Ruger Gunsite Scout
- Thread starter 262madmike
- Start date
- Status
WrongHanded
Member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2017
- Messages
- 4,771
I have one. It's pretty new and I just started getting it dialed in. I was going to wait til I'd shot it more then post a review, but since you asked. Overall I'm very happy with it. The only thing I don't like is that the bolt isn't as smooth as my Tikka. I can still run it pretty fast, but it's somewhat sensitive to the angle at which pressure is applied to close it, or it can jam up a bit. The safety seemed awkward at first, but I got used to it.
Although it came with two 10 round polymer Ruger magazines, I've been using 5 round mags from Magpul. They work well once the bolt trimmed the lips down a little. The Iron sights are okay, but the adjustment is a little crude. I have a Leupold 2.5x scout scope mounted with quick detach Warne rings. So far 2" at 100 yards is the best I've achieved. That's with Remington 150 Core-Lokt. I have some Federal Gold Medal and Hornady Match ammo to try next, also some Federal Fusion MSR.
Unloaded as set up it's just under 8.4lbs.
That's not exactly light, but the recoil is certainly mild compared to that Tikka in .30-06. And after a 4.7 mile hike, I can say it carries well African style (non-dominant shoulder, muzzle down).
I don't know what else to tell you, but if you have questions I'll try and answer them. Basically, I dig it!
Although it came with two 10 round polymer Ruger magazines, I've been using 5 round mags from Magpul. They work well once the bolt trimmed the lips down a little. The Iron sights are okay, but the adjustment is a little crude. I have a Leupold 2.5x scout scope mounted with quick detach Warne rings. So far 2" at 100 yards is the best I've achieved. That's with Remington 150 Core-Lokt. I have some Federal Gold Medal and Hornady Match ammo to try next, also some Federal Fusion MSR.
Unloaded as set up it's just under 8.4lbs.
That's not exactly light, but the recoil is certainly mild compared to that Tikka in .30-06. And after a 4.7 mile hike, I can say it carries well African style (non-dominant shoulder, muzzle down).
I don't know what else to tell you, but if you have questions I'll try and answer them. Basically, I dig it!
James Fonteneaux
Member
I bought one for the wife awhile back that was chambered in 5.56. It was a beautiful rifle, like the one @WrongHanded posted above. I (we) also had trouble running the bolt smoothly. Then there was the magazine, which was a .308 sized magazine with an insert to adapt it to the smaller round. To be fair, we only put maybe 300 rounds through the gun but about a third of those had some kind of feeding/ejecting glitch. We mounted a Vortex scope on it, the correct eye relief for the scout model. While the glass was plenty good, I just never could get used to it. In the end it was sold to fund other projects. It may have worked out as a .308, I couldn't say. I replaced it with a Mossberg MVP that I'm much happier with FWIW.
earlthegoat2
Member
I had one in 450 BM when they first came out. The scout scope mount and the iron sights make for a busy appearance and those are not features I even wanted but it was an earlier offering in 450 BM that was not in an AR so that is why I got it. I’m pretty sure mine came with a single stack metal magazine not a Magpul Poly one.
I got rid of mine fairly quickly but if I were to seriously consider one again I would remove the scout rail and irons and use the receiver scope mounts.
It is nice that it has AICS bottom metal and magazine.
it was accurate for the cartridge and my uses which was 1.5-2”.
I got rid of mine fairly quickly but if I were to seriously consider one again I would remove the scout rail and irons and use the receiver scope mounts.
It is nice that it has AICS bottom metal and magazine.
it was accurate for the cartridge and my uses which was 1.5-2”.
WrongHanded
Member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2017
- Messages
- 4,771
No, my Tikka is a T3X Lite Stainless with a conventional scope. The only problem I have with it is that as the barrel is so thin it gets very hot very quickly. So I wanted another bolt action that had a heavier barrel that wouldn't get hot so fast. The intention was to get a fairly compact rifle that I could shoot a lot, and practice with in field positions. Also hike with, and take on road trips. Something with utility.
And to be honest with you, although I'm enjoying the Ruger Scout, it wasn't my first choice. I decided to get a scout scope for it and keep the irons on as backups. I did this partly because I had never used a scout scope before so I couldn't know I didn't like it. So far I don't mind it, but haven't found a benefit either, except that it doesn't get in the way of working the tricky/sticky bolt, whereas a conventional scope might.
The rifle I really wanted was a Tikka T3X CTR Stainless in .308, but they are not imported in a left hand configuration. Most other "practical" rifles aren't available lefty either. But if you're in that 9/10ths of the population that is right handed, you've got options.
The plusses:
It's close to being the ideal truck rifle. It's rugged and reliable, with a detachable magazine, iron sights, short length.
The minuses:
It's heavy. The magazine is too long for its capacity, which makes it hard to carry. This is part of a "tactical" styling effort to make it look like an M14.
Now this wouldn't be too bad if they'd just called it the Ruger Truck Buddy or something like that. But they decided to call it the Gunsite Scout Rifle, so it's fair to compare it to what a Scout Rifle should be:
It's too heavy. This can be addressed by getting the synthetic stock version.
It would be better off with a couple more inches of barrel rather than the flash hider. I understand that there is an export version that does just that.
The magazine is still too long, no matter what you do.
It's close to being the ideal truck rifle. It's rugged and reliable, with a detachable magazine, iron sights, short length.
The minuses:
It's heavy. The magazine is too long for its capacity, which makes it hard to carry. This is part of a "tactical" styling effort to make it look like an M14.
Now this wouldn't be too bad if they'd just called it the Ruger Truck Buddy or something like that. But they decided to call it the Gunsite Scout Rifle, so it's fair to compare it to what a Scout Rifle should be:
It's too heavy. This can be addressed by getting the synthetic stock version.
It would be better off with a couple more inches of barrel rather than the flash hider. I understand that there is an export version that does just that.
The magazine is still too long, no matter what you do.
WrongHanded
Member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2017
- Messages
- 4,771
@natman I agree that the magazine is too long for it's capacity. Some research I did suggested Ruger tried to use the M14 mags, but they couldn't get them to work reliable. The 5 rounders from Magpul are a good compromise for carry, with a 10 (or two) in reserve.
The flash hider is kinda dumb. My rifle has an 18.5" barrel, but also came with a thread cap. I took the flash hider off but left the spacing washer on and installed the cap backwards. It now projects slightly. I did this to protect the barrel crown.
Mine also does not say "Gunsite" on it. I guess they dropped that and just kept 'Scout'. But I agree that it's not light enough to meet Cooper's criteria.
The flash hider is kinda dumb. My rifle has an 18.5" barrel, but also came with a thread cap. I took the flash hider off but left the spacing washer on and installed the cap backwards. It now projects slightly. I did this to protect the barrel crown.
Mine also does not say "Gunsite" on it. I guess they dropped that and just kept 'Scout'. But I agree that it's not light enough to meet Cooper's criteria.
lemaymiami
Member
Did they ever contemplate or bring to market a scout rifle in 7.62x39? Seems to me a lighter weight version in a less powerful chambering might find some appeal...
chicharrones
needs more ammo
I have one of the early GSRs that was spec'd with a 16.5" barrel, back when all those barrel lengths were actually made at 17.25" long (w/o the flash hider).
It's a good all purpose rifle with iron sights, detachable magazine, adjustable stock length, and optic mounting options for traditional scopes or forward mounted scopes. It comes with a humongous 10-round metal magazine, but shorter polymer 10-round magazines are available as well as 3 and 5 round magazines.
The bolt is a bit sloppy when open, but that's mostly because the rear receiver ring is so brief in length. Other rifles with more receiver around the bolt aft of the magazine support the bolt much better.
The trigger is good, but could use a lighter spring. Years ago I swapped the factory Ruger spring with a lighter one found in my pile of extra springs. That alone made a huge improvement and I didn't have to do anything else to the trigger, like I've had to on other guns.
If making "scout" weight is your thing, get the polymer stocked version and put a 3 or 5 round poly magazine in it. If not, get the laminate version as it weighs about the same as most wood stocked hunting rifles. Normal weight rifles keep felt recoil down without needing a muzzle brake, as compared to some polymer stocked rifles. Of course, the GSR has a rubber butt pad to help even further.
5-round metal magazine in the photos below.
View attachment 938666
If anyone cares, my GSR (with carry strap) weighs as little as 7 lbs. 2 oz. as shown in the top photo if you remove the magazine.
Adding things porks the gun up. The middle configuration is at 8 lbs. 7 oz. while the bottom configuration is at 8 lbs. 13 oz. Both weights include a fully loaded 5-round metal magazine.
It's a good all purpose rifle with iron sights, detachable magazine, adjustable stock length, and optic mounting options for traditional scopes or forward mounted scopes. It comes with a humongous 10-round metal magazine, but shorter polymer 10-round magazines are available as well as 3 and 5 round magazines.
The bolt is a bit sloppy when open, but that's mostly because the rear receiver ring is so brief in length. Other rifles with more receiver around the bolt aft of the magazine support the bolt much better.
The trigger is good, but could use a lighter spring. Years ago I swapped the factory Ruger spring with a lighter one found in my pile of extra springs. That alone made a huge improvement and I didn't have to do anything else to the trigger, like I've had to on other guns.
If making "scout" weight is your thing, get the polymer stocked version and put a 3 or 5 round poly magazine in it. If not, get the laminate version as it weighs about the same as most wood stocked hunting rifles. Normal weight rifles keep felt recoil down without needing a muzzle brake, as compared to some polymer stocked rifles. Of course, the GSR has a rubber butt pad to help even further.
5-round metal magazine in the photos below.
View attachment 938666
If anyone cares, my GSR (with carry strap) weighs as little as 7 lbs. 2 oz. as shown in the top photo if you remove the magazine.
Adding things porks the gun up. The middle configuration is at 8 lbs. 7 oz. while the bottom configuration is at 8 lbs. 13 oz. Both weights include a fully loaded 5-round metal magazine.
Last edited:
chicharrones
needs more ammo
Besides the 16.1" barrel, Ruger does offer an 18.7" barrel. Were you thinking of something longer than that?
sparkyv
Member
I like the Scout concept. I have an early original RGSR with the 16.1" barrel in 308 Win, but I too think it's a bit heavy for a Scout. Mine wears a forward-mounted Vortex, clamped in high see-through rings so I can still use the most excellent sights. I've got a thread protector for replacement of that silly flash hider. I've used 150 to 180 grainers, it prefers Varget, and shoots 1.5MOA to 300yds. I'm planning more load development, but it's good enough for what it is.
They do make 3, 5, and 10 round magazines that work with the Ruger Scout. You don't have to use the long 10 round mag unless you want to. MagPul makes one advertised as a 5 round mag, but with a tab on the underside of the follower that snaps off making it a 6 round mag. They are sold as 5 round mags to be legal for hunting in some states.
The synthetic stocked version at just over 6 lbs is a good place to be weight wise.
I've thought about buying one and may do it someday. I have no use for forward mounted scopes and would mount it conventionally. But for now there are other rifles that I can buy that do the same thing for a lot less money.
The synthetic stocked version at just over 6 lbs is a good place to be weight wise.
I've thought about buying one and may do it someday. I have no use for forward mounted scopes and would mount it conventionally. But for now there are other rifles that I can buy that do the same thing for a lot less money.
The reason I bought my second gen Savage Scout .308 over the Ruger (accuracy being one possible factor) is that the barrel was 18 inches and I could use the completely flush all metal magazines from the Model 10 Savage and I liked the provided open sights. I installed a Vortex Scout scope on Warne QR rings for rapid R&R. It is similar in weight to the Ruger with the synthetic Accustock. I just did not want the 16 inch barrel in a .308. I also have removed the flash surpressor/muzzle brake and installed a threaded protector which removes about a 1/4 pound and further shortens the rifle. So rigged with the flush magazines and muzzle protector it is a sleek and handy rifle. If Ruger were to offer a fully flush magazine and an 18 inch barrel I would have had a much more difficult choice that probably would have favored the Ruger (maybe). If my governor or president calls me to war at the age of 66 and tells me to report to the nearest National Guard commander and to bring my rifle it will be my AR, the only thing my Scout will battle is hogs and deer and I do not need a huge magazine hanging out of the bottom of my rifle for that. JMO, other people have different experiences and different education and perspectives and thus may come to different and equally valid conclusions.
- Status
