How well armed would you be with a Savage Scout rifle-red dot and side arm?

[444]

You would have a rifle that is FAR superior to what was used to settle this country.
You would have a better rifle IMO than what was used to win WWI and WWII.

I have used a red dot out at extended distances quite a bit. It is perfectly adequate. It would be a HUGE advantage in low light conditions and very quick on target no matter what the game.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

I put a Reflex ACOG on my Remington 700 in .300 Whisper one year for hunting whitetail deer in WV. It was very handy and compact. My 700 has a slighty heavy barrel, but is only 16.5". I never got a shot that year (I wanted to see how the 125gr BT Nosler would do in the .300), but I enjoyed the handling. The Reflex was a perfect sight for overcast days in the wooded mountains. My Reflex has the 4 minute dot. Shots where I hunt are almost always between 50 and 150 yards.

 

[alemonkey]

I've never been a believer in the scout rifle concept, personally. I think for anything approaching self defense in an urban setting a 12ga is hard to beat. If you need to shoot farther than that I'd be hard pressed to call it self defense.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

I submit that thinking of overthrowing a "tyrannical government" with a rifle utilizing the height of 1930s technology, with a couple of rails thrown on, is just...fantasy, really.

The Battle of Athens, Tennessee

As Recently As 1946, American Citizens Were Forced To Take Up Arms As A Last Resort Against Corrupt Government Officials.

"...three M-1 rifles, five .45 semi-automatic pistols and 24 British Enfield rifles.." plus a few sticks of dynamite eliminated the corrupt ballot-counting in Athens, Tennessee.

Ready, the Constitution specifically placed ships of war under Congressional control (Article 1, section 10), so I think you may have made a bit of an overstatement.

Over the Atlantic Ocean, the strongest naval power in the world carried soldiers and supplies aimed at crushing the rebellious American Patriots. At the beginning of the conflict, not a single American vessel prevented the English shipping from reaching the colonies. By 1777 and beyond, an American civilian navy sprang up, and these privateersmen, or "gentlemen" pirates, outfitted ships at their own expense, having been commissioned by the new states and Congress to attack and take enemy vessels and to bring the "booty" to American ports. Over two thousand privately armed ships of varying size and shape carried eighteen thousand cannons and seventy thousand seamen into battle. Their victories brought back an impressive total of sixteen English warships and two thousand, nine hundred and eighty English merchant vessels. These captures paid fifty million dollars to the ship owners and the volunteer seamen. George Washington's army got the booty and King George III got "beat"!

http://www.founderspatriots.org/articles/pirate_patriots.htm

I actually didn't say or mean "ships of war". I said a gunship armed with modern cannons could be owned by private citizens.

We've given up a lot of freedoms.

 

[HOUNDDAWG]

I'd suggest adding a repeating shotgun to your defense arms collection.

One thing you''ll never hear:

"Come on boys, let's rush the man with the shotgun! He can only get a few of us!"

 

[JShirley]

I actually didn't say or mean "ships of war". I said a gunship armed with modern cannons could be owned by private citizens.

...with Congressional approval, as noted in your quote. Good luck!

 

[blackops]

Wow...Now bolt action rifles are "Assault Rifles".

LOL you know what I meant

 

[d2wing]

My opinion is that the OP will be well armed in a long term survival situation.
He would be able to take quick close shots with the pistol and kill anything needed with the rifle. The problem with the shotgun is very short range, lots of weight with ammo, The lever action very good for fast shooting, but not so good for long shots or reliability compared to the bolt action. I'd prefer a scope but if a person has good eyes he should be able to hit a man size target out to 500 yards with the scout rifle and good open sights. In my day this was expected in Army training with M14's in standard shooting positions. Of course evryone has different ideas about what survival entails and the situations they will prepare for and weapons prefered.
My choice is a CZ 452 22lr, and a .357 mag revolver. But I would be happy to have my AR15 and a 22lr/mag revolver . I could live with any shotgun as well. Usually I show up at deer camp with 4 rifles from a 30-30 to 7mm mag,
a shotgun for grouse and a revolver just in case. If you can't survive with one reliable accurate rifle and a pistol, you aren't doing it right.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

FWIW: the ACOG Reflex, or similar sight, is a no-battery sight. Operates on available light with the fiber optic, and tritium for night use. I have had one for at least 8-9 years, and it's still glowing. For long term survival, not using batteries eliminates failure from burned out batteries or extreme cold.

 

[pikid89]

i saw a guy somewhere that had modified a Ruger M77 Scout rifle in .308
he removed the hinged magazine plate and had somehow modified the mag well to accept and feed from 20 round M1A magazines...it was really cool

 

[zstephens13]

I have thought about that situation also.
I have chosen a RRA LAR-8 as my rifle and a Kimber 1911 as my side arm.
Big calibers, but not so big they can be handled well in close range.

 

[rmund]

See what the US forces are using in Iraq & Afgan. M4's with designated marksman rifles.(low power 1x4 scopes) A couple of Marine's?? scored something like 77 hits with 78 shots. Doesent seem to be much spraying and praying there. OTOH we are sending millions of rounds of ammo over there with not much to show for it, in terms of number of dead enemy....and we all wonder why there is an ammo shortage here.

 

[HydrostatiK]

A powerfull .308 bolt and a high capacity pistol would be solid. Its very good.

 

[Gelgoog]

if your going to be sniping people from cover when the SHTF, then it works great as an offensive weapon.

If your going to be defending your home, then its not the best choice. When fighting multiple opponents you are going to need suppressive fire. A bolt gun that dos not accept stripper clips is about as far away from that notion as possible.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Suppressive fire really looks cool in movies and on TV, but hits are a lot more practical in real life. To assume you are going to get lucky and hit your target(s) better with full auto or fast semi-auto shots is probably a bad plan. I'll bet that couple of Marines mentioned above would have something similar to say about this topic. We could all benefit from fire discipline. As far as enemy killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, our government has reached the pinnacle of political correctness on that topic. They do not want the rest of the world to be offended, or any pro-war people to know how effective our troops ARE against the enemy.

 

[ArmedBear]

The fact that spray-and-pray is not effective does not in any way imply that a push-feed Savage with a flimsy stock and a red dot would be a good choice for a carbine.

 

[ROCK6]

If you're trained, the Savage Scout and a good pistol would handle 99% of most scenarios. Sure, everybody envisions attacks by hordes of armed assailants...although feasible, it's not likely. If you're trained with a bolt action rifle, you can defend yourself just fine. I have the Savage Scout (with a Burris Scout scope), and it's a great rifle. It's not something for sustained combat, but for rural or even suburban situations, you would be well armed. My only recommendation if you're in a more populated area would be to add a decent 12 gauge pump shotgun to round out your arsenal. I have plenty of AR's, AK's, FAL's and my coveted M1A Bush...I've also spent considerable time in Iraq and Afghanistan...although my preference would be for an autoloader I wouldn't feel under- gunned with a quality bolt gun such as the Savage Scout. Again, it's not the tool; it's the user that makes the difference.

Sharp Shooter Supply has 9 round magazines for the Savage DBM rifles...

Sharp Shoot Supply

ROCK6

 

[saturno_v]

Savage with a flimsy stock

It is not like that stock is going to dissolve with the first rain

Push Fed vs, CRF, IMHO is a non issue....more like mental masturbation....

 

[Gelgoog]

Suppressive fire really looks cool in movies and on TV, but hits are a lot more practical in real life. To assume you are going to get lucky and hit your target(s) better with full auto or fast semi-auto shots is probably a bad plan.

Yes, but suppressive fire can keep your enemy from moving. When dealing with multiple assailants, you can bet that they will keep your had down with fire while they encircle you. A bolt gun even a fast one like a lee-enfield just does not give you a quick follow up when you need it.

Now maybe if your working with a group a scoped bolt gun would be good, but by yourself I think it is a bad idea unless you have alot of range between you and them.

 

[ArmedBear]

Push Fed vs, CRF, IMHO is a non issue....more like mental masturbation....

Not when someone is shooting back, it isn't.

Try a simulated high-stress shoot some time, where you give yourself 5 seconds to empty the magazine and hit a target at 100 yards. Make it interesting. Bet someone a 12 pack of something good that you can put all of them in the black, and he gets to hold a stopwatch and tell you when you can start. Do it somewhere other than a range. No benches, no stools.

Then try cycling the rifle with it held past vertical once or twice.

Then tell us how push feed is no different. Those who think so haven't ever put any of this to the test.

I have a push feed primary hunting rifle. It has its advantages, but it's not a great defensive firearm.

WRT that Savage: the problem is not just one thing. The problem is that the Savage Scout, in particular, is not a great rifle. You can do better (with another Savage, for that matter).

 

[saturno_v]

Armedbear

In a combat situation, you learn and try to turn to your advantage all the aspects, positive and negative of your firearms...personally I do not think a CRF system would make that much of a difference in a high stress confrontation situation, there are so many other variables in play which are way more important.

I never heard or read any literature where combatants were complaining about their rifles being push feed (for example the formidable Lee Enfield)

Not even among PH in Africa there is a uniform consensus that the CRF are superior...some say yes, other say is hogwash.

I own both types and for me there is no practical difference whatsoever, but I'm just a range animal, I do not hunt and I never been in combat situations myself.

About the Savage, I do not know their scout rifle but the synthetic stock of the regular inexpensive ones sold at big box retailers did not seem to me prone to self destruction or that flimsy..it is not solide walnut but not cardboard either...

 

[TankHand]

????

"Once you learn how to shoot a bolt gun there is virtually no difference in how fast you can operate the action. "

I have to disagree. There isn't anyone out there that can work that bolt as fast as I can slide that lever. Maybe, but I doubt it. I have fired some pretty fast shots with my lever guns. In a tight spot where my life depended on it, I probably could again.

Much rather an AR, and a nice solid .45ACP for protection of my person. Or maybe a levergun/DA revolver setup in .44mag.

Just my .02

TH

 

[AK103K]

The speed of operating the action is going to depend on whos doing the shooting. I personally can get faster and more accurate repeat shots, especially the more shots I take, with a bolt gun. The levers tend to pull the gun out of your shoulder (especially the newer guns with plastic butt plates) as you work the action, the bolts dont.