What are you going to do with the Ruger/Gunsite Scout?

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The problem with the M77 Compact for me is the length of pull is 12.5" out of the box. It is a shorter rifle obviously marketed to smaller people or people wearing thick outerwear.

With the Ruger Scout, at least I can fit the length of pull to my needs. It also looks like if the flash suppressor is removed and a thread protector is installed, the total length could be shaved by 3/4".

If anyone intends to not scope the Scout and use the peep sights, the empty weight is held at the listed 7 lbs. The M77 Compact will need about 10 oz. of scope and rings added since it has no iron sights.

In this scenario, the empty weight and the total length of these two rifles could be really close.

Both rifles look to be good choices, if they fit the needs of the shooter.
 
I agree that the adjustable LOP feature is nice. I suspect if it is popular, that will soon be added to other Ruger rifles also. Adjustable LOP certainly is not a defining characteristic of scout rifles in general.

That said, I find that most rifles have LOP's that are too long for me, especially after I add a heavy jacket or recoil pad. So I have always liked the Compact rifles.


If I was going to build a scout, the only thing I would do different than what Ruger has done is set it up so it could use FAL mags rather than proprietary magazines, and probably set it up so it had better iron sights on it that it does. It appears to have the new Mini 14 rear sight, which is an improvement over the old design, but still not as good as the Garand or M1A.
 
It appears that some get the scout concept, some don't. Oh well...

To me one of the primary things about a scout rifle is it's handiness - the ability to grip the rifle around the action, just like an iron-sighted gun. So a 10-round magazine is completely contrary to the concept. What a scout needs is a 5-round mag and a stripper clip guide. So, I would never buy this particular version of a "scout" (also the barrel is too short).
 
Originally posted by Balrog:
If I was going to build a scout, the only thing I would do different than what Ruger has done is set it up so it could use FAL mags rather than proprietary magazines
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For the last dang time, it's not a proprietary magazine. It is the proven AICS magazine which has been being used for years, and is used by at least 4 bottom metals (Badger, CDI, AI and Ruger) and 4 or 5 companies make the magazines (C Products, AI, Alpha and Ruger. Badger maybe?). How exactly is that "proprietary"?

They didn't use FAL mags for the same reason no one has made a successful FAL (or any other double stack auto-rifle) magazine conversion for any bolt action rifle. The width of the magazine requires too much material to be removed from a receiver not designed for it. People already complain about the "inferior" investment cast Ruger receivers, though I don't fully understand why.

There are also (at least) 2 different kinds of FAL mags, creating more reliability issues. AICS mags are quite specific, and the people making them now are doing it right. The more popular it becomes, the more companies that will get in on it, the more likely someone will EFF it up.

Every other magazine you could substitute for FAL here suffer from similar problems.

I would have been ok with a slightly extended/modified fixed 5 round magazine and stripper clip charging. However, the Ruger receiver is fairly short, and full clips do not fit through the opening as it is. If the clip slot was machined out, it would still be very close and the rear sight might not work anymore.

Speaking of the sights, I would rather have flip up AR style sights, like the Skunkworks scoutish rifle. However, I would say the Ruger has the best sights available on an off the shelf scout rifle out there right now.
 
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That said, I find that most rifles have LOP's that are too long for me, especially after I add a heavy jacket or recoil pad. So I have always liked the Compact rifles.
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Like I said before, different shooters, different builds, different needs, different wants. A rifle for everybody.
 
LOP issue would also have been solved by just putting the adjustable stock on the Compact.
 
My question is why do you have to take the rear sight off to put a shot eye relief scope on it?
Could they not make it like the 580 minis so you can still have the rear sight on it and not have to worry about it getting lost?

Why do people hate the flash hider and short barrel so much? This gun is not just for hunting dumb animals that don't shoot back.
Dont complain about it not being the perfect hunting rifle because it was not made to be that.

If you only have so much money a accurate and reliable bolt gun cost less than a accurate and reliabe semi-auto.
 
Why do people hate the flash hider and short barrel so much? This gun is not just for hunting dumb animals that don't shoot back.
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No one hates the short barrel, they'd just prefer a couple more inches because you still get more or less the same handling without as much ballistic loss.

And if it's not for hunting then what is it for aside from plinking that another rifle can't do better? 308 is kind of pricey for that. But I guess if you are paying $800 for the rifle..... I'd hunt with it anyways, but it would make a better all around rifle with a slightly longer barrel IMO.:)
 
Look at it from Ruger's point of view. They are co-opting the legend of Cooper, and getting the endorsement of Gunsite and doing it with a selection of parts mostly already in production. The development time/cost must have been minimal, mostly just some arguments in a conference room about the details.

I'll be interested in accuracy reports. Ruger isn't a name usually associated with target rifle accuracy.

How many other centerfire rifles are available off-the-shelf with iron sights and a magazine that holds 5+ rounds?
 
eye5600 said:
Look at it from Ruger's point of view. They are co-opting the legend of Cooper, and getting the endorsement of Gunsite and doing it with a selection of parts mostly already in production. The development time/cost must have been minimal, mostly just some arguments in a conference room about the details.

I'll be interested in accuracy reports. Ruger isn't a name usually associated with target rifle accuracy.

How many other centerfire rifles are available off-the-shelf with iron sights and a magazine that holds 5+ rounds?
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In another blog (Michael Bane from Down Range TV), there is a discussion of the Ruger Scout since Micael was at the reveal event. If you read the comments to his original posting, about half way down, one of the lead instructors at Gunsite has had some time to take the Ruger Scout out and shoot it at 100, 200, 300 yards with five 5 shot groups. With proper ammo, he was able to get sub-MOA accuracy out of the Ruger Scout.
 
I live in the woods and spend a great deal of time hunting and stalking a variety of game. The extended magazine just kills the concept as a hunting rifle for me. I, and most every other hunter I know, spend most of the time carrying a gun with our hand wrapped underneath the magazine well. When the possiblility of spotting game is reduced, we may sling the rifle. The inability to properly carrry this rifle when hunting won't fly in this camp. Yep, it might make a good truck gun or camp gun but certainly not a primary hunting arm.
 
I believe the balance point may be between the front of the magazine and the weight of the scope. It may be easily carried. I want one.
 
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What is it for aside from hunting and plinking? Defending yourself against people.
A good flash hider hides the flash from you and your target..

Well to tell you the truth I have never been in front of a gun with a flash hider(or any gun) but at least from behind and the sides there is no flash.

Trust me, if you are trying to stick a gun in a tight spot a 16" barrel is a lot shorter than a 18".

As others have said it will be interesting to see if the flash hider works well on a 16" .308.

How many other centerfire rifles have iron sights and 5 plus round mags?
If we are talking about Semi-autos too ... a lot.
But if just bolt guns not as many.
 
After lugging an HK-91 with a scope through rough country for a few days and wishing I’d brought my Winchester 94 that I hadn’t brought because it wasn’t ‘enough gun’, I sold both rifles and bought a Steyr Scout. That was 12 years ago and I’ve never regretted it.
Long distance paper punchers and Zombie Apocalypse fantasizers should walk a 100+ miles in a week through the woods with their ‘ultimate weapons’ before they make any sweeping statements about the scout rifle concept.
As for the Ruger’s flash suppresser; I wouldn’t mind if Steyr had treaded the barrel.
 
Originally posted by crazyivan
How many other centerfire rifles have iron sights and 5 plus round mags?
If we are talking about Semi-autos too ... a lot.
But if just bolt guns not as many.
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How about just rifles with an MSRP of $995.00 and under.
 
I believe the balance point may be between the front of the magazine and the weight of the scope. It may be easily carried. I want one.
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I believe you're right, especially with a scout scope mounted, shifting the balance forward.

For those complaining about the price, have you priced new rifles lately? The days of good rifles under $400 are long gone. It's only about a hundred bucks more than a comparable model 77 that has no iron sights, no threaded barrel, no adjustable stock and no detachable box magazine.
 
Well, what it basically all comes down to was Jeff Cooper's philosophies of individual combat with firearms. He seemed to believe in three main things above all others.

1: Shoot first.
2: Hit with your first shot.
3: Hit with something that'll end the fight.

All of his opinions of the perfect weapon reflect that. From the Bren Ten, to the Lupara and the Scout Rifle.

I don't really have need for a Scout Rifle in my collection, but if I did I'd probably practice basically a rifle version of quickdraw and practice speeding up my first (accurate) shot times.
 
I can't help myself and need to ask - how about a "poodle-shooter" version chambered in .223? Maybe Ruger can find a way to use Mini14 magazines? :D
 
It looks like the street price is coming in around 720 to 780 bucks. Not too bad. I am not trying to be a smart a$$, but I don't see how you could put together a modern bolt action, with forward scope mount, iron sights, detachable mag, and shortened barrel for less. I think Ruger will sell quite a few of these...
 
I think the market on these will be limited to the relatively few people who frequent gun boards often enough to even know what a scout rifle is.
 
I think a flush mount mag could be made. My scout type is a 77MKII with standard bottom metal. It is handy to carry the rifle by the action for hunting. I could live with the ten shot, though.
 
The more I think of it, the more I am going to wait. I want to see it with a synthetic stock to see if it can make weight per Cooper's original specs (6.7 lbs; 3 kg). All the other specs seem fine to me but the weight. I have some light hunting rifles (need to weight them) and they even seem heavy after a couple of hours in the field. I suspect that Ruger wanted to get this to market with a certain price point. In a year or two they can then follow up with a few different versions that might cost a bit more but give people some options.
 
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