I first began reading Col. Cooper in Guns & Ammo Magazine back in the early 80s when he had his “Cooper’s Corner” column. That was also where I was first introduced to his Scout Rifle concept. I must admit, I’m a big fan of the idea. I’ve used my Ruger GSR in multiple locations on the planet. Alaska, California, Wyoming, & South Africa. My wife Carrie & I were on all 3 Scout Rifle Safaris hosted by Richard Mann in ‘17-‘19 in Kimberley South Africa. My brother went with us too in ‘18. All of us have the rifles set up the same way, topped with the Leupold VXR, 1.5-5x33mm Scout Scope with the fire dot duplex reticle. I also now have the only true Scout Rifle I’ve ever seen, it was going to be rifle in South Africa this June, but that trip was scrubbed. It’s a Melvin Forbes NULA rifle with a scout conversion by Jim Brockman.
A short, light, handy and even a “friendly” rifle as Cooper described makes a lot of sense in the field. The real drawback is the lack of really good EER/LER optics.
If Cooper was still around to tinker with the concept, I’m sure some things would’ve evolved. A good LPVO is a way better optic choice than a scout scope, or a red dot. Everything is a trade off. Personally I prefer more of a “stalking rifle” now - still a short, light, handy, easy to silence rifle with a good piece of glass on it, like the new FE/Gunwerks collaboration rifle, “The Pygmy.”
If you want to go down the rabbit hole, get a copy of Richard’s book “The Scout Rifle Study” it’s on Amazon. The definitive work on the concept.
Photo 1: my true custom Scout Rifle
Photo 2: my Ruger GSR on a hunt on Kodiak Island, AK, 2019.
Photo 3: two of my Marlin lever guns set up as “lever scouts.”
Photos 4 & 5: my wife’s Boswell’s Custom stalking rifle. 16” barrel, 6.5CM, Ti action CF barrel & stock.
Photo 6: the original Scout rifle Safari crew from 2017
Photo 7: the cover of Richard’s book.
back when Mr. Cooper developed this concept the reflex sights (Aimpoint, Trijicon, etc.) were not really on the scene. I personally like them better for the scout rifle setup as opposed to the scope, especially with a flip out of the way magnifier. That way if you had the opportunity and time to take moderate range shot (few hundred yards at a feeding deer) you could get a rested position and utilize the magnifier.
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