My wife and daughter gave me a LEFT-HANDED Scout just this last Christmas, the latest in a long succession of wonderful firearms that stretches back more than forty years.
Sneaky as always, they first gave me a package containing a nice black Ruger-logo T-shirt. I admired it and put it down. My daughter then said, "Check the back, Dad!" Yeah.....custom embroidered, it says" I finally got my Gunsite Scout!" They then dragged the long package out of a nearby closet...
Severe medical troubles since Christmas have prevented much shooting, but I sure like the rifle. I mounted a new Redfield/Leupold 3-9X in the receiver position. (The Picatinny rail was removed about thirty seconds after opening the package!) I'm another ol' f--t who fails to see the utility of the forward-mounted scope sight, but this rifle does give us options.
The Scout is probably not "the best" for any role, but I will say that it can fill almost ANY need a man may have for a centerfire rifle in North America. If my health ever gets back to "normal", this rifle will ride with me a whole lot. It will handily take deer, moose, bears, coyotes.....you name it!
The quality is fine. Trigger is excellent right out of the box, and well-executed checkering gives a good grip. I vastly prefer laminated wood to synthetic stocks. The action on my rifle is quite smooth and will only improve with use.
That ten-round magazine will be my "pocket/pouch back-up" and I now have a couple less-obtrusive polymer mags...they feed very nicely and give a much nicer profile to the rifle.
Is it "worth it"? Darned tootin', it is....to me, at least. Good job, Ruger.