M38 Swede as a scout rifle?

[krustoleum]

Trying to choose between the Savage Scout 10FCM .308 a CZ in 6.5x55 or trying to find an M38.

Does the CZ 550 lend itself to a scout configuration?

How about the M38? Where can a guy find one of those?

Savage .308 or a 6.5 configuration?

 

[Odnar]

I have a M38. Great rifle, but it sure gets heavy. That's an old-school weapon. Just a thought.

 

[Jack2427]

Better for a scout rifle, if you want to go military is the Styer 1895 carbine. All you have to do is find an ammo source or reload(I loaded up at a Las Vegas show with a lifetime supply of 8X56R). If you need SP ammo, reloading is a must, but they are a fun gun and accurate, and fire fast with the straight pull action, load fast with the mandatory clips. And they are cheap!!!!

 

[goon]

I love milsurps as much as the next guy, but honestly, I'd go with the Savage.
I had one and found it to be adequate in every way. I'd still have it if I hadn't been a moron when I was a "kid".
It's already built from the ground up to be a scout - no butchering or custom gunsmithing involved.
All you have to do is mount a LER scope and you're set.

 

[HorseSoldier]

I have a Leupold scout scope on my Swedish Mauser (but haven't chopped it into a 100% build of Cooper's actual scout rifle idea, as I don't want to prevent it going back to correct format if I decide to unscope it), and it works pretty well.

 

[Ash]

The Swede will be pricey before you even start the scout setup. I'd go with the Savage.

Ash

 

[El Tejon]

Swede is overweight, and is not overlong too?

Don't think you can make the qualifications for a Scout with the M38.

 

[9mmepiphany]

only thin to do is get the savage and rebarrel to .260

 

[Float Pilot]

Or find a Swede made sporter like a 6.5 x 55mm Husqvarna and have a scout scope mount added.

This guy occasionally has a few.

http://www.allans-armory.com/aaresult.php?PageId=65

 

[cracked butt]

Or better yet, get a CZ or Savage and mount the scope where its supposed to go....

Sorry, I just don't see any advantages to the 'scout rifle' that outweight their disadvantages.

 

[El Tejon]

cracked, I will forgive your heresy.

 

[Essex County]

Again the M38 is old school and I wouldn't monkey with one....Get the Savage.........Essex

 

[BBroadside]

My notion (not really a plan) was to get a sporterized Lee-Enfield carbine, like maybe a Gibbs Quest Carbine. It looks to me like it would be pretty easy to mount an IER scope wherever there is bare barrel, which is common in the sporters. Then again, I wouldn't know what eye relief you'd need without trying it ... and Gibbs Rifle Company seems to have evaporated.

Like most attempts at the scout rifle, it would be over the ideal weight prescribed by Jeff Cooper. So you'd have to call it a "pseudo-scout" or a "fat scout". Also, I'm not sure about the accuracy ... I know the original #5s had trouble but I think most sporter carbines are built on #4s whose stocks needed replacing.

The sling swivels are there, with even a serendipitous attachment for the middle of the 3-point sling. With the #4 and #5s, you'd have built-in folding peep sights to back up the scoope (with a #1, the open sights would have to go away). The Quest carbines were pretty inexpensive. Clifton makes a mount for both #1 or #4/5.

 

[JesseL]

My Swede could probably be made into an adequate scout rifle if I shortened the barrel and put on a forward scope mount.

On the other hand, my Swede has already been modified six ways from Sunday. Bent bolt, Douglas barrel, cock-on-open, m70 style safety, drilled & tapped, Timney trigger, synthetic stock, etc.



I'll second the motion that if you want a scout rifle, you're best off getting something as close to what you want out-of-the-box as possible.

 

[9mmepiphany]

just go the easy route, buy the savage scout and just rebarrel it to .260

the .260 is ballistically the 6.5x55 in a .308 case...you'd use the same bolt face and mag

 

[Moose458]

I built a scout rifle out of a K98 Mauser....cropped the barrel, mounted a Burris scout scope, put on a thumbhole stock, and a Bold trigger. 100 yard tack driver. Speed is the advantage Cracked Butt. You can get on target a whole hell of a lot faster with a scout rifle than a regular mounted scope type. With both eyes open seeing the entire field instead of the small field of view area though a scope. While you're still looking for the target, the scout rifle has knocked it down.

 

[cracked butt]

Speed is the advantage Cracked Butt. You can get on target a whole hell of a lot faster with a scout rifle than a regular mounted scope type. With both eyes open seeing the entire field instead of the small field of view area though a scope. While you're still looking for the target, the scout rifle has knocked it down.

You can do the same thing with a variable power scope, I prefer them 2-7x for hunting with the power turned down to 2x. You can shoot them with both eyes open easily, you'll have a much larger field of view than you'll ever get with a LER scope, and you have the added advantage of having higher magnification for when you need it.

I've tried the scout setup before and its just not as good as people think. The only thing I like about Cooper's ideal scout rifle is the weight.

 

[Moose458]

Well I lived in Wyoming for 25 years and I've done my share of hunting, and I know for a fact that I am not as fast acquiring the target with my .300 Whinny, or my Rem 700 .280 as I am with my scout rifle. Its shorter, weighs less, and with the scout scope, it puts you on target faster. And if you are in heavy timber in bear country, that can make a big difference. A scout rifle is not meant for a long range weapon, it's a close range speedy rifle. If your life depended on a fraction of a second, you'd want a scout rifle, or at least I would.

 

[cracked butt]

They aren't so quick in low light situations though- dusk, dawn, under heavy canopy. Small FOV with limited light gathering is a real handicap in such situations.

 

[BBroadside]

This raises the question of how fast can you switch to your backup iron sights, if you have any. I assume they still sell glow paint, which you could use on the front. The rear would almost certainly be receiver-mounted, probably aperture (could you put an express sight back that far?). Since I've never heard anything good about see-under scope mounts, I'm assuming you'll have to pull the scope off. Are quick-release mounts popular? How slow is an ordinary scope to release? I've only done it once myself, and I wasn't trying to hurry....

What I'm thinking is, you could always use something else at dusk, and if for some reason you got caught in low light, you'd probably have plenty of time to take off the scope.

Another solution would be a combination flashlight/laser. I gather that these sorts of things are pretty small these days but I don't know any specifics.

 

[cracked butt]

What I'm thinking is, you could always use something else at dusk, and if for some reason you got caught in low light, you'd probably have plenty of time to take off the scope.

A goodscope is pretty much the best thing to use in low light. You can get iron sights with fiber optic inserts, but they don't do anything to help you see the target. Aperture sights are almost useless in low light...