My Scout Rifle is set up as a defensive rifle as it's primary role, and hunting/utility as a secondary role. The components I've selected to modify the GSR to fill these roles reflect this. Mostly it all boils down to how you see yourself employing the weapon system. I have several rifles, and each serves a special purpose. The GSR is intended to be a truck gun, or something that I can tote around with me when I'm out and about in the wild. It's a weapon that I could travel with to most places across the US, and keep close at hand for any unforeseen contingency. It would also be more effective at stopping a potential threat at distance than say a handgun or a PDW. As a bonus, it could bring down medium to large sized game if called upon to do so.
KAC 7.62/.308 QDC Flash Hider - As stated previously, I wanted to retain optimum flash suppression and did not care for the stock flash suppressor. I just happened to have the KAC QDC flash hider on hand and it wasn't mounted to anything so I threw it on the GSR to gauge it's effectiveness. I know others would prefer a brake or comp, but my reasons for wanting a flash hider is to retain a tactical advantage over any potential aggressor. What I mean by that is leveraging the ability to reduce a visual signature since my rate of fire is not equal to that of a semi-auto. And since a bolt action rifle forces you to take deliberate well-placed shots, I feel it's more important to reduce your visual signature as opposed to having the ability to make quick follow-up shots, which I think is more of an added benefit for semi-autos. If you find yourself in a situation where you're facing multiple aggressors, your best bet is to find a good hide or displace anyway. So for me a flash suppressor makes more sense.
Tactical Bolt Knob Conversion - Achieves better overall control of the bolt, especially with gloved hands or in a potential high stress situation. There's now plenty of clearance when manipulating the bolt, and my hand no longer rubs against the eyepiece housing when doing so. It also enhances the rifles aesthetics considerably, but I know that's purely subjective.
Harris S-BRM 6"-9" Bipod - While it does add some weight to the front end of the GSR, I've always considered a bipod to be one of those "better to have and not need, than to need and not have" components. If forced into a survival situation and I needed to make a critical shot, I would rather have the ability to make the platform a bit more stable for a more precise shot. Notice I didn't say "precision" as that is not the purpose of this rifle.
XS Sight Systems GSR Rail - I knew when I purchased the GSR I was not going to forward mount a LERS on it. The XS rail was really a no-brainer for me, allowing you to mount an optic in a more tradition fashion toward the rear and yet retain the ability to use BUIS should your optic go down.
Steiner Military 1-4x24 Rapid Dot .308 LPVO - When it came to optics I ran through several configurations before I ultimately settled on this one, the first being the PST 2.5-10x32 FFP. While that scope seemed to fill the role nicely at first, I realized that it's not what I really wanted for this particular rifle. It was just a bit more complex than what the rifle was intended for. Shortly after, I switched to a PA micro RDS that was mounted mid-way on the XS rail. What I really liked about that set-up was the reduced weight, simplicity, and the speed and efficiency of the RDS. Combined, it really made the GSR even more handy and easy to manipulate. However, I kept thinking to myself that there may come a time that I wish I had at least some magnification on tap, and it bugged me to the point I decided that I needed to find an alternate solution. For a short time following I used the Ruger supplied scope rings and mounted a Redfield Revolution 3-9x40 Accu-Range. I really liked the scope and it's very simple yet effective reticle. I might've kept this set-up, only there was one critical thing I lost, which was the ability to use back-up iron sights should the need arise. And when you really think about it, to me the GSR is really meant for close engagements within a hundred yards, retaining optimal effectiveness out to maybe 300 or 400 yards. In essence, all that magnification is really not needed anyway. So off went the Revolution, and back on came the naked XS rail. At that point I started looking at 1-x solutions. The problem was that it was tough finding anything that had most of the features I really wanted at a price point I was comfortable with. I had a tried a number of 1-x LPVOs on my AR platforms, so I was familiar with their capability. However, they were all somewhat lacking in some way or another. Then I came across a great deal on a used Steiner 1-4x, which was too good a deal to pass up. It had most of the features I was looking for and the price I paid was significantly below $1K. Perfect! The scope has exceptional optical clarity, a daylight visible illuminated dot right in the middle of a very simple BDC reticle, and it is very rugged and durable. My biggest gripe is that the scope does not have capped turrets, which would've made it even better. Another nitpicky thing is an auto-shut off feature that completely powers down the optic when left on any of the stand-by settings for a period of time. However, this auto shut off only applies to stand-by mode and does not affect the dot illumination when running continuously. Since Steiner doesn't advertise the projected battery life I have no idea how long I can expect the dot to stay on continuously before the battery drains. But the reticle is still usable without the illuminated dot, as long as you don't find yourself in a dark environment with no contrast in the background to highlight the reticle. In short, the Steiner 1-4x is just as quick and effective as any RDS when set to 1x. The length and weight doesn't bother me a bit, and I think it balances out the rifle nicely considering the weight of the bipod added on the front end. All things considered, this scope seems to be the perfect solution at this point in time, especially given the fact that you can expect to pay north of $1K in most cases for a quality illuminated daylight visible red dot in an LPVO. I know Leupold offers this feature in some of their economy scopes, so that might have been an option as well.
Warne 30mm QD Rings - Without a doubt probably the best quality quick detach scope rings you can buy without having to sell a kidney.
Alpha Industries 10 rnd GSR Magazines - IMO much better than the stock Accurate-Mag that comes with the rifle. Mine failed and Ruger sent a polymer replacement, which works much better. Nothing against polymer, but I still wanted some quality steel mags. The AI magazines are compact, double-stacked, and are extremely well made. The best part is the magazine will only engage or disengage when the bolt is in the open position, so you can't inadvertently bump the mag release lever and lose the magazine. Not sure if AI intended this when they designed the magazine (I didn't see it advertised on their web site and I don't think I've seen a review that mentions this feature), but all I know is that I'm happy with the end result.
I've considered off-set mounting an IR laser designator to the forward end of the XS rail to use in conjunction with a night vision device for this particular application, or at least have that ability on hand in the future for when I go hog hunting down in Texas. Just adds more capability to an already capable system when you need it.
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Originally Posted by Boba Fett v2
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