So I was responding to a post that referenced the Ruger Gunsite Scout, and I was brushing up on scout rifle history...  and I had either forgotten or never seen before that Col. Cooper at one point had considered 7mm-08 an appropriate cartridge.  Did anybody making a "scout rifle" ever do a 7mm-08?

I mean, nothing against .308, which is a great thing, I'm just curious...

As I recall early on Steyr offered it.

Ruger made the M77 Frontier in 7-08 and .243.   That was scout rifle-ish.

7mm-08 has a nice flat trajectory.

Midway has a Shilen RemAge prefit in 7/08 on clearance for less than $300, if anybody is looking. Would make a nice start.

Cooper opined on the 7mm-08 chambering for a bolt-action Scout because it was a short-action NON-military caliber, unlike the .308. Thus, outside the USA, a Scout rifle so chambered could be marketed in countries that otherwise banned the private ownership of firearms in common Mil-calibers.

That is a good point.  I had wondered how much use the 7mm-08 had outside the US, but apparently it is popular in some other countries for exactly that reason.  

I guess the question would be, was 7mm-08 ONLY endorsed by Cooper for those countries, or did he consider it a viable option anywhere?  I haven't read enough on the topic to have an informed opinion.  I did find a quote from one of his "Guns & Ammo" columns that said: "A true Scout comes in .308 or 7mm-08," but the column is a little random and I don't think it's definitive.

The 7mm 08 is a perfect fit for the concept, and is a flat shooting, reasonable recoil round that kills lots of deer every year.

The first-generation Savage Scout Rifles came in 7-08. Mine is one of my favorite rifles.

I have the Steyr in 7mm-08.

Older I get I'm more about logistics than perfect.
7 08 is harder to source and close to impossible to depend on for any kind of dificult resupply situation.

Great for collections and hunting just not doing scout rifle stuff...here in the USA anyway.

6.5 CR is better than 7mm-08 for logistics. The 7mm-08 has a lot going for it, but doesn’t have quite the case capacity to really take advantage of the better bullets. So it’s slightly flatter shooting than 308, kills slightly better than 6.5CR and is FAR harder to get than either. Not much of an advantage to me.

I have one of Coopers books in which he addresses the parameters of his definition of a scout rifle. He seemed very hitched to the .308, but also seemed pliable on the subject for certain situations. From my recollection of course.

Although I don’t own a 7-08, I do believe it’s a better cartridge than the Creedmoor. At least in potential. Nearly on par with the .308 for short range power and bullet diameter yet has long enough legs to stay with longer range options. In reality, the 7-08 has limited ammo selection and many of the better bullets available to hand loaders are intended for the much faster 7mm mag. Great cartridge that never rose above also ran status and getting more obscure by the day it seems. That’s makes me sad, because I’d really like to have one. I just bought a new rifle and the shop had two in stock. A .308 and surprisingly a 7-08. For a brief moment I considered the 7-08, but then logic and the reality of the situation kicked in. My advice is to choose a .308.

Cooper acknowledged that 7-08 is ballistically superior to .308, but the "one rifle for everything" Scout concept meant that the .308's availability trumped the 7-08's superiority.
The 7-08 is ballistically a near-twin of 7x57, so it will do everything the 7x57 will do, right up until you want to use those lovely long, heavy 175 grain bullets. Then mag box length and short cartridge conspire against you, just as they will if you want to use 180gr bullets in your .308 Scout.
I think of the 7-08 as a modern .275 Rigby, and stick with 140 grain Nosler Partitions, which have a better sectional density (SD .248) than the 150 gr .308 (SD .226).
Save those wonderful 175 Partitions for the 7x57.

You possibly an interesting question Sir, I've been considering thE Scout Cartridge question too.

7mm-08 would seem like a great alternative Scout Chambering, if not for the ammo cost and availability.

Today it seems like the 6.5 Creedmoor may be a more viable option if you are looking for a non .308 option.

Someone already mentioned the original Savage Scout, and IIRC the Steyr Scout came out with 308 and 7mm-08 options originally.

You can buy a 6.5 Scout now and not a 7mm-08 and there are good reasons for that.