Please explain the "Scout Rifle"

[d2wing]

I agree with you CJ, I had a bolt action 30-06 mtn rifle that the more I used it, the less I liked it. I have a Model 94 thats real handy in the brush. Handles great, easy to to carry and shoot, less recoil and faster to work action.

 

[Fringe]

Found a Leatherwood Hi Lux Optics LER 2 - 7 x 32 Long Eye Relief Riflescope for $160.00
I not think I have heard of these guys,SO if anyone have any dealings with this brand let me know how it works for you...
Now the NC Star is like the red headed step child of the scope world, Form what I have seen in some of the postings in here. Even if memory serve on reading a posting on the web one day that the larger name scope company's sub contract from them.(But then the posting could be allot of BS though.)

 

[Fringe]

They guys say that the enemy that we fight in the Mid East end up being walking wounded shooting back at you when shot by the 5.56, Now During WW2 in the South South Pacific they had a problem with the bad guys after being shot to peaces still attacking, It was due to the fact they was on some sort of narcotic, Now face that guy with a 5.56 or 7.67 ? Nah I would take a Tommy with as many sticks of 45 ammo I could carry, As I would in any heavy jungle, Or a 12ga with as many shot shells I could muster to carry, Now in the Desert ? M-14 , With a good team of riflemen behind me.
No one rifle is going to cover every thing, Nor will every man agree with what each person should carry in combat,
Now if I was in a war zone? I would hope I would have be with a few buddies & not alone, I could see where a Scout could do allot of service in a squad situation..
I am not a loan wolf person, Survival counts on getting with a good smart pack, It so much don't cont on clout as it dose on smarts.. Being able to think it through in a high stress situation is the key.
A Scout is more of a utility rifle to my opinion, It is a rifle that COULD be used for a defensive rifle OR for hunting.

 

[Gordon]

Scout rifles make DAMN good hog rifles !In .308 or larger caliber it just doesn't get any better to hunt pigs with. Also, say I'm driving around my ranch and somebody starts shooting at me from 50-150 yards away, problem solved when it is shouldered!

 

[Kendal Black]

Something occurs to me: The criticism is that if the sun is low and behind you, the scout scope is more likely to give you a glare problem than an aft mounted scope, which is shaded somewhat by your noggin.

Couldn't this problem be solved with a lens shade on the rear of the scope?

 

[Gordon]

Yeah , I tried the Russian made ones you can get.The Russians swear by them on all their scopes and they do exclude light and sharpen up images when used against the facew . They are only 6" long at the longest which leaves another 6". They are butt ugly and very distracting and they cover the ejection port so what is the point?:banghead:

 

[Kendal Black]

I've been thinking, use a longer eye relief scope, a pistol scope, with a hood on the back.

Like anything else, the scout concept will continue to develop, and this might be an answer to the glare objection. How many people have the glare objection? How many have a problem with glare from behind?

Hunting around here is woods hunting mostly, but a plains hunter might have a problem in this regard.

 

[wristtwister]

We have a Steyr scout rifle in our shop in .376 Steyer, and it's a really nice, really expensive gun. It's got a Leupold long-eye relief scope on it, which is crystal clear. It has a built in bipod, extra magazine storage, and is a well thought out firearm. Problem is that it's practicality is overrun by both it's price and the caliber it's in.

Personally, I have no love for shooting something that tries to break my shoulder every time I pull the trigger, and the light weight and caliber of this gun make it prohibitive to shoot for that reason. In .308, it' would be usable.

I've played with this particular firearm on a number of occasions, and I find it to be very easily handled and convenient to work with as a carbine... but there are lots of other rifles that I've handled that were just as easy to handle and "acquire the target" with close optics, so I'm not sold on the "scout scope" for any type of advantage in "speed shooting". I would give it a gold star for being an "offhand shooting" rifle, but for anything that required "particular" sighting, like off the bipod, I'll take any of my other guns and make it outperform this puppy.

The rifle IS light and easy to handle, which is true of a lot of different firearms, and unless the "scout" is related to hunting, a good .223/5.56 AR with some optics would be far superior, in both ease of handling and firepower. In 6.8, it would be even more superior.

Jeff Cooper had a good idea, but it was kind of focused on the guns that were in production at the time. Clearly the carbines were easier to handle, and the scoped rifles gave a better range for shooting, and utilizing the "scout scope" concept allowed someone shooting the rifle to have a good field of view while engaging the optics. As for it's practicality in solving all the issues it's supposed to solve, I think it falls short because technology has soared past the concept, and there are dozens of other answers to that same bundle of questions.

WT

 

[jeepguy]

Updat from my last post, my friend went with me to the range on saturday & tried my bush rifle with the leupold scout scope. He said he couldn't believe how fast it was & said he really liked it. I think the best combo would be for trijicon to make a scout scope from the accupoint series. Then this setup would also be great for low light hunting as well. Seems to me the ak would meet the weight requirment for a semi auto rifle in the scout configuration at 7.15lbs emty & ammo ranging from 108grs. to 150grs. I have really enjoyed this discussion, learning about the different takes as well as the pro's & con's of the scout setup.

 

[Fringe]

Ok, I have an idea of what Scope I am going to use, BUT am looking into a front sight that would work with a williams rear peep.. Can drop the idea of that & open to ideas.

 

[35 Whelen]

Ok, I have an idea of what Scope I am going to use, BUT am looking into a front sight that would work with a williams rear peep.. Can drop the idea of that & open to ideas.

I posted a thread here on a Scout I just built for my wife. Maybe it'll give you some ideas.:

Built Another Scout Rifle

I posted another thread on this rifle on a different forum. It goes into much more detail in cluding sight arrangement.:1916 Mauser; Evolution of a Scout Rifle

I love the idea of the Williams sight. It's really not difficult to calculate front sight height. After the receiver sight is mounted, open the bolt and slide it back to where the face of it is directly under the receiver sight or just about even with the front of the rear receiver ring. Now, using a caliper, measure from the center of the firing pin to the center of the aperture with the sight at its lowest possible setting. This measurement will be the height the top of your front sight needs to be from the center of the bore.
To calculate the front sight height, measure the diameter of the barrel at the muzzle, divide that number by 2, then subtract this figure from the measurement you came up with from the rear sight. This number will be how high your front sight needs to be from the top of the barrel.
Now you just have to find a front sight and your options are almost limitless. Probably the simplest way would be to buy a solder on base with a 3/8" dovetail from Brownell's and the corresponding sight of correct height. If you're a tinkerer get e Gun Parts Corp catalog and browse through their selection of sights. If you'll go to the second link above you'll see that I was able to make a front sight off an M1 carbine work for my project and it was very simple to install.
Regarding the scope, Burris and Leupold both make good quality Scout scopes. I put a new-ish Burris on my wifes rifle and it's extemely clear and sharp. Got it here on the For Sale forum for $150, a very good price.
Good luck and keep us posted.

35W

 

[CmpsdNoMore]

That's awesome. I never knew finding the correct height would be that easy!