Fiddling with Ruger’s Scout Rifle

By Aaron Spuler | June 28, 2011 |

This guest post is courtesy of Richard Mann, author of Empty Cases.

I’ve been playing with the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle for several months now. Long enough to develop an informed opinion and long enough to try various sight arrangements. One of the great things about this rifle is the versatility it offers which is indeed the hallmark of the Scout Rifle concept.

Out of the box the rifle is fitted with a forward rail that will accept Weaver or Picatinny rings. The action of the rifle is set up to accept Ruger scope rings and comes with a rear aperture sight. This is a versatile but slightly cumbersome arrangement because you’ll need a hex wrench to remove the rear sight if you want to mount a scope in the conventional manner. And, your conventional scope and scout scope will require different rings.

XS Sights began development of an aftermarket rail for the rifle. I got to try out this rail and made some suggestions that XS has incorporated into their final production version. First, I suggested that the bottom of the rail section above the action be slightly relieved and beveled to make access to the open action easier. I also suggested that the back of the rail be dehorned or beveled to protect against sharp edges snagging your flesh during hurried operation. This is indeed a practical accessory for the Ruger Scout Rifle. The XS rail for the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle is not on their web site as of yet. You’ll need to call to order: (888) 744-4880.

There are several reasons I prefer the XS rail as opposed to the factory approach. First, the XS rail has an integral aperture sight giving you the option of mounting a conventional scope, albeit a bit high, without removing the aperture. Better yet, you can mount an extended eye relief scope (not a scout scope) just forward of the aperture sight. Second, the rail allows you to mount all scopes with the same type quick detach rings.

Weaver’s new K-Series 4X Scout Scope mounted well forward on the rail. The second uses a now discontinued compact Weaver 6X conventional scope, with extended eye relief, mounted just forward of the XS aperture sight. This give you three, pre-zeroed, sight options; scout scope, conventional style scope and aperture sight.

I think my favorite configuration utilizes a Bushnell Elite 6500 extended eye-relief 1.5-8X scope mounted just forward of the rear aperture sight in quick release Leupold QRW rings. Though a tad heavy, this might be the ultimate in versatility because you can use this scope as a scout scope on low power or as a conventional scope on any power. Also, this riflescope has target turrets in case you want or need to try shooting at extreme ranges. And then of course, in seconds you can remove this scope and utilize the excellent XS aperture sight.

In all, I really like the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle, mostly because of its versatility and the dependability of the Ruger 77 action. The factory trigger was not too bad either but if yours is, Timney Triggers offers an excellent and affordable, drop-in replacement. Another accessory you might consider is the Galco Safari Ching Sling. When this rifle is matched with the right sighting options its ready for just about any chore a rifleman can throw at it.

Posted in Review, Rifle

34 Comments

  1. For Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle Fans | EMPTY CASES on June 29, 2011 at 3:37 am

    […] out my guest post over at the Weapon Blog on the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle where several sighting options are […]



  2. Luke on July 3, 2011 at 11:20 pm

    Excellent review! Great pictures too! I’m going to be Bookmarking your site. Thanks.



  3. Rgillham on July 6, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    So how did weaver scout scope do for u? Also what size rings did u use, medium or low?



  4. Ed on July 21, 2011 at 6:11 am

    Great Info, Was wondering what ring height from Leupold? Low, medium or high.



  5. RAM on July 25, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    Medium



  6. » Fiddling with Ruger’s Scout Rifle – XS GSR Full Length Rail, GRA XS News and Info on July 26, 2011 at 12:12 pm

    […] https://www.weapon-blog.com/?p=1807 […]



  7. Terry on October 15, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    Why is it that everyone that reviews this rifle converts it back to a standard rifle tactical rifle? The whole point of the scout design is to leave open access to breech, and use a forward mounted optic with . Yet every reviewer gets it and sticks a tactical rail over the bolt area, and mounts a regular scope. If you want a short barreled standard rifle, get one. if you want a SCOUT design – do the scout design and actually review it as a scout design!



  8. Golf Bravo on October 20, 2011 at 11:16 am

    Would it be possible to use the rear mounting scope ring from Ruger and the front mounting for the picatinny rail? I mean, could you match the heights?



  9. Gary on December 5, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    Nobody talks about how accurate this rifle is? What kind of groups are you getting with it?



  10. Cody on December 14, 2011 at 8:47 am

    “Gary”

    Max 2 MOA with everything I have fed it.

    Sub MOA with select ammos and handload’s.

    It’s a definite shooter.

    A guy in California has been shooting long range silhouette (500 meters) with it and has been kicking butt. See CAST Boolits forum.

    Cody



  11. Gary on December 15, 2011 at 4:38 pm

    Cody,

    Thanks for your reply, I cant wait to get my hands on a left hand model.



  12. Mark on February 4, 2012 at 2:08 am

    Hi

    I had a question about the XS Rail. The instructions say just glue the screws in with the thread locking compound. Did you use some kind of Epoxy also to mount the rail?

    regards,Mark



  13. Russell Stookey on March 22, 2012 at 11:13 am

    I want to use an AIMPOINT scope on mine.

    Will the MEDIUM height rings be enough to avoid seeing the front sight?

    Thank you.



  14. Matt on April 17, 2012 at 5:57 pm

    What great information, thanks. Choosing a scope option for this rifle is surprisingly difficult because of it’s versatility. I like the Bushnell setup & will go with that on my soon to arrive scout. Q – what size QR Leupold rings for bushnell ? Many thanks.



  15. Steve on May 16, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Love mine. Used UTG quick detatch medium rings, XS rail, and a Minox ZA5 2-10X40 scope. Still waiting on the backordered Surefire muzzle brake. When I get it I will have it all camo dipped. I didn’t go with a Scout style scope as I have trouble with them because of my cross eye dominance.



  16. Keith Lorio on October 7, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    I really enjoy shooting mine with a leopold forward mounted 4X scope and was a worthwhile economical bolt gun with a box mag…I swapped out the mini-14 flash hider for a ported battle comp flash suppressor. tames the recoil and reduces “pop-up” for follow up shots…looks cooler too.



  17. Rex on October 16, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    I am trying an Aimpoint PRO red dot sight on my Ruger Scout. Using the Aimpoint QRD mount it goes on and comes off in a flash. I am borrowing it from my AR carbine. Can’t see the front sight through it. I don’t see anyway to co-witness the sites without an undesirable high front sight permanently installed. Could put a flip up front sight on the end of the rail at the expense of sight radius. Would need an XS rail on the rear to handle the rear flip up sight. Seems like a lot of effort for marginal gain. I think the Aimpoint will work well. Just remove it to use the quite good iron sights.

    It will be fun to determine how close a common zero can be achieved between the two rifles without changing settings on Aimpoint. Time to look at ballistic tables!



  18. 4590shooter on January 18, 2013 at 11:24 pm

    replace the flash suppressor with a AAC Cyclone can. No ear protection needed and it reduces recoil. Load up cast lead 180 gn. bullets to 1000 to 1100 and not much sound. You can’t do that in a gas operated rifle. The box mags allow extra mags to be loaded with different rounds to best suit the target and range.



  19. David on January 21, 2013 at 7:07 pm

    Bought a left handed one, put the Leupold Scout Scope om it with Weaver see through rings so I can still use iron sights, this gun is a real shooter.



  20. C. Go on January 26, 2013 at 8:11 am

    What other sliings are working out? Any one try the ruger cobra size sling? Any Pics.



  21. 4590shooter on January 27, 2013 at 9:19 am

    The Leupold mounts with the quick turn levers are better than see-through mounts. See-through mounts raise the sight up possible losing your check weld. The quick detach mounts allow rapid removal of the scope so you can use the iron sights. Did you get the 2.5 Leupold scope of the 1.5-4×28 Leupold scope?



  22. Jody Briggs on June 6, 2013 at 6:15 am

    My GSR is set up with a burris 2-7 handgun scope and it works great.I give a big thumbs up for this review.



  23. David Sullivan on July 12, 2013 at 10:26 am

    I have a gunsite scout. I have a problem as well. I’ve got a 50mm scope which is too big and wont fit the rear mounts with the rail system on it. I can remove the rail but, i cant find the ruger set screws to place in the vacant holes on top of the barrel. Does anyone have an option for me? (i.e. best rings to buy, or extended rail to purchase)



  24. Bryn Martin on July 25, 2013 at 8:25 am

    o_O get a new scope that suits the rifle fitted by a gun shop David



  25. gd on August 5, 2013 at 9:36 pm

    The ruger scout .308 comes with ruger scope rings that attach right to the rifle, you can mount a scope to the rear with out the extended scope mount rail from xs sights that cost $100 dollars.



  26. Eric Mann on October 27, 2013 at 8:28 am

    I have removed the rear sites and the picatinny rail from my ruger scout 308. I put on a Bushnell scope with the BDC sites. I can get as close as I want to, to looke through the scope. It is really nice for my tired old eyes…



  27. Josh on December 25, 2013 at 8:19 pm

    Does anyone know what scope rings are used on the top picture with the caption “Quick release rings on a scout scope let you switch between optics or optics and open sights as the need dictates.”



  28. Kirk on December 27, 2013 at 9:09 am

    I have the Nikon M308 4×16 BDC scope mounted on the factory rings, The factory picatinny had to be removed because the front of the site did not clear it. .I would like to try the 20MOA mount that came with the Nikon scope on the XS rail, Does anyone know if this fits up?



  29. researching hunting knives on January 24, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    thank you so much for this post – love it.



  30. Bobby on March 4, 2015 at 5:30 am

    Anyone use the XS rail with the VCOG for the GSR in .308?

    I know it is a pricy optic.



  31. chuck schulze on July 13, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    I need to know how to remove the rear sight. I tried the 2 screws on the sides but those just seem to loosen the rear sight aperture for adjusting accuracy. the one on top doesn’t seem to move and the supplied hex key doesn’t fit. what am I missing?



  32. John Spies on April 26, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    Just got my Scout today and have an ACOG en route. Also have the XS rail and a Cotex Strike Eagle 1-6 I’m gonna try. Will report findings/preferences. I don’t think I’m a ‘scout scope’ kinda guy.



  33. al metcalf on May 26, 2016 at 10:05 am

    whats the thoughts on a burris skulltac with the ff3 on the scout



  34. dianeclantz on July 25, 2016 at 3:08 pm

    A very interesting primer on rifle scopes..
    Thank you…