Joe S.
Hunter
Love mine! Shooting it now. Typing this while the barrel cools. 
Ruger's Scout Rifle (Opinion)
- Thread starter Jimbo357mag
- Start date
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When we started the paperwork process on ours (California is a very, very strange state), we handled them for the first time out of the box in their "as boxed" condition. To my surprise, the stock spacers are not installed in these rifles as delivered. I first thought I would put them in to get something like a normal length of pull, but when I shouldered and handled the rifle with no stock spacers, I really liked it. I may leave it as is. I can't wait until our misguided 10-day waiting period is over. I am very eager to shoot this new rifle.
I agree the trend towards handier, more practical field rifles is good. I don't see much need for some of the features of the scout or the Ruger version of it for my use but the general idea is good, a handy, powerful general purpose rifle. I don't carry as much as EVR, but perhaps a bit more than average. I've come to some of the same conclusions, a shorter, standard type bolt gun makes a very good all around carry gun with more range, power and precision than most levers. I'm a big levergun fan, but they just arent as flexible as a general purpose rifle. Scoped leverguns aren't all that handy to carry, I'd as soon have a bolt gun. My gunsmith rolls his eyes and shakes his head at me when I take rifles to him to cut barrels down. Have an earlier M-77 260 in getting some work done, it will be 20" and have decent irons for backup when done.
In AZ you are limited to a 5 round magnazine for hunting. Is a 5 round magazine offered or is a plug required?
When I was in AZ, the 5 round limit was only for centerfire semi auto rifles, manually operated rifles weren't limited.
Edit: I looked it up on the Az Game and Fish website, it's still only centerfire semi autos that have magazine capacity limits. Manually operated guns are not limited.
Edit: I looked it up on the Az Game and Fish website, it's still only centerfire semi autos that have magazine capacity limits. Manually operated guns are not limited.
I'm surprised AZ has that law; I thought the leftists here in the PRK (Peoples Republik of California) had cornered the market on firearms legislation follies in the western US.
Case in point...I recently purchased one of the Davidson's Mini 14 Deluxe rifles with real pretty wood, but as it comes from the factory, it's illegal here in the PRK. Two things made it so...the 30-round mag, and the flash suppressor.
The 30-round mag I didn't care about (I am primarily a Ruger No. 1 guy, so the thought of needing 30 rounds seems downright silly to me...it's almost like wearing a sign that says "I can't shoot worth a damn"). The flash suppressor thing, I think, is a bit on the silly side, too. I have a plain vanilla Mini 14 and I have somehow managed to shoot it well without being bothered by the flash. The other guys on the range haven't been blinded by my other non-flash-suppressor-equipped Mini 14 (and the huge muzzle flashes created by that monstrous 5.56 round), either.
Bringing the rifle into California required addressing these two items of blatant badness (at least in the eyes of the PRK legislature). The 30-round mag thing was easy; the gun just shipped here without it.
Ah, but that inherently evil flash suppressor...that was the difficult part. It's tough to unscrew, and the out-of-state dealer I purchased it from does no gunsmithing. A bit of research, and I learned I can have the gun shipped to a PRK FFL who has an assault weapons provision on his FFL. That allows him to bring the rifle in state, modify it to satisfy the Feinsteins, Boxers, and Newsomes of this weird world we inhabit, and then it is legal.
The FFL removed the offending flash suppressor (which makes it illegal here) and installed a really badass-looking muzzle brake. The muzzle brake is legal. That makes my new rifle okay in the eyes of people who must understand the intracies of weapons design far better than I. Plus, it will help tame the 223 Remington round's flinch-inducing recoil. And it looks awesome...much more intimidating than the flash suppressor.
I'm guessing the paper I'll be punching .223-inch-diameter holes through will be far more intimidated by the muzzle brake than that it would have been by the flash suppressor.
Ah, if only we could get muzzle brakes for the people who write our laws...
Case in point...I recently purchased one of the Davidson's Mini 14 Deluxe rifles with real pretty wood, but as it comes from the factory, it's illegal here in the PRK. Two things made it so...the 30-round mag, and the flash suppressor.
The 30-round mag I didn't care about (I am primarily a Ruger No. 1 guy, so the thought of needing 30 rounds seems downright silly to me...it's almost like wearing a sign that says "I can't shoot worth a damn"). The flash suppressor thing, I think, is a bit on the silly side, too. I have a plain vanilla Mini 14 and I have somehow managed to shoot it well without being bothered by the flash. The other guys on the range haven't been blinded by my other non-flash-suppressor-equipped Mini 14 (and the huge muzzle flashes created by that monstrous 5.56 round), either.
Bringing the rifle into California required addressing these two items of blatant badness (at least in the eyes of the PRK legislature). The 30-round mag thing was easy; the gun just shipped here without it.
Ah, but that inherently evil flash suppressor...that was the difficult part. It's tough to unscrew, and the out-of-state dealer I purchased it from does no gunsmithing. A bit of research, and I learned I can have the gun shipped to a PRK FFL who has an assault weapons provision on his FFL. That allows him to bring the rifle in state, modify it to satisfy the Feinsteins, Boxers, and Newsomes of this weird world we inhabit, and then it is legal.
The FFL removed the offending flash suppressor (which makes it illegal here) and installed a really badass-looking muzzle brake. The muzzle brake is legal. That makes my new rifle okay in the eyes of people who must understand the intracies of weapons design far better than I. Plus, it will help tame the 223 Remington round's flinch-inducing recoil. And it looks awesome...much more intimidating than the flash suppressor.
I'm guessing the paper I'll be punching .223-inch-diameter holes through will be far more intimidated by the muzzle brake than that it would have been by the flash suppressor.
Ah, if only we could get muzzle brakes for the people who write our laws...
JustsayMo
Single-Sixer
I'm mostly a levergun guy, but...
I have to admit the Ruger Scout intrigued me from the first time I saw it. Bought one the day it hit my enabler's shelf and have been enjoying it ever since.
The things I like best:
-308 Cartridge, Versatility on steroids
I even shoot .314" buckshot in mine.
-Peep sights. I grew up with peep sights on my rifles and shoot my 1903A3 in military rifle matches regularly. A commercially produced, handy sized bolt gun with peep sights is my idea of a near perfect rifle for scouting and hunting. The ability to easily accommodate virtually any sighting system/optics is a big bonus in my book.
-Medium thickness barrel; If I want to shoot good groups with my CZ or Remington 700 I have to let the barrel cool. With the RGS the POI changes very little hot - cold, dirty - clean... Like all my bolts it likes what it likes but I have found sub MOA loads for 165gr JSP (Varget), 175, 115 and 47 grain cast bullets / round ball at both super and subsonic velocities.
-Size and heft: I've owned a number of compact rifles and some carried a little easier but none have shot as well, especially from field positions. I packed it around in the field a number of times and as far as bolt guns go, it's at or near the top.
Things I don't like:
-10 round magazine. I MUCH prefer the 5 rounders.
-The flash suppressor doesn't do anything for me but the threaded barrel has me thinking 'can'. Now that we can use them in this state I'm seriously considering one for this rifle.
-I LOATH the comments I get about this rifle not matching Cooper's specifications, or not taking stripper clips, or whatever... when I'm at the range from know-it-all-self-appointed-gun-gurus. I could care less. It serves MY purposes and because it didn't pedantically adhere to the gospel of St. Jeff means zip to me.
A tip for those who hate it - don't buy one.
I have to admit the Ruger Scout intrigued me from the first time I saw it. Bought one the day it hit my enabler's shelf and have been enjoying it ever since.
The things I like best:
-308 Cartridge, Versatility on steroids
I even shoot .314" buckshot in mine.
-Peep sights. I grew up with peep sights on my rifles and shoot my 1903A3 in military rifle matches regularly. A commercially produced, handy sized bolt gun with peep sights is my idea of a near perfect rifle for scouting and hunting. The ability to easily accommodate virtually any sighting system/optics is a big bonus in my book.
-Medium thickness barrel; If I want to shoot good groups with my CZ or Remington 700 I have to let the barrel cool. With the RGS the POI changes very little hot - cold, dirty - clean... Like all my bolts it likes what it likes but I have found sub MOA loads for 165gr JSP (Varget), 175, 115 and 47 grain cast bullets / round ball at both super and subsonic velocities.
-Size and heft: I've owned a number of compact rifles and some carried a little easier but none have shot as well, especially from field positions. I packed it around in the field a number of times and as far as bolt guns go, it's at or near the top.
Things I don't like:
-10 round magazine. I MUCH prefer the 5 rounders.
-The flash suppressor doesn't do anything for me but the threaded barrel has me thinking 'can'. Now that we can use them in this state I'm seriously considering one for this rifle.
-I LOATH the comments I get about this rifle not matching Cooper's specifications, or not taking stripper clips, or whatever... when I'm at the range from know-it-all-self-appointed-gun-gurus. I could care less. It serves MY purposes and because it didn't pedantically adhere to the gospel of St. Jeff means zip to me.
A tip for those who hate it - don't buy one.
BikerRN
Bearcat
Buckeye Bill said:
You're wrong.
Read your hunting regulations again. The five round limit only applies to autoloading centerfire rifles. If you don't believe me call Game and Fish.
Biker
A
Anonymous
Not my speed since I'm all rimfire these days. If I were to buy a centerfire rifle, I've always thought .308 was the best all purpose round. The size and features of the Scout Rifle make it a somewhat all purpose design, so that works out good. Not the best for any one purpose, but good for several.
I stand corrected. Arizona 5 round limit is for autoloading centerfire type rifles. Sorry about that!
