It could be argued there is, only has been, and ever will be, one true Scout Rifle. Cooper referred to all of the Scout Rifles he created as prototypes and proclaimed the Steyr Scout Rifle the best personal rifle in the world. You see, Cooper did not own the term “scout rifle” but he did coin it, and he did define it. He also told Steyr how to build it.
This notion will assuredly hurt the feelings or offend those who own Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifles or other commercial and even custom offerings. That’s OK. Dealing with hurt feelings or being offended is part of life. However, no matter how much you might want to disagree, the Steyr Scout Rifle is the ultimate expression of Cooper’s concept.
Some will offer there were things Cooper did not like about the Steyr Scout. That’s true; though his complaints were akin to picking nits. However, his praise for the rifle is undeniable. He considered it ahead of its time, suggested it was the rifle of the future, referred to it as one of the most interesting rifles in the world, and proclaimed it to do more things, in more ways, than any other rifle.
I’ve been studying Cooper’s Scout Rifle concept for a long time and I’ve worked with every commercial Scout Rifle on the market as well as several affordable and very expensive custom offerings. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Scout Rifle fraternity here is my suggestion to you.
If you want to spend the least amount of money possible on a scout-like rifle, get the Mossberg MVP Scout.
If you want the best, truest Scout Rifle money can buy, get the Steyr. Now priced at $ 1499.00
Everything else is somewhere in the middle.
