I would've SWORN the original criteria by Cooper dictated the ability to take game up to 400 kilos at a maximum distance of 400 meters, but I can't find that reference.
Its discussed in the link you provided.
I would've SWORN the original criteria by Cooper dictated the ability to take game up to 400 kilos at a maximum distance of 400 meters, but I can't find that reference.
Now there's an idea! Lots of wallop and most use of 308 case in short barrel...There's a member around here that has a Ruger GSR rebarreled to .358 Winchester, if I remember correctly.
Must admit I don't like forward scopes
Of course! Nobody really "needs" one. It isn't something you NEED. It is something that has a certain mystique to it because of Jeff Cooper, and because of the eternal desire to have something or understand something that's exclusive -- only appreciated by those truly "in the know." When a manufacturer realizes that they can make a few inconsequential changes to an offering out of their product line and sell it as a mass-market version of this quasi-mythical perfect weapon, to all the thousands upon thousands of shooters who are in on this special exclusive secret knowledge ... well, they've got a goldmine on their hands!I really would like to buy a "scout rifle" but I don't need one and they all seem somewhat pricey in that the gun manufacturers are capitalizing on this new market.
Of COURSE! Cooper picked out a few features he liked in a rifle and noodled around with his pals about how to make a light, fast, stalking rifle that worked within common limitations of his day. The parameters he defined aren't anything special or unique or magical, and they don't really reflect much about the state of firearms and optics today, 30-some years later. ANY gunsmith could come up with something that fit the bill, or something even better, but there's just not much need.Really, can't you claim an old Remington 760 Gamemaster can be a decent and cheap "scout" rifle? It's got iron sights and you can mount a scope. Its barrel is 20" and it's a pump action rifle but it sure seems small and light weight to me.
Hmmm. That's two separate issues.I dont know that the concept is outdated, likely more misunderstood what the concept even is.
And that's the sort of thing folks miss. Basically, it's one guy's (and his pals') ideal as a sort of gun guy thought experiment. One that only minorly (and arguably) rises at all above other very common choices.I recall a comment Cooper made in a column ages ago. He was asked what he suggested for someone that couldnt afford extra gunsmith work to get it just right. He suggested buying a Ruger 77 lightweight, putting a straight 4x scope on it and shooting it a lot.
And if that's all he'd said on the matter, most hunters would have said something along the lines of "well, duh" and not give his ideas a whole lot more thought. But the grave weight given to the specific parameters by all the words and the gravity of the whole "Scout Rifle Conference" of worthies blew it bizarrely out of proportion and gave it an aura of legend that somewhat boggles the mind.People can indeed get hung up on details, both pro and con of the general concept. The main thing was a light, reasonably powerful rifle that did a lot of things well, was light and short enough to be easy to carry without it becoming a nuisance.
You are precisely right.As in other gun discussions, people often say things like "This is fine for X range and use, I'll take my one of my other rifles if I were going to shoot longer/shorter/larger/smaller/faster/slower game/zombies/whatever. The general purpose rifle was one gun that did the majority of things a rifle can be used for. What exactly fits that bill varies, but I think people do tend to get caught up in the "Well, I need a short AR for this, a scoped tactical rifle for that, a medium this and that for those purposes. Actually, as far as marketing, it may seem attractive from a marketing standpoint to suggest a scout/general purpose rifle, but in the end, the idea is not buying a different specialized rifle for every imaginable purpose, but to have one that does a lot of things reasonable well, and calling it a day.
Shooters and hunters have a few different needs, depending on what sort of tasks they want to do with their rifles. But there is SO much overlap, and so much hyperbole, and so much adherence to Walter Mitty thinking regarding what adventure and excitement each kind of rifle could bring to our lives that we simply are not content with one. Or two. Or three. Or...For myself, I could easily not own anything other than a scoped bolt action sporter, and feel I was well prepared for about any realistic contingency, but that isnt as interesting as coming up with reasons to own different things.