By Jeff Johnston, FE Hunting & Shooting Editor
There’s the Blaser R8, likely the most ingenious rifle design from an engineering standpoint, and there’s the Steyr Scout II, the most ingenious rifle design from a purely pragmatic view.
If you are unfamiliar, Steyr is the Austrian firearm manufacturer that makes the iconic AUG bullpup carbine used by military and L&E units all over the world. All of its stuff, from its handguns to hunting rifles, are super-high quality. Its original Scout rifle, introduced in the late 1990s, was the result of a collaboration with the late Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper to create what Cooper viewed as the “Queen of the battlefield,” the ultimate battle rifle.
As part of the project, Cooper insisted it be no longer than 1 meter in length, weigh no more than 3 kg (6.6 lbs.), be accurate, wear backup iron sights, and have a spare magazine and integral bipod onboard; he wanted it chambered in a caliber readily capable of killing men past 400 yards, and, most uniquely, he wanted it to be of “scout rifle concept” design, which is to say he wanted its optic to be mounted toward the muzzle to allow better access to the chamber and mainly to enhance the peripheral vision of the shooter while on the scope by keeping both eyes open. Steyr obliged, and has been selling its original Scout rifle until 2023 when it was updated with a few small technological enhancements that became available over the last 25 years.
Primarily the new Scout MK II was made on a full-length aluminum chassis that is inherently more accurate than previous action-to-stock bedding designs. The old Weaver rail was replaced with a full-length picatinny rail, an M-LOK rail was embedded in the underside of the stock for attaching accessories, and the barrel has been threaded for a suppressor. The only thing that was not updated that should have been, in my view, were the 5 Pachmayr sling studs; why Steyr didn’t replace them with modern QD studs is a mystery. While there’s nothing wrong with the Pachmayr system that is in itself quick-detachable, it’s just not all that common these days.
Besides the integral, swiveling bipod, the full-length pic rail and the spare magazine in the buttstock that are hallmarks of the Scout rifle, a few very innovative details often go unnoticed. First is the fire control system: The roller-type, three position, tang-mounted safety is quick, ambidextrous and quiet. But in addition, when the safety is placed in the full safe position, the bolt handle can be pushed and locked all the way down against the stock, a movement that disengages the trigger from the firing pin, thereby making the rifle safe to carry even with a round in the chamber. One quick roll of the safety kicks the bolt handle back up and re-enages the trigger. Also very interestingly, the magazine well features a two position latch, so that when the mag is in the first position, fresh rounds can be loaded directly into the chamber by hand so the shooter always has a fully loaded magazine ready to go.
Additionally, the spare magazine recess contains a spring-loaded follower so that any rounds kept in the spare do not rattle around under recoil. The spring-loaded backup sights were also well conceived in that they are durable, effective and are hidden from damage when not in use. The stock is adjustable for length of pull and all metal surfaces are matte coated. The Scout II is available in 223, 243. 6-5 Creed and 308. I went with the .308 because I don’t want the ghost of Jeff Cooper haunting me.
In testing, the rifle shot 1-inch groups with Black Hills ammo, thanks in part to one of the best factory triggers I’ve ever tested on a non-target rifle. Crisp as a candy cane at Christmas, it broke at 2. lbs 12 ozs. While the full-length rail allows any optics be mounted on it in any position, this is a legit 600-yard rifle, so I think not mounting magnified optics on it is a waste. Because Steyr realized that the Scout concept will never be popular with the majority of shooters, the scope can be mounted in a traditional position. But if you get used to the scout concept and use a forward-mounted scope set on low magnification, many benefits can be realized, especially when hunting in dense woods or when shooting at running game. An Aimpoint red dot with a magnifier works tremendously too.
While Cooper intended to design the ultimate battlefield rifle, having witnessed Vietnam he was old school and still very skeptical of the M16; He favored bolt actions for rank and file soldiers. So while the Scout might not be our idea of the ultimate modern battle rifle, he and Steyr designed what may be the perfect compact hunting rig, with its integral bipod and 10-rounds of ammo that can be stored on it. Put a suppressor and a thermal scope on the Scout II, and it’s also the ultimate hog rig, or, as the Colonel intended, a bonafide stopper of tyranny that every able-bodied American should own.
Cost: $2,000
Pros: accurate, compact, back-up iron sights, integral bipod, accepts nearly any type of optic, spare magazine bay, the ultimate whitetail hunting rifle
Cons: the Scout shooting concept is misunderstood and unpopular with many shooters, therefore forward-mounted optics can look funny; sling mounts need to be updated
