Ruger Introduces Gunsite Scout Rifle in .308 Win
Ruger has just released a new, compact .308 Win bolt-action rifle with iron sights and a front-mounted scope rail. Developed in conjunction with Gunsite instructor Ed Head, the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle is based on the Ruger M77 action. Designed for defensive and “tactical” use, the Scout Rifle features a 16.5″ barrel with birdcage flash suppressor (standard 5/8-24 muzzle threads allow muzzle brakes or suppressors to be installed). Rounds are fed via 5-round or 10-round AICS-sized detachable box magazines, with a Mini-14 style mag release forward of the trigger guard. Total rifle weight, without scope, is just 7.0 pounds. MSRP is $995.00 but expect the street price to be closer to $800.00.
Ruger Scout has Iron Sights and Front Picatinny Rail
The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle comes from the factory with good iron sights: a protected non-glare post front sight and receiver-mounted, adjustable ghost ring rear sight. A forward-mounted Picatinny rail can hold various optics — such as Burris or Leupold Scout Scopes which allow “both eyes open” sighting and fast target acquisition.
Laminated Stock with Adjustable LOP
The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle features a gray/black laminate stock with sling swivel studs and checkered grip and forearm. A soft rubber recoil pad, with three 1/2″ spacers, allows length of pull (LOP) to be adjusted.
Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle Manual (PDF)
The rifle’s integrated trigger guard/magazine well is glass-reinforced nylon. “Gunsite Scout Rifle” is engraved on the stock’s grip cap, and the receiver is roll-marked “Ruger Gunsite Scout”. Watch the video below to see the Ruger Scout Rifle in action.
Bane Gives Thumbs-Up
Gun Jounalist Michael Bane has shot the new Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle and he gives it high marks: “I’ve had the chance to put a lot of rounds through this rifle, both on AR platform-based courses and out to 300 yards, and IT IS SUPERB! My wish list was a gun aimed squarely at the TBD/SURVIVAL market, a gun that would deliver major caliber results for self-defense and then do double duty as an easy-to-carry hunting rifle.” Read More: The Michael Bane Blog.
Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine Redux?
When we first saw the Ruger Scout Rifle, our first thought was “that looks familiar….” Indeed, in size and intended function, the Scout Rifle is a modern version of the famous Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine. “Jungle Carbine” was an informal term used for the Enfield No. 5 Mk I, which was designed for fighting in the Far East and other tropical regions where a shorter, lighter rifle was needed. The No. 5 was about 100 mm shorter and two pounds lighter than the Enfield No. 4 from which it was derived. A number of “lightening cuts” were made to the receiver body, the bolt knob was drilled out, and woodwork was cut down to reduce weight. The Jungle Carbine had other useful features like a flash suppressor and a rubber buttpad to help absorb recoil.
If you found a surplus Jungle Carbine ($270-$500 on Gunbroker.com), fitted it with a forward-mounted scope rail, you could have a nice scout rifle for hundreds of dollars less than the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle ($995.00 MSRP). Granted, the Ruger offers an AICS-type detachable box magazine and some other nice features not found on the Enfield*, but the practical concept is the same.
*A reader correctly points out that the Lee Enfield No. 5 magazine is removable. Lee-Enfield magazines did open, permitting rapid unloading of the magazine without having to operate the bolt repeatedly to unload the magazine. However, the rifle was not designed like modern magazine-fed weapons, for which soldiers carry loaded magazines and discard the empties. Soldiers were instructed to leave the magazine in place and feed with stripper clips. Early models of the rifle actually had a chain holding the magazine to the rifle. There were both 5-round and 10-round magazine versions of the Lee-Enfield. Since these magazines could be removed, it is technically correct to say the Lee-Enfield had a detachable box mag. But soldiers using the weapon would not normally swap magazines in and out as with a modern-day mag-fed infantry rifle.
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Tags: .308 Win, Gunsite, Ruger, Scout Rifle
No detachable box mag on a Lee Enfield?
What is the thing in front of the trigger guard? If you press the lever in front of the trigger it falls out- and holds 10 rounds of .303.
Sounds like a detachable mag to me….
Why did not Ruger design this to fit the M1A magazine?
Last I checked, there are only several million of these in circulation, and they also come in 5 & 10 round versions too.
And their magazine… what else does it fit? Other than going the way of the goonie bird, what is its future?
I really like scout rifles, they are very handy to use in the field. With this being built around Ruger’s reliable action, it seems as though it would be a rugged rifle that would be quite reliable and handy for many different situations.
I am really glad to see more gun makers getting into the scout market. They are one of the most versatile, yet overlooked, rifles that you can buy off the shelf. Steyr and Savage have been the only two major suppliers of bolt action scout rifles, though others such as Springfield Armory produce them on the M1A platform as well. I really like a lot of the features of the Ruger, like the laminate stock and AICS magazine system, both of which are very durable. I am really glad they added a larger magazine than Savage offers, and also one that is now being widely used and is as universal as the AICS, and skipped the plastic stock as well, as those are two of the bigger downfalls of the Savage Scout. The Steyr, while it is a nice rifle, looks a bit strange and is priced beyond what many are willing to spend for a rifle of this type.
In response to Steve: The AICS magazine is used in many different applications and are the magazines used by many of the higher end detachable magazine conversions available for bolt rifles. CDI and Badger are two conversions I know of, I am sure there are others. As well as the Accuracy International Chassis System, which is their original use. AICS mags are regarded as one of the better magazine systems available today.
While M1A mags are plentiful, the AICS magazines have a very strong future and are extremely well made. I doubt they are going anywhere anytime soon, at least not anytime soon. With the thousands of AICS Chassis and aftermarket DBM kits that have been sold, and now this rifle using them as well, I am quite sure they are here to stay.
Anyway, many other manufacturers use magazines of their own design on their rifles and they sell just fine and the majority are still available. I doubt the AICS mags will be seen as anything but a major plus by most. Besides, do you really think Ruger is going out of business anytime soon? I doubt it.
Kenny
I really like scout rifles, they are very handy to use in the field. With this being built around Ruger’s reliable action, it seems as though it would be a rugged rifle that would be quite reliable and handy for many different situations.
I am really glad to see more gun makers getting into the scout market. They are one of the most versatile, yet overlooked, rifles that you can buy off the shelf. Steyr and Savage have been the only two major suppliers of bolt action scout rifles, though others such as Springfield Armory produce them on the M1A platform as well. I really like a lot of the features of the Ruger, like the laminate stock and AICS magazine system, both of which are very durable. I am really glad they added a larger magazine than Savage offers, and also one that is now being widely used and is as universal as the AICS, and skipped the plastic stock as well, as those are two of the bigger downfalls of the Savage Scout. The Steyr, while it is a nice rifle, looks a bit strange and is priced beyond what many are willing to spend for a rifle of this type.
In response to Steve: The AICS magazine is used in many different applications and are the magazines used by many of the higher end detachable magazine conversions available for bolt rifles. CDI and Badger are two conversions I know of, I am sure there are others. As well as the Accuracy International Chassis System, which is their original use. AICS mags are regarded as one of the better magazine systems available today.
While M1A mags are plentiful, the AICS magazines have a very strong future and are extremely well made. I doubt they are going anywhere anytime soon. With the thousands of AICS Chassis and aftermarket DBM kits that have been sold, and now this rifle using them as well, I am quite sure they are here to stay.
Anyway, many other manufacturers use magazines of their own design on their rifles and they sell just fine and the majority are still available. I doubt the AICS mags will be seen as anything but a major plus by most. Besides, do you really think Ruger is going out of business anytime soon? I doubt it.
Kenny
Glass-filled nylon trigger guard/mag well – been there, done that (early ’90s Steyr-Mannlicher) – NEVER AGAIN!
Thanks Kenny – I was not aware what those AICS initials were… however, given my current ‘collection’ of M1A mags, getting a parallel ‘collection’ of other .308 mags is not exactly the most welcome prospect, all aspects considered.
How might one locate an excellent gunsmith who can convert the mag well to accept the M1A mag, to function just as reliably as in my M1A ?
Or – do you think this conversion is unwise? (all factors considered)
Or, to re-phrase my question,… is it practicable to locate a good quality (after-market) trigger guard/magazine group that is already designed to accept M1A mags – and swap out the factory one ?
Well, of course! LEFT handed shooters were LEFT out yet again.
I can’t get the video to play.
I also can’t wait to get one of these.
Editor: Rob. The connection is probably just too slow to Australia. The same video is on the Ruger website. Links in the article.
Whilst I’m no guru and many gurus like scouts, the forward mounted scopes result in limited field of view and I struggle to understand their popularity. Low powered rear mounted scopes seem far better to me. And yes, I’ve handled the Steyr scout that a friend shoots.
Can someone explain why that forward mounted scope is “preferred”?
I am not aware of any conversions for the Ruger to use M1A magazines. There is a kit for Remington 700’s, and Robar had a conversion or rifle that used modified M1A as well.
I would call a few smiths and see if anyone is aware of a conversion for the Ruger. Even if the M1A proves too difficult, FAL mags come very cheap, and AR-10 and SR-25 mags may also be feasible as well.
Though I would be reluctant to “downgrade” a magazine system simply because I already had M1A mags. The AICS magazine is used on one of the best sniper/tactical platforms available anywhere and at any price, the AICS chassis. I think it would be very hard to match the quality of their magazines.
It is still a Ruger…..and it is still the same problem…how does it shoot ?
What kind of accuracy ? ? ? ? ?
Looks like another great rifle that I cant afford. At that price I might as well hold out for Remington 700 with detachable mag or even an M1A.
Here’s a bright idea for ruger:
Produce an *affordable*, rugged, accurate, and bolt action (ban safe)battle carbine during a time of poor economy and anti second ammendment political sentiment… Almost ruger, almost got it.
I’m a big Ruger fan, but they really annoy me sometimes. I mean, every other shooter in the united states would be ordering one of these if the MSRP were $500.
one other feature about the ruger is that you requier a tool to ajust the rear sight for windage and elivation unlike the rear sight of the Enfiels No.5 which can easliy be ajusted even wearing heavy gloves in the field and does not requier a tool Ruger should try to put a more user friendly sight on the Scout Rifle other wise it is an excelent rifle