Is Ruger’s New Gunsite Scout Rifle a Pretender, or Contender?

Some decades back, the late John Dean "Jeff" Cooper came up with a concept for what he ultimately called a "scout rifle." This was intended to be an all-around rifle, capable of being used for hunting, but especially useful for the lone military scout (an ancient term). The precise details of this light bolt-action rifle concept have been listed here and there over the years. Some of the specs included 308 caliber, minimal length and weight, a forward-mounted scope, possible provisions for clip loading, a

Steyr’s package included the Leupold Scout Scope shown, with heavy duplex crosshairs. The Ruger came with 5- and 10-round magazines, plus good aperture sights, but no scope nor sling. The Ruger was more than a pound heavier than the Steyr. The Ruger’s price was actually about half that of the Steyr. The lengths were the same, but the Ruger’s actual barrel length was significantly shorter.