When it comes to Scout Rifles there is a constant argument of what does and does not qualify. Jeff Cooper conceptualized the Scout Rifle so his definition should be the deciding factor. Right?
Sure. Problem is, Cooper’s definition varied over time. And, while there are some aspects of the concept that never changed, others varied. I’ll let others argue which definition is and is not the real definition. The one I’ll present here was taken from what might be the first comprehensive article Cooper ever penned on the Scout Rifle.
Weight: 7 pounds – 3.2 kilos
Length: About 37 inches
Chambering: 308 Winchester, 243 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington
Action: Bolt-Action
Barrel: 18.5 inches (22 inches on 243 Winchester)
Accuracy: Two inches (Two MOA)
Sights: Ghost ring rear, ramped, square post front.*
Optics: A 2x compact glass of ten-inch eye relief, mounted low over the bore.*
Trigger: A fine trigger.
Stock: Classic, without bumps, flanges, notches, or cheekpiece, high enough at comb to support a low scope line, and a rounded heel.
Sling: Loop style.
Sling Swivels: Pachmayr flush design
* A scout rifle should be equipped with both iron and optical sights.
Scream, rant, throw rocks, and call me names all you want; these are Cooper’s words not mine.
So, given this definition, the rifle featured here is not a true Scout Rifle. However, this rifle is, any way you look at it, a damned fine general-purpose, utility rifle. It came about because of the 2016 Scout Rifle Conference at Gunsite Academy. The top student of the conference, who goes by “Splithoof” to protect his identity – he is not a terrorist or an illegal, just a guy engaged in an occupation that necessitates discretion – won a custom scout mount job from Brockman’s Custom Rifles. The rifle he chose to customize was a CZ model 527 in 7.62 X 39.
Brockman added custom Talley scope bases to the rifle’s barrel and installed his trademark protected front sight and fully adjustable ghost ring rear sight. I must say the work, like all the work I’ve seen from Jim Brockman, is impeccable.
With a Leupold Scout Scope and an empty magazine, the rifle weighs exactly 6 pounds, 9.1 ounces and is 36.5 inches long. It is an absolute joy to carry, handle, and shoot. And, its plenty accurate and completely capable of better than 2 MOA. Doing some snap shooting drills I managed three hits in a row on a 15 inch steel plate at 100 yards. My times were 1.88, 1.76, and 1.58 seconds for an average of 1.74 seconds. This might not be impressive to you but given my abilities, I consider it a very good performance. And, snap shooting is one of the fortes of a Scout Rifle.
My only real complaint with the rifle, from a Scout Rifle standpoint, is that the comb of the stock is a bit low to work with an optical sight. This of course is no fault of Splithoof or Brockman; it is just a fact. Nonetheless, I covet this little rifle and for a man – scout – operating in West Virginia, it is unquestionably all the rifle one would ever need.
What I hope you takeaway from this is that Jim Brockman is an ideal source for Scout Rifle conversions. Yeah, I know, this is not a true Scout Rifle but you know what, based on Cooper’s criteria, hardly anything else is either. Call it whatever you want, I could care less.
Now all I have to do is find something to trade Splithoof for this little gem. I gotta find something to trade because I have no cash. Do you know how much auto insurance costs for a 16-year-old boy?
