admit that the entire Scout Rifle concept is a convoluted means to justify Jeff Cooper's odd personal taste in rifles and beyond this, the concept is without merit.
I'm sure there's some truth to that, at least as far as Cooper's choice of the bolt-action. In the rifle's other particulars, though, it is surprisingly similar to the M16A2 which is both fairly modern and fairly common. Barrel length and overall length is about the same, back-up iron sights are preferred on both pieces, and both military and civilians prefer glass sights. Like Cooper, many prefer a low- or even no-magnification optic. The forward mounting is different, of course, but this is something many have found to be better than the conventional method. I haven't tried it yet, myself. beerslurpy, you seem to think that low magnification and a short barrel limit ranges to 2 - 300 yards. I think Scout Rifle afficionados expect to reach much further with the weapon, especially as it is intended for the expert marksman, as detailed below. As I haven't tried the system, I can't say how well it works.
So the question remains, why a bolt-action? And you have asked, what is this rifle for? It has been some time since I have read up on that particular subject, so I had to do some digging for the following quotations. It seems Cooper thought the Scout Rifle would be primarily a hunting arm, but would also be equally useful for the lone rifleman defending himself at intermediate ranges, taking one or two shots, then moving.
From
To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth:
A general purpose rifle is a conveniently portable, individually operated firearm, capable of striking a single decisive blow, on a live target of up to 200 kilos in weight, at any distance at which the operator can shoot with the precision necessary to place a shot in a vital area of the target....
Such a piece is eminently suited for taking the vast preponderance of four-footed game and equally so for men.
Whether or not an individual rifleman might ever be called upon to do that [hit a target] again and again and again – ad infinitum – is at least moot….
In studying the circumstances under which an individual owner might be called upon to use a rifle in defense of his life and property, one is drawn to the conclusion that a battle scene is almost certainly not going to be involved. A solitary rifleman, or a small group operating individually from cover, can do enormously effective work – but rarely with more than two shots from the same firing position. It thus becomes a question as to whether rapid repeat shots delivered from a large capacity magazine are of any real value. More important might be a beautifully crisp trigger and very accurate shooting.
[Cooper goes on to speak of the typical sniping scenario in which one, perhaps two shots, are fired at a distant enemy, after which the shooter goes to a new position.]
What I am driving at is that in nearly all individual situations the rifleman is going to need range, power, control, and ease of movement more than volume of fire.
[He goes on to discuss the poor triggers (in his estimation) to be found on all the semi-automatic battle rifles other than “the Garand family” but concludes that he would outfit a modern army with HKs or SIGs, but with improvements to triggers and other areas. AR's, AK's and others chambered for intermediate assault rifle cartridges are not considered]
From "The Proceedings of the First Scout Rifle Conference":
The "Scout Rifle" was defined as a rifle suitable for general use by one man alone--as opposed to a firing group-- and for targets of up to about 500 pounds in weight. The general opinion of the group was that such a rifle should be intended for use by experienced marksmen rather than beginners. It was further decided that the ideas incorporated in the scout rifle concept should be considered on merit alone, without regard to marketability. While cost is acknowledged to be a consideration, it is secondary to excellence.
A discussion of the qualities of the bolt-action rifle, as opposed to the semi-automatic, was resolved in favor of the bolt, the theory being that one man acting alone should not normally fire more than one shot from one position, and that even under exceptional circumstances he will not be called upon to fire more than three. The advantage of the semi- automatic rifle in continuity of fire is countered by excess bulk, weight and complexity, all of which are drawbacks to a scout.
In going over these things again, it seems Cooper may have ignored the likelihood that one's rifle that is intended to be useful in sniping encounters may be pressed into service as a short-range weapon against multiple assailants. But maybe he was just going to reach for his 1911 in that case.
I guess I would consider myself a fan, if not a mindless devotee. If one reads my posts, I haven't promoted the Scout Rifle, only defended the idea from attacks I felt were unfair or based on misinformation. I do like the idea, and prefer my bolt rifles in this configuration.
