Removable mag fed bolt action .223 or .308

[RECIT]

It is sad when you go to a gun show to look for a deal on something, have cash in hand and can't put a deal together. Budsgunshop.com has every rifle I was looking for at the show at better prices and no bull from a guy behind a table thinking his rifle is some how made of gold and dealing with him is a privilege and worth a premium. I think I am just going to order from Buds and have it shipped unless someone else can point me in a direction to get better pricing than buds on a Remington 700 SPS Tactical in .223.

Edit: It looks like they do not have EVERY rifle, out of stock on the Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have a 700 XCR in 7mm-08 and two 700 SPS Tacticals and the $550 rifles will run circles around the $1000 one when it comes to precision accuracy. The XCR is much lighter and a better hunting rifle, but if I want to shoot nice tight groups I pick up one of the SPSs. For the price of the Ruger Gunsite Scout you could get an SPS Tactical, thread the barrel, add new bottom metal, and have a few bucks left for optics. But I still find myself wanting that Ruger.

At the December Dallas Market show, the guy at S.A.W. told me he saw left-handed Gunsight Scout rifles selling NIB in the $700 range.....from more than one vendor. He thought perhaps Ruger was having some kind of promotion and the dealers were getting the left handed rifles cheaper than the right handed ones.....which is very unusual.

That was very tempting to me. There are a number of arguably better alternatives in .308 for the role, namely semi-automatic rifles like the AR-10—which can also be configured as scout rifles. But, I really like the idea of the simplicity of a "do-it-all" bolt action rifle with a higher magazine capacity and "scout" optics. To this day, cognoceti acknowlege the British Enfield rifle with its 10 round capacity magazine as the best of the WW1 era battle rifles.......in the battle rifle role. The Mauser may have been a better hunting rifle, and the '03A3 a better target rifle, but a Tommy with an Enfield could produce a superior rate of fire with fewer reloads.

In the Ruger, you have the simplicity and reliability of a bolt action rifle. With controlled round feeding due to the claw-type extractor, you are never going to have double-feed issues or any of that. With proper ammo, the rifle is capable of MOA to slightly sub-MOA accuracy—which is plenty good enough for hunting, whether it is people or animals. It has adjustable iron sights (missing from most modern bolt action rifles). The flash suppressor, useful in its own right, is threaded on, so presumably it can be removed and a "silencer" suppressor added. It is light (at 7 lbs, it's an easy 2-3 pounds lighter than an AR-10) and has an adjustable length of pull.

I love me some .308, and I believe that in many ways it is the perfect rifle cartridge, but it does have its limitations. Even in a full on sniper rifle with a well-trained shooter, there are better choices for extremely long range work. I've been reading Chris Kyle's book "American Sniper." In it, he says that while his longest kill was at 2100 yards with a .338 Lapua, the vast majority of his confirmed kills were at 400 yards or less. He also says that he rarely ever aimed for his target's head....there being too many uncertainties. COM killed them just as dead and was a lot more certain. If a guy like that with 160 or so confirmed kills says stuff like that, then it leads me to believe that while extreme accuracy in a rifle is a good thing, it is not the only thing in that application.

I'm not knocking the SPS, and I certainly wouldn't mind having one, but I don't want to buy a rifle and then have to convert it to a capability it doesn't already possess, if that conversion process means I've got to start cutting into the stock, etc. That, and the cost, are the main reason I haven't ponied up the money for a Badger Ordnance trigger guard/magazine system (or some other manufacturer's version of it) for my Remngton 700 VSF. I love that rifle.....just as it is. If the conversion kits were a "drop-in" solution, I might still consider changing it. But they aren't that easy, and I think I'm going to leave my 700 the way it is.

So that puts the Ruger scout rifle back in the running. To me, the charm of a rifle like that is that it isn't a specialty rifle. It won't do any one thing as well as a rifle which is specialized to that one purpose, but it will do all things tolerably well.....including sporting a 20 round removable box magazine for those days when you find yourself stuck at the Alamo.

[RECIT]

I understand there are better choices for extreme long range shooting. I want to be very comfortable 400yds and under with which ever cartridge I choose. I know .223 will not knock anything down at that range, but it will get er done especially against those evil steel gongs and paper targets. .308 is obviously the better round short of extreme long range. The Ruger Gunsite leaves the precision aspect out of my equation, but does EVERYTHING else very well. I also found a Savage 10 precision/tactical model and an FN TSR XP rifle that both fit the role I'm looking for, they are both right at $1000 though. The Savage has everything I am looking for and the FN does not have a threaded barrel.

[The Annoyed Man]

My son has a Savage 10FP-HS Precision in .308. It is a very accurate rifle, but it does lack the threaded barrel. I've often thought about buying a bolt rifle in .223, but I just haven't worked up enough interest to actually go do it. But, it would be an interesting exercise. I've also given brief consideration to one of those inexpensive hammer fired break open single shots with a scope and heavy profile barrel. I know....it's kinda perverse, but there it is.

[PeteCamp]

You may not be interested in this, but I'll put it out there anyway.

Why a .223? For an ideal rifle to build precision rifle shooting skills, a quality bolt action .22LR with quality optics will allow way more practice for the dollar. I have 3 very expensive (even under water boarding I'll never reveal HOW expensive to the wife!) rifles and to save the barrels, I bought a CZ 452 Varmit (heavy barrel), installed a YoDave trigger kit, Pic rail kit and a Super Sniper 10X42 Mil-dot scope on precision mounts and got away for less than $1K. Simulating long range shooting requires much less range (200 yards is like 800 with a .308) and requires all the skills of the "big" guns. I shoot Wolf .22 Match Target ammo which is quite a bit cheaper than any centerfire. Doing this keeps me sharp on the big guns, but reduces very expensive barrel changes. Something to consider, anyway.

BTW...this method allows you to develop critical rifle skills and have time to assemble a "big" gun just the way you want it. Forgot this: The CZ has the most gorgeous wood stock you've ever seen on a rimfire.

[pbwalker]

I've wanted the Ruger Scout 308 from the day it came out...I can never find them in stock, and the ones I do find are so overpriced it's not even worth it.

[RECIT]

I've wanted the Ruger Scout 308 from the day it came out...I can never find them in stock, and the ones I do find are so overpriced it's not even worth it.

Its a great concept. The detachable box mag is a no brainer in my eyes along with the iron sights, I just wish they a little more accurate than what they are. I'm not saying the Gunsite Scout is inaccurate, just not the precision gun I personally looking for.

I have seen a few at the local gun shows for a reasonable price I thought...about $775+tax. I have not seen any at my local shops though. There are a few to be had on gunbroker close to the gun show price, but not any cheap enough to make me jump honestly.

I did see a Mossberg MVP on gunbroker yesterday for around $585 opening bid. I would buy it now for that but I am not getting into a bidding war by any means. There is a nice Rem 700 with ALL the add-ons I want to do in our for sale section, but he is north of Dallas and is asking more than what I have to spend right now.

[gigag04]

Sako?

[A-R]

I've wanted the Ruger Scout 308 from the day it came out...I can never find them in stock, and the ones I do find are so overpriced it's not even worth it.

Call GT Distributors up in Austin. I'm fairly sure I saw one of the rifles out on display (but wasn't really "looking" for it, so memory is a bit hazy).

[Salty1]

Dealer cost on the Gunsite Scout will be in the $670 range, for less than that you could get a Tikka T-3, synthetic and stainless with a great trigger from the factory, extremely accurate, and it is made by Sako.....

[RECIT]

Dealer cost on the Gunsite Scout will be in the $670 range, for less than that you could get a Tikka T-3, synthetic and stainless with a great trigger from the factory, extremely accurate, and it is made by Sako.....

The only T3 that I see that has everything I want is the tactical model, which cost a good chunk of change over my budget. The varmint models look good but I do not see many on local shelves.

[sepiid]

i am looking to get one of these for myself. will replace my AR with it infact.
i like bolt guns as i dont chew through ammo as fast in them.