Scout Rifle Qs

[1859sharps]

what are you considering bad groups size?

while a good scout rifle should be able to make small groups at 100 yards, their purpose isn't to sit at a bench and shoot small groups.

I actually got some perspective on field accuracy from a been there done that Marine/major metro city police officer I know. he once told me to take a 4 x 4 square and place that over any part of a adult or game animal such as pig or deer. IF you can keep your shots in that square out to 2 or 3 hundred yards using field shooting positions you have plenty of skill/accuracy.

Later I came across similarly expressed thoughts on accuracy/group size by Cooper.

of course it goes with out saying (or should) that we want the most accurate ammunition and rifle possible, but once you leave the bench if you aren't shooting half MOA it's nothing to loose sleep over.

[1_click_off]

what are you considering bad groups size?

while a good scout rifle should be able to make small groups at 100 yards, their purpose isn't to sit at a bench and shoot small groups.

I actually got some perspective on field accuracy from a been there done that Marine/major metro city police officer I know. he once told me to take a 4 x 4 square and place that over any part of a adult or game animal such as pig or deer. IF you can keep your shots in that square out to 2 or 3 hundred yards using field shooting positions you have plenty of skill/accuracy.

Later I came across similarly expressed thoughts on accuracy/group size by Cooper.

of course it goes with out saying (or should) that we want the most accurate ammunition and rifle possible, but once you leave the bench if you aren't shooting half MOA it's nothing to loose sleep over.

Fully agree, but I am shooting 4" groups at 100yds from a bench. Switch ammo and I see patterns like Will's picture.

Guess I am just saying to make sure your rifle likes what you want to shoot before buying a case of it.

[WillBrink]

I noticed a big difference at 100yd. I haven't shot in awhile, but like said earlier, 147gr PMC does not fair well in mine. I had a few boxes of various ammo last time out and some did really well. I would need to pull my log to see what did what, but the 147gr stuff was the least impressive.

I actually pulled my suppressor off thinking I may be getting baffle strikes. Just as bad of groups with no can.

Fully agree, but I am shooting 4" groups at 100yds from a bench. Switch ammo and I see patterns like Will's picture.

Guess I am just saying to make sure your rifle likes what you want to shoot before buying a case of it.

Gents, RE my group. Note distance and that it was off hand with both eyes open. I could not get a group like that off hand with both eyes open at 100 yards personally. I'd be happy to have all rnds in 4" group at 100 yards shooting off hand with both eyes open.

[w squared]

I am a little late in coming into this thread, but I'll chime in anyways. After all, it wouldn't be the interwebs without unsolicited advice. If anyone thinks I am too late I will beg forgiveness by saying that I was busy becoming a bona fide Scout Rifle junkie....I now own three scout-shaped objects.

I'll second the suggestion of another poster - there is an absolute wealth of "scout-ish" knowledge and folks far wiser than I over at www.scoutrifle.org

You are on the right track with a Ching sling from Andy - I have switched almost all of my long guns over to his slings (Ching, Rhodesian, or AK-specific, depending on configuration. The exception is my AR's, which are still wearing Vickers BFG slings). If you have a synthetic stock, you may want to build up some JB weld or other material around the area where you are going to attach the third swivel - when you loop up properly, there is good firm pull in two directions on that stud. I happen to run a Rhodesian on my Ruger, so I can't provide a whole lot of specific advice on where to mount it...but either Andy or the folks at Scoutrifle will know more than I do.

I have Leupold QRW's holding a Leupold 1.5-5X33 on my Ruger scout-shaped object. They are rock solid, but a little heavier than is truly needed for this application, and they could probably be 1/4" lower. My scope choice is also fatter and heavier than yours - so please don't make the mistake of duplicating my ring choice.

Getting the centerline of your scope tube as close as possible to your bore is actually very important for the whole "both eyes open snap shooting" that is so central to the scout concept. Case in point - the 1" tube on my 2.5X fixed power scout scope on my Steyr SHOULD make it somewhat slower to snap shoot than the 30mm tube, lower magnification, and big ocular bell of the scope on my Ruger....but it doesn't. The low height over bore and fantastic ergonomics of the Steyr mean that it is actually a hair quicker to snap shoot.

If you can make everything work with a set of Weaver Quad Lock Mediums, that is a GREAT choice. Based on the scope you have, I would start there. I use them for the 2.5X fixed power Leupold scout scope on my Steyr, and they get the scope for far down on the deck that I would need both patience and Crisco to get anything more than daylight between the ocular bell and the receiver.

I see that you already have mags - if those don't work for you, the factory Ruger polymer mags have been great for me in 3, 5, and 10 round variants.

[w squared]

Oh...and one final item. If you haven't already removed the factory scout rail, degreased it, and put some blue loctite on the mounting screws, you will probably want to do that now. Ruger doesn't loctite them at the factory, and they have a habit of working loose after a couple hundred (or fewer) rounds.

This can be somewhat frustrating when you've driven 1200 miles for a top-flight rifle course. A friend of mine found that out the hard way.

[1_click_off]

Will,

Yep, I noticed you were at 100' for your group. I have been able to get groups like your 100' off hand group while benched at 100yds.

W_squared
That is a very good point about the rail. Maybe the 147gr was the last ammo I shot and the rail loosened up on me. Will check that tonight. Like I said, been awhile since last outing.

[WillBrink]

Will,

Yep, I noticed you were at 100' for your group. I have been able to get groups like your 100' off hand group while benched at 100yds.

W_squared
That is a very good point about the rail. Maybe the 147gr was the last ammo I shot and the rail loosened up on me. Will check that tonight. Like I said, been awhile since last outing.

Benched with the right ammo, that makes sense sure. I don't know what the Ruger Scout is capable of benched with good ammo at 100 yards, but I do know it's more accurate than I am. I'm of the "good enough for gumbent work" ilk when it comes to accuracy. I did find my Colt 6940 benched at 100 yards made groups that were just terrible with crappy Wolf ammo, like 8" + MOA bad. My interest in the scout is quick site picture two eyes open with low power scope shooting as the focus, which is how I shoot handguns and my AR.

[w squared]

I can't speak for your Ruger....but the one time that I put it on bags, I found that mine pretty much shoots MOA with Federal GMM at 100 yards.

[1859sharps]

I am a little late in coming into this thread, but I'll chime in anyways. After all, it wouldn't be the interwebs without unsolicited advice. If anyone thinks I am too late I will beg forgiveness......

*in best soup nazi voice* NO!!! forgiveness for you...

*sends Badger a PM to cut off your whisky ration*

[w squared]

Badger only controls the cheese. He ain't gonna be affecting my whisky ration!