Steyr Scout rifle?

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Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

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Anyone know about the scout rifle offered by Steyr Arms? Has anyone ever shot one, are they any good? What do you feel about them? I think they are interesting but I have been unable to find much first person experience on them on the internet.
 
They are kind of interesting rifles. The problem is they are about $2,000. As such, they are not going to be big sellers. The Ruger Gunsite Scout sells for $800 and beside the caliber choice and two mags vs one, is probably more rifle at any amount of money due to the better sights.

I know there are some members here that have the Steyr but I would imagine that has never been a big seller in the US.
 
It's a great rifle and shoots very accurately. Also, the rifle was sighted in dead on from the factory. Steyr apparently takes great pride in their workmanship.
 
Jeff Cooper has been one of my favorite authors for many years. Back in the late 90s on his advice I bought his Scout. It was everything he claimed -and more. Excellent trigger, inginious bipod, The styer action is just plain goofy though. Why have a short barrel while the bolt throw adds 1 1/2" of unneccisary OAL. If it had a basic mauser action it'd be better. I'd advise a Savage or Ruger.
 
Since most compare this to the Ruger, I will give you the pros and cons of each:

Ruger
Pros: less cost. Feels more like a "regular" rifle with wood stock and contours. Better back-up sights. Safety is more secure and handier.

Cons: shorter barrel. Useless flash hider. Very large magazine at balance point. No center swivel for Ching Sling. Action is rougher. Trigger is poorer. Accuracy on whole seems less consistent than Steyr...have seen very good groups though from Ruger.

Steyr:
Pros: Longer barrel with normal crown. Better trigger; adjustable. Smoother action. Flush-fit magazine with another in reserve in rear of stock. Built-in bipod, third swivel for sling. Fold down reserve sights. Very light; less than 1 meter in length (Never measured the Ruger) Very accurate, higher velocity from 19" bbl.

Cons: Stock is injection molded and flexes slightly. Pricey. Back-up sights seem to be more "emergency only" in nature than Ruger.

Personal opinion: The Steyr is both closer to the original parameters of the Scout concept and nicer in function than the Ruger. True to the law of diminishing returns, it is not 2 to 2.5 times nicer. If the Ruger had a 19-20 inch non-threaded barrel and a flush-fit 6-round magazine, it would be a much more closer race between the two.

FYI; I own the Steyr and have handled and shot the Ruger quite a bit in comparison.

IMG_3629.jpg
 
I don't own either, but I've read a lot of the scout threads with interest over the years. I'd like to have both one day, but they stay low on the list since there really isn't anything they can do that my current rifles couldn't, and if I started to go that route I'm not sure why I wouldn't choose something like an AR-10. Perhaps it's out of my admiration for COL Cooper, or that same boyish part of me that wanted a Red Ryder when I was a kid, but I'd still be proud to own one.
 
I bought one of the first Scouts to hit the market. They are an incredible little all purpose rifle with accuracy that is out of this world. The trigger and the Ching sling and the built in bi-pod make them so easy to hit with that they are almost unfair to use sometimes.

That being said the scout concept definitely has it's limitations. The main one being the optic which becomes unusable with a low setting or rising sun behind you and the the fact that there are time in hunting where you just need more than a 2.5 power scope like trying to pick a deer out in low light in the brush. but overall the scout serves it's purpose as an all around general rifle with excellent results.

To answer the question above the rings are Steyr rings that come with the rifle in the Cooper package and the scope is a 2.5 power IER Leupold.

Over the years I've killed dozens of head of game with my Steyr including piles of feral hogs and deer and I've taken it Africa where it's killed kudu, impala, blessbok, wildebeest, warthog and I'm sure others that I am not remembering right now.

Here is the first critter I ever killed with my scout. This had to of been about 1998 or 99.

Nicehog1webready1.jpg
 
I had the same frustration with light blocking out the scope , I started carrying it with an aimpoint red dot w/ magnifier. It was also a pita when on horseback, that chunky forend fits no saddle scabbard well. I finally put a conventional scope on it and passed it on to a family member. I just could'nt bear to sell such a fine rifle.
 
amflyer said:
Since most compare this to the Ruger, I will give you the pros and cons of each:

Ruger
Pros: less cost. Feels more like a "regular" rifle with wood stock and contours. Better back-up sights. Safety is more secure and handier.

Cons: shorter barrel. Useless flash hider. Very large magazine at balance point. No center swivel for Ching Sling. Action is rougher. Trigger is poorer. Accuracy on whole seems less consistent than Steyr...have seen very good groups though from Ruger.

Steyr:
Pros: Longer barrel with normal crown. Better trigger; adjustable. Smoother action. Flush-fit magazine with another in reserve in rear of stock. Built-in bipod, third swivel for sling. Fold down reserve sights. Very light; less than 1 meter in length (Never measured the Ruger) Very accurate, higher velocity from 19" bbl.

Cons: Stock is injection molded and flexes slightly. Pricey. Back-up sights seem to be more "emergency only" in nature than Ruger.

Personal opinion: The Steyr is both closer to the original parameters of the Scout concept and nicer in function than the Ruger. True to the law of diminishing returns, it is not 2 to 2.5 times nicer. If the Ruger had a 19-20 inch non-threaded barrel and a flush-fit 6-round magazine, it would be a much more closer race between the two.

FYI; I own the Steyr and have handled and shot the Ruger quite a bit in comparison.

IMG_3629.jpg
Click to expand...
Most of your pros/cons are your opinion...it doesn't mean they are pros/cons. You said the Ruger GSR FH is useless...depends on who you ask since that means that the GSR is threaded and if you live in a free state that allows, you can remove that "useless FH" and add a suppressor.

Also, some people prefer the shorter barrel on the GSR over the Steyr scout.

Same goes for your comment about GSR mag...get a 3rd mag if the length bothers you so much.

IMO, I own the GSR and while it's a great rifle...if all things are equal, I'd be buying the Steyr Scout because I love Steyr firearms.
 
I've handled the Steyr several times and while it is a fine rifle, I never felt the urge to whip out my wallet to the tune of $2000 or more. For my purposes, I could do better with the cash. I like the Ruger but also wish it had a slightly longer barrel and a walnut stock option but I love the sights, magazines and scope mount arrangement.
 
Of course they are my opinions. Everyone knows that only God and my wife is correct all the time. (Actually, not sure about God. I will have to ask my wife)
 
aubie

Seriously, this the internet and the advice you receive here is worth exactly what you've paid for it.

And guess what? Your pros about the Ruger scout are just your opinion that may or may not set well with others.
 
Wow everyone thanks for the great responses. In a perfect world Ruger would come out with a new version of their scout rifle with an 18-20" barrel sans flash hider, smooth up the action and maybe make lightening cuts to the bolt/reciever to save weight, and use a lightweight polymer stock! THEN I would be on it like white on rice in a snowstorm!

I was very much interested in the Ruger scout ever since it came out a couple years ago, but there are some parts of the design I just can't buy into. From what knowledge I've gathered on the interwebs I think I will be looking up a Steyr scout when I get back to the states (currently living in Germany). It has many features that I find more attractive than the Ruger product.

I really need to find a place to shoot both rifles and compare them I know, but I don't know of anyone who owns either. I'll still be doing my research in the meantime!
 
I personally like the ruger better, higher cap mags, really nice iron sights, nicer stock IMO, and less goofy stuff built in to the rifle. PS I like the flash hider but then I'm not using mine for hunting or target shooting, the original scout concept was a defensive rifle that you could use to hunt with not the other way around. Also I'm going to ad that I don't personally own either of these rifles and don't subscribe to the scout concept, if I were you I'd buy an AR15 or AR10 which is right in between the two price wise and use it as a "scout" rifle just my 2 cents though.
 
Cooldill,

My wish list for the Ruger would be one with the additions you mentioned and chambered in 350 Remington Magnum. Maybe in stainless?
 
I decided I could do better than any of the factory scouts (Savage, Steyr or Ruger) for less money. I bought a FR-8 Spanish Mauser for $260, and am in the process of turning it into my own scout. I don't have to change too much -- it is a great rifle as is. I am just installing an XS scout mount and a Fajen synthetic stock (so I can drill it for my sling mounts without messing up the nice wood stock). One thing it has that none of the others do is a stripper clip guide. Mauser stripper clips are a hell of a lot cheaper than AICS or Steyr mags, and are lighter and easier to carry around, too. I really don't know why you would design a bolt action scout rifle without a stripper clip guide. Even if the rifle takes detachable mags, it is still handy to be able to top them off in the rifle from strippers. That is one thing I like about my M1A.
 
I could dig on some other chamberings in the Ruger as well. Maybe the 7mm08, .260Rem, .358Win and maybe a couple others. Walnut or a brown laminate, matte blued or blasted stainless, perhaps a 20" barrel. I don't generally care for laminates at all but the gray is the least appealing to me. The stainless/walnut model pictured in the other thread is about perfect!
 
I've got one (Tactical version, with factory mount Leupold IER scope) in my gun safe. Somehow it's always my first choice when heading to the field for game. Light, handy to manipulate, great trigger, and very easy to hit with.

Yes, the scope could be higher power with bigger objective, but that's what binoculars are for, and it's what and where it is for very good reasons.
 
I agree about having stripper clips guides for a scout rifle! You save a great deal of weight, bulk, and MONEY with no real decrease in speed over a detachable magazine. How much are surplus 7.62x51mm 5 round stripper clips? A buck a pop if that? You can also find them in 10 round clips.

Steyr is asking for $75 for a 10 round mag for their scout not counting the adapter, I could get what maybe 50-100 10 round stripper clips for the same price of ONE 10 round magazine. Makes sense to me. No dis on the Steyr or any other of the factory scouts, but this would be a very handy feature to have.
 
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