I was a teenager in the early 1980s when Lt. Col. Cooper was having his Scout Rifle Conferences at Gunsite, the renowned Arizona shooting complex.
The printed press of the day (for those of a latterly generation, these were printed words contained in magazines delivered to your mailbox or discovered on magazine newsstands) followed the events at Gunsite studiously.
The Colonel’s writings, his magazine columns and books, were a favorite of mine.
The thrust of his idea was a rifle that could do everything, and an optics to match.
The underlying concept of the Scout Rifle is versatility, and its optic had to follow suit.
More Scout Rifle tenets, passionately maintained by the Scout Rifle mafia anytime the term Scout Rifle is used, include the following:
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A general purpose rifle
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A conveniently portable, individually operated firearm capable of striking a single decisive blow on a live target at any distance at which the operator can shoot with the precision necessary to place a shot in a vital area of the target
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Cooper himself specified the dimensions of such a rifle: overall length of 39 inches, including a 19-inch barrel, and a weight of 6.6 pounds.
Beyond the features detailed about what it took to be a Scout Rifle, the forward-mounted optic, or Scout Scope as the platform became known, is its standout “look at me” characteristic. The intermediate/extended eye relief of the Scout Scope is a low-powered optic mounted in front of the action.
The Scout optic is both the signature aesthetic as well as the performance-defining feature of the Scout Rifle.
The Scout Scope maximizes peripheral vision and facilitates greater accuracy than iron sights can deliver. Cooper’s standard was the ability to hit a man-sized target or animal boiler room out to 500 yards.
The Scout Scope’s long eye relief, 9-13 inches depending on optic model, stands in contrast to typical rifle scopes with 3-5 inches of eye relief. Shooters familiar with red dots will be pleasantly surprised by the utility of the Scout Scope.
Plus, the Scout Scope’s crosshair is hard to beat for providing an aiming point. Adding an illuminated dot, which some Scout Scopes now offer, to the reticle takes this to an even higher level, facilitating fast target acquisition in any light conditions.
The Scout Scope facilitates engaging multiple targets in rapid sequence more accurately compared to open sights and at greater distances than a red dot.
The magnification also aids in finding lanes of fire in dense areas. If you have ever had to fit a bullet through thick cover, even at close range, you know what I am talking about. The Scout Scope also aids in target recognition/identification compared to open or red dot sights.
EVOLUTION OF THE SCOUT RIFLE
When Scout Rifles were initially discussed in the 1970s-1980s, we were not yet blessed with the availability of detachable magazine bolt actions. In Cooper’s time, a Scout Rifle shooter who wanted to reload must have clear access to the top of the action for stripper clips and/or fingers to get cartridges into the magazine. Keeping the action clear was a very practical reason for the forward-mounted scope.
Cooper admired how the svelte lever action carried and handled and encouraged these characteristics in the Scout Rifle.
Those who knew Col. Cooper and attended the Scout Rifle Conferences report this as another benefit of the Scout Scope: it moves the scope to a better-handling forward balance point on the rifle, allowing it to be carried in hand much more easily than rear-mounted scopes. In addition, Scout Scopes tend to be lighter than typical standard optics.
Plus, they often retail at the same price class as entry-level optics, so they don’t cost more than the rifle they are mounted on. Scout Scopes use etched reticles in the second focal plane, making them easy to see at every magnification.
PROS AND CONS OF THE SCOUT SCOPE
Scout Scope critics decry how deficient these optics are in comparison to modern LPVO scopes: minimal objective lens diameters, 1-inch tubes, no illumination, second focal plane, basic reticles, capped turrets, light in weight. Hell, these are all the positives of the Scout Scope, which are not intended to serve as anything more than a means to an end on the rifle—quickly placing a bullet in a vital area at close to medium range without impeding the handling of the host Scout Rifle.
A Scout Rifle is one of my favorite long arms, often finding its way into my hands when hunting, working the property, or just out and about. The Scout Rifle should not be relegated to the sidelines in our semi-automatic modern sporting rifle (MSR) world. After all, the underlying component in the Scout Rifle concept is versatility.
VARIOUS SCOUT RIFLES
My Scout Rifle journey has been steady, starting in 1998 with the Steyr Scout. Up to this point, Scout Rifles were custom affairs, not available from factory manufacturers, with commensurate pricing and availability. My Scout Rifle adventures gained momentum in 2011 when Ruger released its Gunsite Scout. I’ll admit to owning multiple Scout Rifles, including a few Rugers, and experimenting with different types of Scout Rifles, risking excommunication by the “Scout Rifle Conclave.”
The variety of Scout Rifles has given me the chance to explore various Scout Scopes. A few I have used over the years have been discontinued or updated with new models. Observations and best practices relayed below will still apply, whether the specific model is in production or not. Don’t worry, various Scout Scopes exist thanks to Vortex, Leupold, Burris, UTG, Crimson Trace, and Hi-Lux, to name a few.
USING A SCOUT SCOPE
The Bindon Concept of keeping both eyes open and having the reticle appear to float in front of the rifle works with the forward-mounted Scout Scope. That said, magnification of these scopes is best kept in the lower range. A fixed 2.5x scope is worthy, though variable power options do exist.
Leupold’s VX-R Scout 1.5-5x has the bright and crisp FireDot reticle dot, which immediately draws your eye to the center of the target, making target acquisition quick and simple, especially at close range. The magnification range offers the best of both worlds of red dot and magnified optic.
A Burris 2-7x variable Scout Scope is mounted on my synthetic-stocked Ruger Scout. It has been a steady performer, rewarded by being left in place. I rarely zoom above 5x, allowing me to keep both eyes open. Lower magnification gives a wider field of view and does not distort the binocular vision of both-eyes aiming. With just a bit of practice, this Scout Scope allows for very quickly aimed, accurate shots. It also allows for a much faster recovery from recoil and the subsequent repeat shot.
A variable-power Scout Scope is not a must. Proof of this is the multiple Leupold 2.5x IER scopes I have in the inventory. I believe this model has been discontinued, with no replacement currently in the Leupold catalogue. As many “maturing” shooters can attest, the single focus plane with the reticle is easier to shoot accurately than coordinating front and rear sights. The duplex reticle stands out against cover in low light and the thinning lines that draw the eye towards the center aiming point is well-suited for the Scout Scope role.
TESTING THE SCOUT SCOPE CAPABILITY
I challenge readers who are new to the Scout Scope ecosystem to set up a jungle walk-around scenario with steel or paper targets stretching from around 40 yards out to over 250 yards, and then engage these targets from various positions such as standing, kneeling, or field expediency rests, including staged barriers as you move down the range. This will demonstrate the potential of the Scout Rifle concept.
Don’t hesitate to try longer shots, from 350 to 500 yards, either. You might be surprised at how effective the Scout Scope can be at those distances, too.
What is not to like about a rifle/optic combo whose concept is centered on versatility and real-world application? Everyone is dubious of something that promises to do several tasks well. The underlying bias of that position is that the compromises required to make something adaptable invariably lead to compromises in performance.
The Scout Rifle concept refutes this assumption. I find it hard to believe that anyone using a Scout the way it was intended will often consider themselves at a disadvantage.