anyone else?

finally an affordable solid rifle to bridge the gap between light short range carbines and heavy long range rifles in terms of weight, speed and capability.

I decided on a lightweight 6.8 AR last year to fill this role, but I just sold it and looking for the Ruger.

It kills me, cause Bill Ruger's grave is a future toilet of mine, yet I carry an LCP, my wife's got a SP101 and I'm jonesing the scout rifle bad.

(thank g-d they f'ed up their 6.8 chambers, or I might have a ruger only collection!)

I'll pass(for now).

While the Scout is a neat idea and it looks good, it misses the mark on several points for me.

1.) Its WAY too expensive for what it is. Just a plain old M77 dressed up. The prices I've seen are bumping Springer M-1-A prices.

2.) Why in the fvck didn't they build it to take M14/M-1/A mags? Maybe even FAL mags. Spare mags are gonna cost a shit ton of money. The other types are easy to find.

3.) and this is just a personal thing: I'm the poor slob who just has had shit for luck accuracy wise with Ruger centerfire rifles. I'm gonna have to see a large number of these things performing out in the wild and proving themselves before I'd even consider purchasing one.

in terms of the design of the rifle itself, it success where the steyr (way too expensive) previous ruger (no detach mags, no irons), and savage (cheap mount) have failed.

as far as accuracy, reports are good enough if not stellar.

I own one of these guns and it has stabled the rest of my rifles.
As to why I like it so much, I know this is all in the reviews but I like talking about it-
Price, the ~$730-$760 or so price tag caused me to think about it for a spell, but I can't come up with a way to get all these features for the same amount of money, and I do want all of the features.  I like Ruger actions for this purpose, think tank, and people have been pulling out 1 MOA-ish groups, which will do very nicely for a gun that may never see a bipod, much less a bench.  To be fair to the M1A comparison, when I first got this rifle the guy I shoot with carried an M1A, he sold his M1A and plans to buy the Ruger.  The weight, reliability and size of this gun are hard to argue with it.  Not to say an M1A is a bad gun at all, just serves a different role.  A Socom16 is heavy, especially out front.
I personally like the mags, the AI mags are top notch, totally reliable and build quality is very very good.  And for me, its a bolt gun, I really don't need 20 rounds in it, nor do I want to carry it with 20 rounds on board.  I know they are expensive mags, but I don't intend to own many of them, and quality is generally worth a few bucks.  Personally, I like the 5 round mags most.
The weight issues nails why I like the gun so much, I shoot in the mountains of CO and hike a lot to get to where I am going, it is nice to have this much punch (bears scare me), that always works (its a freaking Mauser action) regardless of altitude or temp.  So far its been out at well below freezing at above 9000 feet, and done very well for it self. Easy to carry, reliable and fits my needs to a perfectly.  I have about 500 rounds so far, no problems.
I am not going to fight a hoard of zombies, nor do I plan to get into a running fire fight with the Taliban, and I am not a sniper, I live in Colorado and I like to shoot, this gun just makes sense!  But it is great to have the ability to defend myself, and hunt and still have a gun I can hike and camp with.  Finally, this gun is just fun as hell.
Currently the gun has a Leupold FX 2.5 EER scope on top in quick detach low rings, a Vltor flash hider and the stock pouch, sans the extra ammo.
Pic for the sake of it, in a few forms I have had it so far.  BRD has got to this gun too, what can I say.




its playground as of late-







 

That is a good way of putting it.

I believe there are a couple of reasons for that.

A) they could not get a double stack magazine to feed reliably with their current bolt design.

B) Their are alot of M14 mags out there ranging from very good to very bad. They did not want people buying the gun and blaming the problems they were having on the gun when in reality it was due to crappy 3rd party magazines they were using, then constantly sending the guns back to the factory when nothing was wrong with them. This is something that had plagued their mini-14 lineup for a long time.

C)  they chose a magazine design of proven reliability that can also be used in larger calibers like .300 mag and .338 lapua

They could contract with a mag manufacturer to produce magazines to their specs. Put a Ruger logo on them and advise customers to only use factory ruger magazines.

What happened to the mini-14?
It has a bad rep. People defend it by pointing out that it's a good rifle, IF you use factory mags.

I'm sure they're familiar with that over at Ruger.

I don't think the street price is that bad.
At first I thought it was a little high, and then I looked at what it would cost to add the bottom metal to an M700 to have a detachable mag.
It looks to me, and I may be wrong, that to buy a rifle and convert it accept mags would cost roughly the same, if not a bit more.

Just picked on up today.  It is pert near my ideal non-AR rifle.

can you reload with stripper clips?

No.

There it is...a working rifle that is meant to get used and not safed.  I plan on getting one to go with the HVT that I'll be getting.

Got out today with my GSR.  I find the hype around this rifle to be completely on-point and it fills the role envisioned by Col. Cooper perfectly.  It is the perfect all-around rifle.  Light, handy, powerful, and accurate.  If this were my only rifle, I honestly don't think that I would feel lacking.

Because, the industry standard chosen by professional shooters is the AICS system, hence the AICS magazines. Not to mention the fact the reloaders often like to load rounds long for "jamming" bullets, and the AICS magazines allow for a longer OAL. There IS another manufacturer the makes the AICS mags that allows for an even longer OAL. Thats a big bonus. I'm steering clear of the gun until I start seeing range reports.

DAMN, I want one!

This item has moved to the top of my wish list.

I really don't see the point in the scout rifle. For combat applications it makes much more sense to use a semi auto. How much more does a SCAR17 weigh? or an AR10?

the larue obr lite is close and I'm sure you can get a semi-auto 308 at 7lbs, but at what cost?

capabilities, weight and cost all seem to meet at this rifle.

the fr8 mauser was the first scout rifle



18 inch barrel, 7.62x51

I like the Ruger Scout...my biggest complaint is that Ruger loves their laminate stocks...and I would like a synthetic stock.

The Ruger that I saw does not have an AI mag...it uses an Accurate mag (nothing wrong with the Accurate mags), which is an AI clone.

The Ruger is much lighter compared to AR10 patterned rifles.  I find the Ruger rifle to offer some nice features for the money.  I am tempted to pick up one since I like the scout concept...and it's cheap compared to the Steyr Scout.

Nice pics, where in Colorado? Look like South Park to me.

I like the rifle but the price is a buzzkill for me.

Now the price is definately cheaper, but for less than a pound of extra weight you can have an AR-10 or OBR PredatAR .



http://www.armalite.com/ItemForm.aspx?item=10A4CF&ReturnUrl=Categories.aspx?Category=f4bd4a13-55d1-41aa-aea0-49488ec48776



Or for 7.9lb you can get the SCAR heavy.



*edited for correctness...

nazi's had the first true scout.

a 14"-16" scar with 10rd mags is really the only thing I'd consider as a competitor (disregarding price).

At a gunstore I went to today they have a GSR with an Aimpoint T-1 and an AAC can on it already.

uh...wut?



The FR-7 and FR-8 came into being when the Spanish military was implementing the CETME, the retrofitted CETME parts onto a shortened 1916 Mauser and 1943 Mauser actions (respectively).  Proof enough that they weren't Nazi is that the flash hider is compatible with NATO grenades
....so yeah...what about them apples.



 

You guys are missing the point of the Scout concept. It is not supposed to replace/compete with high capacity semi-autos. Apples to oranges........

That spot is near Buffalo Creek, sort of.
As to comparable rifles, I couldn't come up with much else that hit that mix.  Sure, an AR-10 or Scar type weapon would put out a lot more lead, but the cost is much higher, especially if you want a fully reliable weapon, and they all weigh more, and frankly if I could do anything to this gun I would be trying to cut weight.  I went with this rifle after a long series of other guns looking for this rifle-  
Tried, but didn’t own an AR-10, too damned heavy to pack with, given this was my friends gun and he had that thing covered with rails and optics, so it wasn’t a fully fair test.
First- Chopped PSL, kind of like the guerilla sniper rifle the rifle dynamics builds, except mine was 17 inches and had a krink brake on the front end and a bolt on front sight.  (can’t find any photos of it) but I ran into troubles with the ammo, just too corrosive for use in the snow over a long time in the woods, I won’t carry that much Windex.   I also would have liked to be able to buy it at Walmart or where ever instead of needing to get lucky in gun stores or online.
Second- M1 Garand, too heavy, moving on.  Sure they carried it in WW2, but I suck and I also carry all my food and medical gear and am sometimes at high altitude.  And most importantly, I do this for fun.  Just for the sake of it, M2 ball is not great hunting ammo unless I load my own or the white tails are in flack vests.
Third- M1A (not mine, used a friends who had two)- Same weight problem as the M1.  He sold the M1A and was looking at the Ruger after a few trips to the mountains with mine.
Fourth - M16A4 clone.  Once I smelled bear where I tend to shoot/hike, I wanted more punch.  Sure an 5.56 would work, but I felt better with a bigger round.  I also wanted a gun I could hunt larger game as well as defend myself.
After this long list of firearms I found the GSR.  I wish I could put out more lead, but the bolt moves quick with some practice and with a low power optic it is quick on target.  I had it with a micro red dot- the Bushnell TR-25, and really liked it, it was just too easy to be fun up close and I wish it could do better at range.  Now I have a Leupold EER 2.5 scope on top, this is great, and has done its job to ~500 yards so far, ringing steal at range and seems stupid fast up close.    The problem with semi-autos, as cooper laid it out is they are too heavy and/or expensive.  Still true today.  If they made a package- a dead-nuts reliable 308 that could still use mags that I could load long ammo into and weighed the same as the Ruger and costed about a grand, I would be happy.
As to the top feed, I prefer to keep my ammo in mags as opposed to stripper clips, this was a non-issue for me.
As to the 16 inch barrel as opposed to 18 inches, not enough FPS to worry me, this isn’t a bench gun for a grand or more.  In fact, I doubt I will ever see a group from my rifle at a known range.  Its not a bench rest rifle and I don't like fixed firing lines.
I think the worst part of this gun is its name.  Given it came from the scout rifle concept, but when most people I talk to hear "scout rifle" now days, or on a web site like this, they think seal team in Vietnam or Marine Corp force recon.  I think the scout rifle is more tied to mountain man type scouts, or Indian scouts.   This gun should be called a Utility rifle, Truck gun, ONE gun, Dangerous Game Rifle, Field and Home rifle, anything.





I badly want a can on it, and keep thinking about a micro-aimpoint.  I'd like to see that in a 3 gun match, that would take some moves.
 

the fr-7 and fr-8's are neither scouts nor do they predate the k98 scout model the nazis used.

chopping a PSL wouldn't cure it's anorexic barrel profile.  
I'd consider chopping it and popping a straightjacket on if possible.
now THAT would be a rifle.

I would buy one in a heartbeat.  They look (and from what I have heard/seen) and shoot well...

I like the concept, but don't like forward mounted scopes.





So, I would rather have a scope mounted normally.





My ideal rifle along the lines of the "scout rifle" concept would be a Remington 700, adapted for M-14 magazines (if at all possible), 16" or 18" medium contour barrel (LW50 stainless with 5R rifling), a Battle Comp on the muzzle, a Leupold Mark 8 1.1-8 on top, all sitting in a Sendero style stock.

 

It really is a different concept than a battle rifle.

A scout rifle is meant to be light, easy to move with, shot little, but enough power that a couple shots can put down someone who spots you without revealing your position and you can evade, or like one of the posters, a good high altitude/semi-long shot Elk rifle.

I use a M1A or AR-10 at 10,000 feet but my hikes in are at most only a couple miles and I have a great tactical sling that really distributes the weight. And since I am big game hunting in Colorado, I am only allowed a 5 round magazine on my semi-auto which reduces weight a lot.

Question, would a loaded .308 Ruger Scout with a 20 round magazine weigh almost as much as a M1A in a fiberglass stock with a 5 round magazine?

Not sure- so a little home experiment-
Fully dressed- Scope, rings, stock pouch with kit in it, muzzle break, sling- with 10 round loaded magazine-9.4lbs






add an extra 10 round loaded magazine, making 20 rounds of 308 - 10.4 pounds
Not sure what a M1a comes in at fully dressed.
Just the rifle, with nothing on it and no ammo comes in at 7.2 pounds on my scale and Ruger quotes them at 7 pounds.
If memory serves a standard M1A weighs ~9 lbs empty and bare in a plastic stock.
 

Oh cool learn something new everyday.  I thought you were saying the FR7 and FR8 were nazi guns hence the



...and btw the apples...they were delicious

 

You mount a scope over the action on a GSR.  You lose the rear iron sight in doing so.  I understand why some don't like forward mounted optics, however it allows the shooter to have view of other activities outside the optic's field of view.

Maybe Remington will jump on the bandwagon and you'll get your wish.

I understand loosing the rear iron, but I could have one dovetailed into the top of the barrel ahead of the scope.



As far as seeing what's going on outside of the scope, I shoot with both eyes open.



And the thing I like about the scope that I mentioned is that on 1.1, you can use it like a red dot & it has an Hours reticle for longer shots. A good compromise between a red dot & a full blown scope, IMHO.



 

For a forward mounted scope, the Ruger is a pretty nice set up. I wanted to run my NF 1-4 but still have back up irons. The Ruger wasn't the best choice for that set up. I ended up going a different route, but if I liked forward mounted scopes I would have saved myself some $$ and gone with the Ruger.

I don't know if it will work, but XS Sights has a backup iron sight for Rugers.


I hope they do. I hope the Ruger does well and Remmy jumps on the bandwagon.
Having said that, I hope it's not a 710/770 based rifle.
I'd pay what happily pay what the Ruger is going for to have a factory 700 with a detachable mag and scout rail.

If not, you can install one of those Lyman flip-up aperture sights on the stock, like those old Sharps rifles used to have.

What are the specs of that beauty !?

.308 Steyr Tactical Elite Scout with the barrel cut to 18". HK height Troys BUIS, Nightforce 1-4 in ARMS 22M's. Rattle can krylon basement paint job. Very nice rifle, but much more expensive than the Ruger. I think Ruger did a great job for the money.

Op, nice rifle, right up to the point you put that god awful muzzle brake on it.  Why mess up a perfectly good rifle?  You may not always have hearing protection available, even if no zombies or sniping is involved.  Just saying, but nice stick anyway.

How about one of those in .338 RCM?  That would be pretty badass...

bit pricey to me.  If they cost $350-400 id pick one up

i do like the idea however.

Not the OP, but I assume you are talking about mine due to said "god awful muzzle brake" which I own. Whats wrong with a bolt gun with a circle of obedience?!





I agree with you.  I haven't decided what to grace the front end with and I had this.  I am very picky and most decent 308 flash hiders/brakes are huge!  May just put an A2 on it and call it good.  I wasn't wild about the downward facing ports on the Ruger flash hider, and I didn't like the way it looked either.  



My name is BigMat, and I have BRD.





 

That's why I picked up the Savage instead. Completely outfitted with 2.5 EER it was still under $650.

I'd be curious to know if the tech sight replacement for the mini-14/30 rifles would work on the GSR.  They appear to be the same rear sight on the GSR as the minis so the replacement should fit either.  From the tech-sights website:

Factory:


Tech-sight:

The rear sight on the GSR mounts directly to the ruger rail.  It looks like the tech sights lay over the receiver.  I wish these would work though.