When Blake Hiatt sent in his This Is My Rifle photo, he got plenty of questions about the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle he posed with. So in response to some of those, here are his impressions of the gun.
By Blake Hiatt
WW1 saw the introduction of the machine gun, the 1911 pistol and the venerable 1903 Springfield. The 1903 Springfield, developed to be used by front line troops, had an overall length of 44″ (about 68″ with bayonet). It was hardly an ideal weapon for trench warfare, no matter how hard hitting the 30-06 cartridge may be. Imagine going “over the top” and jumping into a German trench toting a rifle that’s around 5.5′ long. Unwieldy for hand-to-hand combat, to say the least. On top that, the Springfield only held 5 rounds, which were loaded via a stripper clip.
Fast forward a hundred years and imagine if those doughboys had the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle in those trenches with them. With a 10 round detachable box magazine and 39″ overall length (49″ if you slap on a modern 10″ bayonet, about 60″ with a WW1 version) you have to think the boys ‘over there’ in the trenches of The War to End All Wars would have much preferred a rifle like the Ruger Scout over that 1903 Springfield. Of course, the civilian market would have been a lot poorer without all of those Springfields that were made available to the general public after hostilities were concluded.
Why compare the WW1 Springfield versus the Ruger Gunsite Scout? For all practical purposes, the Ruger’s Scout Rifle is a modern interpretation of 100 year old assault rifle. Ruger’s Scout rifle has a tried-and-true bolt action featuring a Mauser style claw extractor coupled with a sturdy no-nonsense bolt. The Scout’s bolt is smooth, but more important, feels substantial when cycled. (The extractor on the gun is something else. I was shooting standing up, cycled the bolt and the ejected cartridge landed on a table 5′ away.)
The 10-round magazine feeds reliably and is easy to load. I’ve run roughly 100 rounds through the Scout with zero failures to feed. The polymer magazines, oddly enough, seem a bit sturdier than the steel magazine. The steel magazine works, but that’s about as much credit as I can give the original factory magazine. The polymer magazines, with the dust caps for storing when loaded, are far superior to factory original. Yet, both magazines are offered through Ruger.
Both magazines pictured are 10 rounders. I don’t know why the polymer magazine has a lower profile than the steel magazine.
The iron sights on the rifle are well set up and easy to use — good enough for me to ring an 18″x24″ steel target at 200 yards. I have read other reviews of the Gunsite Scout that talked about the excellent out of the box accuracy. I can attest to the truth of those reviews.
Another thing the Gunsite Scout has going for it is what I call the “coolness” factor. The rifle, with the 10 round box magazine, picatinny rail, flash suppressor and laminated stock, just looks tough. While I have no intention of putting optics on the Gunsite Scout, the addition of the rail does make it much easier to mount a scope. But while I won’t use it, I’ll leave the rail there simply because I think the gun looks better with it there.
Another nifty option with the Gunsite Scout is the additional 1/2 spacers, which can be used to adjust the length of pull.
Ruger has done a great job creating a gun that shoots well, is easy to move, accurate and reliable. The Scout is easily the favorite rifle living in my safe.
That’s a cool rifle. Very nice. The Nazgul is pleased.
I’m a fan of the old Springfield but the Ruger Scout reminds me more of the Lee-Enfield SMLE concept.
The No. 5 jungle carbine. Modernized.
It would be really awesome if someone made modern detachable magazines and accessories for the SMLE. I don’t think you can use clips if you have a scope in place, for instance.
PROMAG MAKES A MAG FOR THE SMLE I HAVE ONE AND LOVE IT
Great, short-but-sweet write up of a beautiful lookin’ rifle. Thanks!
Dangit, TTAG… guess what I just added to my rifle wishlist…
I am a huge fan of most Ruger products. The American was my first (as in owned) bolt-action and I cannot believe the value. Ready to move up in class, tho…
I have wanted one of these for some time. That is one nice modern bolt-action.
Ruger is adding two new models this year with slightly longer 18″ barrels. Anyone know why? Does .308 behave better with the longer length?
I’m a lefty and appreciate their willingness to offer this in a LH version.
I’m almost ready to bite on this with my Tax return.
(Looks over shoulder to ensure wife is not in room)
“Does .308 behave better with the longer length?”
Yes. BTW, the 16″ barrel was Boston T. Party’s only complaint about the Scout.
When you drop below about 18″ on a .308 cartridge, you start giving up some velocity due to the amount of powder left unburned when the bullet exits the muzzle.
20″ to 22″ barrels burn up all the powder on a .308, depending on the speed of your powder. 18″ is a nice compromise between handy and giving up velocity.
There was a magazine review recently in, I believe, RIFLE magazine. They tested the 16″ barrel against a full size. Velocity loss was only around 100 fps. Not much really.
Nice review.
Thank you.
makes me wish the CZ527 carbine was chambered in anything other than .223 and 7.62×39.
Agreed. I love the looks and craftsmanship of the CZ527 carbine, but I want one in a better big game cartridge.
You can get it chambered in 6.8 SPC II through their custom shop or a gunsmith, but IMHO it should be a standard factory chambering.
Jeff Cooper was no dummy.
For a lot less, you can scare yourself up an Ishapore Enfield in .308 and build a scout out of it. Would meet all of Jeff Cooper’s requirements.
If it took FAL or AR10 magazines I’d buy one. Not that I have any of either but I like having mags that work in multiple guns.
damn it, my next rifle contest just went from M1A vs FNAR to a 3 way fight between those and the Ruger Scout.
You cant have more fun than an M1A, though your wallet will be FAR more miserable (in todays ammo climate). Sigh
Two semis and a bolt? I know that nutnfancy loves the FNAR.
I found a used (but hardly, muzzle is still at ’0′ with muzzle gauge) Ruger Frontier Scout (their gen 1 gun) with scope on gunbroker for less than 500 bucks. Light, handy and with the scout scope (a Burris) it is a dream to shoot. I free floated the stock (1 hour of careful sanding the barrel channel). Whether I use it on whitetails or the Chinese hordes coming over the hills, the .308 is a sure bet for manageable knock down power. So I second the post’s recommendation. Everyone needs a Scout rifle, and by doing so you pay homage to Cooper.
Nice write-up. “Because I like it” is my favorite reason for owning a particular gun.
That being said…
Is it more accurate or handier than a 16″ bbl AR-10? I have seen DPMS (who snobs like to run-down) do ~ 1 moa, and AR ergos are AR ergos.
Does that AR10 weigh 7lbs flat?
My scale isn’t that accurate but I think it is about 9.
These days, rifles are so accurate out of the box it depends more on the shooter than the equipment.
There’s your answer. 7lbs vs 9lbs, all day in the field, is huge.
TTACr,
You know the old adage, “Beware the man who shoots one gun, for he probably shoots it very well” applies to any firearm, bolt action, AR style, etc.
I shoot my Gunsite Scout a lot, because I really favor the iron sights and general feel of the rifle. An AR pattern rifle would be a safe queen at my house, more than likely.
Whereas you probably shoot your AR a lot, are used to it, and you pretty much know where every round is going.
Most people tend to shoot the rifle they’re comfortable with very well. If we were to swap rifles, we’d probably both be lost for a bit and we’d probably never really be comfortable, because it isn’t “our” rifle.
Well said
Yup. But alot can still be said for a harem of safe queens to ogle, fondle, and grope.
Another plus is the threaded barrel – add a can to it.
“Fast forward a hundred years and imagine if those doughboys had the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle in those trenches with them.” Still, my preference for up close and personal is a M-1 Garand (with bayonet). Relatively compact, and it is hard to argue with the value of a steel buttplate on a 9-lb rifle for horizontal or vertical buttstrokes when you are within knife fighting range.
I have a gsr it’s the first gun id purchased in aug. of last year. i had been readin about em but was pretty much set on a mini 14, till i held @ the store. i really love it and im glad i got a bolt action over a semi in .308 because i take more care with my buck a round shots. now if i read this article right… can i find a modern bayo muzzle device n throw one on there for sh*ts? sure would look mean as hell. anyone interested in one alot of info can be found at scout-rifle*org
You might be able to find one of those AR-15 clamp-on bayonet mounts that used to be made. I believe they came with various diameters. One of those sizes might fit the GSR barrel. Then it’s just a matter of whether the M-16 bayonet ring would fit the Ruger flash hider.
I don’t see the point of this rifle. I’ve followed the evolution of the Scout rifle since Col. Cooper’s original Gun Digest article back in about 1983, and once owned a Steyr Scout. Cooper’s idea was for “one rifle” for hunting and defense. I suppose this rifle would be good for someone who imagines himself roaming the hills living off the land while simultaneously fighting off marauders and highwaymen. But most people today have, ya know, regular jobs, go big game hunting two weeks a year, and get most of their food from the grocery store.
The Ruger Scout does nothing in the hunting field that can’t be done with a less expensive, more conventional bolt gun without a useless flash suppressor, giant rail and extended detachable magazine.
The Ruger Scout is vastly inferior to a semiauto carbine for any kind of realistic self defense. No one can rob or rape you from 200 yards. If you need to fight in present-day America, it’ll be up close where a harder kicking, manually operated rifle is utterly eclipsed by a light-recoiling, fast-shooting semiauto like an M4gery or AK clone. Just as a test, take that Scout to any local three-gun match and see how fast you get smoked by guys running AR variants.
These guns are made for guys who spend way more time on the range or the internet than in the field. I think most buyers want them so some of that Old School Cooper Cool rubs off on them. Good on Ruger for making money filling an imaginary need, though!
It’s a Walter Mitty gun. And so is the AR-15 (unless you’re shooting 3-Gun). Nothing wrong with that.
My Cabela’s has one, but they’re asking an outrageous $900-some dollars for it. I’ll find it elsewhere I’m sure for a more realistic $800 or so. And I will buy it. Because it’s cool.
Fair enough. I can live with the idea of guns as toys, but I’m pretty practical about guns/tools. I don’t own an AR15, either, since I don’t compete anymore and have no plans to be in an infantry engagement.
I think the concept of a very handy bolt gun with good sights, a shorter-than-normal barrel (most bolt guns have 22 to 24″ barrels) and a detachable mag would make for a very handy rifle. Put up a rifle with a short, handy barrel, good sights and light weight in a round like 7mm08 and it would be just about as close to perfect a “one rifle to do everything” as one could get.
The one thing a bolt gun has over all semi-autos is reliability. Period, full stop, thanks for playing. The second thing a bolt gun has is the ability to put more deliberate rounds onto a distant target in a given time than a semi-auto. At 300 yards and out, a bolt gun is faster than a semi-auto. Most people sitting at home don’t need that, but if you’re living in the west and blessed with coyotes like people in the southeast are blessed with nutria and cockroaches, a rifle that allows you to snap-shoot coyotes is a pretty handy thing.
BTW, in this day and age of scarce and expensive ammo… a bolt gun allows you to reload your brass many more times than a semi-auto.
Any manually operated gun has the potential to be short-stroked under heavy stress. It’s happened with pump shotguns. If bolt guns were actually used for defense, I expect it would happen with those, too. Semiautos don’t get scared; people do.
“I think the concept of a very handy bolt gun with good sights, a shorter-than-normal barrel (most bolt guns have 22 to 24″ barrels) and a detachable mag would make for a very handy rifle.”
Well, sure, though I fail to see the point of a detachable mag for hunting. But compared to, say, a Remington Model 7, the Ruger Scout is made *less* handy by the addition of the deeper magazine, the pointless rail, and arguably the flash hider. Nothing at all wrong with a short and light .308 or 7mm-08, but the Ruger Scout just adds appendages useless for hunting in an attempt to make a fighting gun out of a sporting gun. What they ended up with is a gun that excels at neither mission.
I don’t understand why anyone would want “one gun” if it does a less than stellar job at anything, or has a bunch of pointless “features.” No one is really going to be roaming the world with a rifle on their shoulder for months at a time, and anyone who can afford to buy and shoot a Ruger Scout can afford a plainer bolt gun for hunting and an AR (if they really think they’ll need to fight with a rifle). Why settle for a Leatherman when you can have a toolbox?
Because not everyone can afford a toolbox. Duh.
They should have designed it to accept M14/M1A Magazines.
Why doesn’t anyone come out with a .300 Win Mag version of this? I’d really like a ten round detachable magazine on a bolt gun without having to pay Accuracy International prices.
@ Blake
Very true, I doubt I could shoot an moa with the fanciest of bolt guns and a rest.
While nobody would argue that a bolt is more durable (no dust worry) and reliable as well as accurate (especially at longer distances) and handle more powerful calibers than a semiauto, I thought a semi would have faster target reacquisition though maybe the key phrase you used was deliberate rounds. I know they dusted of many old warhorse m14′s to be used as designated marksman rifles (DMR’s) and I know they are superior for suppression. I think maybe the superiority would come at a greater range (600 or 800 and beyond) where the deliberate shot would be more effective due to the accuracy of the bolt.
I aint no expert by a longshot (pun intended).
This issue was tested when the Garand was adopted by the US Army. Under 100 yards, the Garand owned the “shots on target vs. time” metric very handily over the 1903.
At 200 yards, the Garand barely owned the issue.
At 300 yards, the 1903 won. At longer distances, from what I see in competitive matches, bolt guns still win.
The results of the initial tests back in the 30′s are written up in Hatcher’s Book of the Garand.
BTW, you can see this difference persist to this day. There are matches in Norway where the civilian competitors are using Sauer ST-200 rifles (bolt, cock-on-close) vs. members of their military, who are using H&K G-3′s. The bolt guns get off more rounds on target in less time than the G-3′s.
The nut of the point is this: People who claim that a semi-auto is “faster” usually think so because they haven’t been learned how to operate a bolt gun competently. Hint: If you’re taking your right thumb and forefinger off the bolt knob to operate the trigger, you’re doin’ it wrong.
Careful that’s a New Jersey Assault Rifle.
luckily i live in ny we have sensible gun laws here. uggh too much sarcasm gonna be sick.
I bought a new one at a recent gun show. It’s mounted with a Leuopold 2.5 x 28mm Scout scope (Gunmetal grey finish) and Warne QD rings. Can’t wait to shoot it for the first time this weekend!
Cheers,
Tom
Lancaster, PA
When I get one, I’d like to replace that clunky flash hider, but I’ve heard it’s a bear to remove.
I understand the newer versions have the flash arrester squared around the muzzle to make removal easier.
Very cool!
I have always liked this rifle very much, but have yet to pull the trigger on one. When the Mossberg MVP comes out in .308, though, it’s going to be a hard decision between the two. I really, really (really) like the benchrest-style laminate stock on the MVP. …and it will take AR-10 mags…
Is there a plan for that MVP in .308 or is that just wishful thinking?
Because I very much wish for the same thing.
This is not a review, it is an opinion unless you concider the reported 9MOA accuracy as a data point.
I have two of the Ruger polymer magazines. The springs are junk. This is my pickup and tractor rifle. It is always loaded and always within reach. I do not trust the Ruger polymer mags anymore. They only feed the first round reliably. This is after being fully loaded for less than two months.
I don’t keep my magazines fully loaded. 9 rounds maximum for when storing. I read somewhere that carrying 1911 magazines fully loaded tended to weaken springs over time. I carried that thought over to my Ruger magazines. So far, no problems and this is after owning the rifle for a couple of months.
YMMV
Over the last 2 years I attended 3 rifle class’s in Lakeland,Fl. by Randy Cain. The
first class used AK with iron sights, second class used fn scar 17 with 1×5 scope
and third class used ruger scout rifle with iron sights. I sold all those semi-autos
and sticking with scout rifle; it is super reliable and I shot 5″ groups at 200 yds.
Using a chest pouch carring 4 10rd ruger plastic mags it is easy to carry and use.
Great gun, trigger was very good out of the box, had to remove some wood on left
side of barrel, took off scope base and the bolt got smooth after apx 1500 rds.
Liked the Ruger, tried a friends. Shot well. Then had chance to try before buying a Steyr Jeff Cooper package. Traded a few old safe queens and haven’t looked back. Fast on target, great trigger, built in mag carrier for second one, even a ten rounder if you can find one…still looking. If you can find one and afford the ante, it is a definate keeper…
Interesting read. I have had some trouble with the Ruger plastic magazines; and prefer the Alpha ten round version. The Alpha is shorter than the stock Accurate Mag version that the rifle ships with, and is smoother. As far as optics go, I had a Leupold 2.5×28, but found a Leupold VXR Scout 1.5-5 w/FireDot reticle and 30mm tube much better. It is a bigger scope, but for my eyes works best. I also use Leupold quick release rings. A good sling is the Galco Safari Ching Sling; after some break-in it works really well. I like the flash hider as a means for muzzle protection while going in and out of vehicles, etc.
I use this rifle for hunting; it is 100% reliable. The five round magazine for me works best. For social purposes my choice is a semi-auto in .308, but the trade-off is the extra weight; For my mind, the GSR would make a good hiker’s rifle.
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