112 SHOOTING SPORTS MAGAZINE
WORKSHOP | THE SCOUT RIFLE CONCEPT
determined to take their Accuracy
International AWP .300 Win Mag with a US
Optics scope stalking places many restriction
on themselves. They will force this to work in
spite of themselves, after all it shoots ¼
moa on the range right? Of course it does, it
was designed as a long-range platform. A
general-purpose rifl e is designed to do all
things well apart from a very few specialised
exceptions e.g. formal target disciplines and
hunting some of the greater beasts.GENERAL PURPOSE CALIBRES
A general- purpose rifl e should be chambered
for common and for that read readily
available calibres. In the UK that would mean
243/308 Winchester and 223 Remington.
All short action very much grab and go
ammunition. There is such a thing as a
‘super-scout’ which is intended to fi re a
heavier calibre for heavier game, but that is
approaching specialty. The 308 was chosen
for several reasons; international availability,
short action, intrinsic accuracy and its ability
to take game of up to 400 kg with the
appropriate bullet. The shooting culture
appears to hold a long time obsession with
cartridge design to the point where we have
numerous calibres, many of which offer little
if any benefi t over some older favourites. It
can be appreciated that half the fun is
seeing what cartridge is coming out next, but
things have gotten a little out of hand. Again
applying the principle of ‘what is it for?’ may
be useful here!
What advantages does the general-
purpose rifl e have over our more traditional
sporter-types? My personal experience is
with the Steyr Scout rifl e, however the Steyr
does not stand alone as a few companies
offer something similar if not so radical in
design – with Savage, Marlin, Mossberg and
Ruger being the latest with their Gunsite
Scout, which is more like Cooper’s original
CZ-based prototype.
But it is the Steyr I refer to in this text as
it comes the closest to Cooper‘s original
concept and is a very clean, ergonomic and
practical design. It is often lighter, but not
always, it offers the forward-mounted scope,
integral bipod, 3 point ‘Ching’-sling, spare
magazine storage in the butt and auxiliary
(fold-down) iron sights and a bipod integral to
the forend. Sensibly it also has rear scope
mounting points too and Steyr also offer
optional 10-shot magazines, which adds to its
versatility. However the rifl e is more than the
sum of its parts, as the overall attribute ofthe build is and I have to quote Cooper here
as I can fi nd no better word: “friendliness!”FIELD FRIEND
Meaning there is nothing awkward about it,
everything seems to help you in whatever you
are doing, whether it is carrying it over long
distances or shooting off-hand, and vitally for
the hunter/stalker, quick assumption of
position. Is it perfect? No, the chamber
opening could be bigger as feeding from the
top is fi ddly and it has never been offered in a
left-hand version. On my personal rifl e I have
moved the rear sling attachment point to the
right side as I found it fouled the mount in
off-hand shooting. I have also changed the
optic from the original Leupold x2.3 scout
scope to a forward-mounted Nikon Monarch
x2.5-8 IER. I tend to use it as Cooper
intended; down at minimum magnifi cation.
However, I’m not knocking the ability to wind it
up to its x8 maximum magnifi cation! Mainly
for range work but there are times in the fi eld
when a bit more mag can be of use too!
The scout concept is part methodology
and part philosophy, (The Art of the Rifl e)
incorporating rifl e design, shooting technique
and gun-handling. Its four rules of gun-
handling should be heeded by all who shootand are especially useful to those of us who
use fi rearms in the fi eld.
■ ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
■ NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER
ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO
DESTROY.
■ KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
■ BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET, AND WHAT IS
BEHIND IT.
The intent of this article has not been to
advertise the Steyr Scout rifl e or any of the
other scout designs, or encourage anyone to
drop everything and go out and buy one.
However if you run into someone with a short
little rifl e with a funny looking scope, give
them the benefi t of the doubt!
Contact: Sportsman Gun Centre,
01392 354854EDITORS NOTE:
I used to own a Steyr Scout in 243 Winchester
and picked that calibre because I thought a 308
Win would be too kicky. As it turned out it was
not, but I did some good work with mine and it
served me well for 6-years. Matt’s article got me
thinking and I have asked the Steyr Mannlicher
importers’ – Sportsman Gun Centre to borrow a
308 as I have not looked at one in some time.Original Scout in grey finish, note the butter knife bolt handleThe IER scope allows both eyes open, this rifle is
wearing the purpose-designed Ching sling system
on QD swivelsRuger’s Gunsite Scout; it has more in common
with Cooper’s original prototype based on a CZ
action, it wears the Leupold's x2.3 Scout scopeScout with 10-shot mag
and special Adaptor, note
the spare mag in the butt;
all rather practical!