were considering other Mausers, thats not a deal breaker, and the other is, because of the intermediate length action, aftermarket stocks are hard to find. Another good thing bout the M-48 is that, even though it is a Mauser per-say, it has no historical value other than it is a military rifle, because it was built after WW2, and very few even saw combat action because Yugoslavia had already adopted the AK47 by the time of the revolution. (I have one in military new condition with all matching numbers that I only paid $160 out the door for 3years ago.) Anyway, that being said, modifying one would only hurt the feelings of the most radical hardcore purists. Just my opinion and suggestion.
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