Why scout rifle

The advantages of a light, quick-shooting deer rifle are obvious, and the scout concept is especially attractive to hunters in the eastern and southern parts of the United States. It is light, handy, accurate, and powerful. If you train with it, first round hits at reasonable ranges are extremely fast. I can't think of a better choice in Virginia Piedmont farmland. That situational awareness allows hunters to see if another buck is emerging from the tree line.

There are, of course, disadvantages to the scout design, and they mainly involve the scope. Scout scopes feature long eye relief and often small-diameter objective lenses. Only a few of the high-end manufacturers have invested heavily in the design. But he pointed out that the 2x scout scopes can hinder deer identification. They were all up and feeding, and as I transitioned from binoculars to scope, they all moved and switched places. He eventually hit his intended target, but after missing a shot on a buck during his next trip, he swapped his 2x for a x.

Several though not many scope manufacturers offer variable-power scout scopes, and Mann told us that all his scout rifles are fitted with low-power variable optics. Not many manufacturers offer rifles with forward rails for scope mounting and iron sights, and none of them offer a rifle that makes the 6. Some hunters have fitted scout scope rails onto ultralight rifles like the Weatherby Backcountry Ti , while others have built totally custom firearms.

Admittedly, there are better options, and many of the scout rifle fans we spoke with admitted as much. But neither do muzzleloaders, bows, or shotguns. If a man could only have one rifle it should be a scout. The scout has certain inherent advantages, but its limitations are also attractive because they give hunters a way to test their skills and challenge themselves.

Scout rifles are a challenge to build and, in some cases, a challenge to hunt with. Steve and the MeatEater Crew designed this rifle in partnership with Weatherby to create one of the best hunting guns on the market. Vortex Viper HS riflescopes offer hunters and shooters an array of features sure to be well received. So, What Exactly is a Scout Rifle?

The Cooper Checklist Criteria for a Scout Rifle There is no single conical list of the criteria with the checklist evolving over the years. There was no manufacturer or model preferred. There were no semi-automatic rifles disallowed but then it is hard for them to meet the weight requirement. The rifle has to be a meter long or less. The rifle had to weigh 6. The rifle was intended for use on long distances hence the allowance for a sling.

The extra weight can be taken by scout scopes, but this also means scope selection for a scout rifle is crucial to meet with the scout criteria. The ideal scout scope needs to be low-mounted, low-powered, long-eye relief and one placed forward for action. Such a scope could allow the shooter to have both eyes open to be aware and alert of the immediate surroundings.

The scope is mounted with stripper clips and a quick single-round loading. The caliber should be able to take down any threat of up to lbs with just a single shot. The preferred caliber is the. However, bigger calibers can be used if more power is needed. You can also use the. Today, most scout or scout-like rifles available use detachable box magazines, which many people find cumbersome and make the rifle more difficult to carry.

Rifles using stripper clips are few and far between, unless you look to pre retired military rifles. I personally really appreciate light weight, quick handling rifles, but they usually come with drawbacks, too.

The most obvious is an increase in felt recoil, but accuracy can also suffer when using slim-profile lightweight barrels. Bolt guns are good at a lot of things, but leave much to be desired when it comes to personal protection from human threats. Cooper often wrote with romantic flair about the lone rifleman facing the unknown.

For Cooper, it seems the general-purpose rifle is expected to do the following:. According to NSSF research, the overlap between avid shooters and avid hunters is declining. Some shooters hunt and some hunters shoot, but most people pick one or the other. They want a rifle they can use to protect their home and family, and hone their skills on the range.

For instance, contemporary shooters seem to have adopted the AR as their default go-to rifle. For a little more punch, we now have other excellent options in the AR platform like the BLK and 6. An AR in. I think the scout rifle is a pretty cool concept. I want to like it, and practical considerations aside, I find the idea of a well-designed scout rifle to be far more interesting than any space age black rifle.