All Around Rifle

Steyr Scout

Bassturd, I don't know if you're familiar with Jeff Cooper but the heading on your original post said "All Around Rifle". Col. Cooper's Scout rifle was designed with that very purpose exclusively in mind. I know they're expensive and some decrie their futuristic looks but I have been shooting and hunting with one for over four years now and I am just amazed at the utility and , to my eye, beauty of this technological marvel.
I won't rattle on about its remarkable features but if you're curious to learn more about the Steyr Scout rifle just Google it and you will learn a lot not only about the rifle but about Jeff Cooper as well---a truly remarkable man.
 
Buck Nekid said:
Bassturd, I don't know if you're familiar with Jeff Cooper but the heading on your original post said "All Around Rifle". Col. Cooper's Scout rifle was designed with that very purpose exclusively in mind. I know they're expensive and some decrie their futuristic looks but I have been shooting and hunting with one for over four years now and I am just amazed at the utility and , to my eye, beauty of this technological marvel.
I won't rattle on about its remarkable features but if you're curious to learn more about the Steyr Scout rifle just Google it and you will learn a lot not only about the rifle but about Jeff Cooper as well---a truly remarkable man.
Click to expand...

I probably wouldn't be looking to spend that much $$, but it's not a bad suggestion otherwise :)
 
Bassturd said:
Hunting is not really the main focus here, but I was curious about this statement. Is this because of the tubular magazine of your friend's lever rifle? If so the BLR works on a detachable box, so that would not be a concern.
Click to expand...

Yes, on the Marlin and Winchester the tubular mag is a PITA. The final step in unloading always seems to be searching around in the snow for a round or two. I am aware the BLR has the detachable mag, so that elininates a problem in my mind.

Sorry I got a little carried away with the hunting aspect of your question, but mix that in with the home defense replies, etc, and you'll hopefully have more to go on in the sum of the parts.

It is true- there really is no all-round rifle. You may find yourself owing 2 or 3 eventually[wink]
 
tung tide said:
Yes, on the Marlin and Winchester the tubular mag is a PITA. The final step in unloading always seems to be searching around in the snow for a round or two. I am aware the BLR has the detachable mag, so that elininates a problem in my mind.
Click to expand...

.308 in a tube mag (unless it's a .308 Marlin Express) would be more than a PITA, it would be a death sentence.
 
Buck Nekid said:
I won't rattle on about its remarkable features but if you're curious to learn more about the Steyr Scout rifle just Google it and you will learn a lot not only about the rifle but about Jeff Cooper as well---a truly remarkable man.
Click to expand...

I had one of these for a while. The scout tactical in .308..While everything about it was great. It realy is a hunting rifle. It was made to be as light as possible to be carried around all day. It is not a gun that you want to take to the range and shoot all day. Recoil is punishing. Loved the set up, loved the trigger, loved the bipod, loved the eer scope etc..

just after 3-4 rounds you really feel it in your shoulder..

If I were to go that type of route again, I pay 1/3rd the price and opt for a savage..
 
tung tide said:
Before you buy, really take a look at the terrain you will be hunting. Fields or large cuttings? Forego the 30-30, and IMHO, the .308- another bad memory.[angry] They don't have the distance. I can't speak for the .270, because the only guy I know with one never shoots at anything. We stalk and still hunt, or sit on the edge of cuttings. .280 Rem and the .30-06 seem to be able to handle it all in our camp. The .308 kills deer, but [sad2] it can wound deer too, if even a good shot doesn't know it's limitations.
Click to expand...

Everybody's experience is different, of course, but the .308 doesn't lose much to the 30-06 when it comes to distance shooting (and is a heck of a lot easier on the shoulder, to boot). The.270 and .280 have an edge, but in my opinion, anything you aren't comfortable shooting at with a .308, you probably shouldn't be taking a poke at it with the .270, either.


Yes, the .308 can wound deer. So can a howitzer.
 
Anyone want to talk me out of it and into something else?
Click to expand...

Suggestions to start with...

AR-15 - Light and handy, If you miss you get 30 other chances.
AK-47 - Similar to above, but with a bigger round.
FN-FAL/M1A - Hefty rifles in .308, not sure I would hike with it though.
AUG clone - very small, easier to hike with. You will cause sexual arousal in fellow shooters and sheer terror in liberals. This is my pick.

.223 - Not a mouse caliber, no matter what anyone says.
7.62x39 - better penetration than .223.
.308 - Great, powerful caliber, more choices than you can shake a stick at.

What are you actually planing to do with this thing?
 
FunYun said:
Suggestions to start with...

AR-15 - Light and handy, If you miss you get 30 other chances.
AK-47 - Similar to above, but with a bigger round.
FN-FAL/M1A - Hefty rifles in .308, not sure I would hike with it though.
AUG clone - very small, easier to hike with. You will cause sexual arousal in fellow shooters and sheer terror in liberals. This is my pick.

.223 - Not a mouse caliber, no matter what anyone says.
7.62x39 - better penetration than .223.
.308 - Great, powerful caliber, more choices than you can shake a stick at.

What are you actually planing to do with this thing?
Click to expand...

There is no specific plan, really. I camp, kayak, hike, fish, etc., in the deep woods. I would like to have a rifle to tote along in these places. I have run into a few rough critters, although I did well enough to keep my distance (except for the coyotes....but a .45 scared them off). I would like to be prepared in the future. And it will be the lone rifle I have at home (for now) for any defensive purpose. And if by any chance someone talks me into a hunt in the next year, It would be the only rifle I have for that.
 
The BLR is a good gun for all around use. It is not a target gun as the light barrel heats up pretty quick, but you should be able to put together a nice three shot group firing one fast. This is all you can ask for in a hunting rifle.

I have one in .358 Winchester and I really like the way it handles.

The .308 is a good all around cartridge for everything except the heaviest bullets. If you think that you may really need 200 or 220 grain bullets, you should consider a 30-06.

Be aware that the older BLRs have steel receivers while the current production guns have aluminum receivers. I prefer the looks of the older ones as they are just a hair smaller. Either one will give the same results in the field.

Browning has always made the highest quality guns and is one of very few that I would buy unseen.

Jack
 
Maybe consider a Keltec SU-16. Yes it's a .223/5.56, but it easily folds up small enough to fit into a backpack.
 
Thinking outside the box. A fully rifled 12 guage auto (Remington 11-87) Ton of knockdown, with sabots they are very accurate out to 150 200 yards and you have unlimited versitilty to put a bird barrel on it or short barrel and tacticool it. with 2 barrels (rifled and bird) you can hunt everything from rabbits and pheasants to moose and bears....not a true rifle but an option
 
How about a Sks. You could put a sporterized synthetic stock on it. The fixed mag can be replaced with a 5 rounder when you go hunting and you could use a larger one for home defense. 762 x 39 will take man or deer. You could also mount a scope or aimpoint.

That being Said I don't own one. Just wanted to bring up the idea.

edited to add a Mini 30 comes to mind also.
 
If many people kill deer and black bears with a .44 Mag handgun or 30-30, I am sure a .308 will work for you. Though not the punch or trajectory of the '06, I only feel under gunned when I know I could be shooting over 250 yards. Not that the .308 won't work over 250, but sometimes you won't get the time to figure hold over for longer distances.

I would recommend the Remington 700 SPS with the 20" barrel. It has plenty of punch for your situation, is relatively light weight, relatively inexpensive (I picked up a used one for $325), good resale value, also it isn't a semi auto, which means you can hunt with it in more states as some have restrictions against them.

Last, remember bullet placement and foot pounds of energy at impact are what drops game.

Dave
 
Tackdriver said:
If many people kill deer and black bears with a .44 Mag handgun or 30-30, I am sure a .308 will work for you. Though not the punch or trajectory of the '06, I only feel under gunned when I know I could be shooting over 250 yards. Not that the .308 won't work over 250, but sometimes you won't get the time to figure hold over for longer distances.

I would recommend the Remington 700 SPS with the 20" barrel. It has plenty of punch for your situation, is relatively light weight, relatively inexpensive (I picked up a used one for $325), good resale value, also it isn't a semi auto, which means you can hunt with it in more states as some have restrictions against them.

Last, remember bullet placement and foot pounds of energy at impact are what drops game.

Dave
Click to expand...


On average, there is no more than a 100FPS difference between .30-06 and .308.

Also, hes likely to not be hunting at all, so any shooting at animals is going to be short range.


It really sounds like he wants a fun rifle, that he can take with him, and maybe hunt with.

Personally, it sounds like an AR-15 will do. You can easily change calibers if you don't feel comfortable with .223, even though there is a large selection of rounds that will do fine on deer or the like. Or even just borrow someones bolt action for a day.

As you also noted though, there are restriction of carrying certain rifles in the woods, and they are different for every state.
 
EddieCoyle said:
A .44 Mag lever gun will also do everything you outlined.
Click to expand...

With that and a good revolver in the same caliber (S&W model 29 comes to mind), you'll be prepped about as well as any cowboy that rode the open range.

[smile] There ain't no school like the "old school"

Picking an the best "all around rifle" is about as easy as picking the best "all around motor vehicle"
 
Dick Manley said:
45-70 or 450 Marlin, Lever Gun

-DM-
Click to expand...

I see where you are going with the 45-70. There is a huge variety of cartridges from light loadings, deer cartridges, all the way up to the biggest game in North America cartridges. And you can handload anything and everything in between. It is also my number one choice for a bear defense rifle. Something lever action that Marlin offers comes to mind. I figured that the 30-30 in a lever gun would take care of all of your needs but if you want it's bigger stronger brother it's a 45-70 lever gun.
 
My only hesitation with signing onto a lever action that isn't a 30-30, .22 or revolver caliber is the tubular magazine.

If you stick rounds with a spire point in the tubular magazine and light off a round with decent recoil, there is a good chance one of those spire points in the magazine will detonate the primer of the round it is resting on and create a chain reaction.

While you can always say "I'd never do that", the potential still exists. Especially if you go with a military round like the .308 where most of the ammo is of the FMJ spire point variety. If you look at loadings of the 30-30, you'll see that everything is round nose.

Opps, I see the Browning BLR has a more traditional magazine setup. That's cool! Yea, I'd see that as a worthy choice.

Col Cooper went through this exercise a while back and developed the idea of the "Scout Rifle". He went with a bolt action magazine fed rifle for a variety of reasons of size, ability, etc. Steyr built the ideal example as the Steyr Scout. It's excessively expensive, but you might want to look at what was done there and apply those design factors to your own search.

Do a search and you'll find Col. Cooper's own words describing the design parameters he used in defining the Scout Rifle and what he saw the intended use as.

A practiced man on a bolt gun will be almost as fast as your average shooter with a semi when you take into consideration recoil and target acquisition. And a bolt gun is simpler, easier to keep, and ultra reliable. And, if you start with a Savage platform, you can build up something very decent at a fairly reasonable price.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Foxtrot Mike Ranch Rifle
Replies
2
Views
177
MAGA99
MAGA99
Rifle Found on Berlin, NJ Street
Replies
8
Views
253
MaroonedinMA
MaroonedinMA
Rifle/ Pistol range
2
Replies
58
Views
2K
whacko
whacko
i was that guy...you know, the one we all hate
2
Replies
46
Views
1K
Broc
Broc
ATF Redefines All Private Sales & Who Has To Have A FFL
3 4 5
Replies
125
Views
3K
Uzi2
U
Back
Top Bottom