Steyr Scout
Encyclopedia
The Scout is a modern scoped bolt-action
rifle
manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher
and chambered primarily for 7.62 NATO (.308 Winchester
), although other chamberings are offered commercially. It is intended to fill the role of a versatile, lightweight all-around rifle as specified in Jeff Cooper's scout rifle
concept. Apart from the barrel and action, it is made primarily of polymer
s and is designed to be accurate to at least 300–400 meters. The Steyr Scout is also available in 5.56 NATO (.223 Remington
), .243 Winchester
, .376 Steyr
and 7mm-08 Remington.
There were early reports of problems with the Steyr Scout rifle relating to breakage of the bipod pivot pin. The affected part was subsequently redesigned to improve its strength. "Aftermarket" pivot pin replacements are also available. There is a fixing point under the built in bipod. This can be used to mount a more substantial bipod if required.
Some users find the bolt lift effort to be on the high (but not excessive) side due to steep profile of the cocking cam contained within the bolt. This can be eased somewhat by appropriate lubrication but a revised cam is available.
The other criticism has been of recurring light hits (primer strikes), particularly with early production runs. Factory recommended solutions have typically been adjust the spring to the next higher setting or to install a "high energy" firing pin kit or stiffer spring.
The Picatinny rail above the action and barrel allow either for conventional positioning of a scope with normal 1.5 in - 3.5 eye relief
or for the forward placement of a "scout scope" with intermediate or long eye relief. The latter is more faithful to Cooper's Scout concept, and the Steyr-Mannlicher rifle can be ordered from the factory with a low-magnification Leupold scope with long eye relief.
type mounting rail
, an enlarged bolt knob of the SSG type, and an adjustable cheek piece. It is also fitted with a heavy 570mm (22.4 in) barrel, and can produce high muzzle velocities due to a "fast" internal profile. The additional features of the Elite give it a weight of over 4.2 kg (9.2 lbs), which makes it fall outside the definition of a scout rifle
. Although intended for intermediate ranges, with match grade 7.62 mm (.308 inch) ammunition and 10.0 g (155 grain) projectiles entirely acceptable performance at up to 800 m (900 yards) has been recorded making it a good all-rounder. It is standard with a synthetic 5 round magazine, but an external adaptor kit can be attached to fit a 10 round magazine. It is normally available in two calibers; 5.56 NATO and 7.62 NATO, but can be specially ordered in 7 mm-08 Remington upon request.
Bolt-action
Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon...
rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher
Steyr Mannlicher
Steyr Mannlicher is a firearms manufacturer based in the city of Steyr, Austria. Originally a part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch manufacturing conglomerate, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken in 1990.-History:...
and chambered primarily for 7.62 NATO (.308 Winchester
.308 Winchester
The .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65...
), although other chamberings are offered commercially. It is intended to fill the role of a versatile, lightweight all-around rifle as specified in Jeff Cooper's scout rifle
Scout rifle
The Scout Rifle is a class of general-purpose rifles defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper in the early 1980s.These bolt action carbines are typically .308 caliber , less than 1 meter in length, and less than 3 kilograms in weight, with iron and optical sights and fitted with practical slings for...
concept. Apart from the barrel and action, it is made primarily of polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
s and is designed to be accurate to at least 300–400 meters. The Steyr Scout is also available in 5.56 NATO (.223 Remington
.223 Remington
The .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with almost the same external dimensions as the 5.56×45mm NATO military cartridge. The name is commonly pronounced either two-two-three or two-twenty-three. It is loaded with a diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from , though the most common...
), .243 Winchester
.243 Winchester
The .243 Winchester is a popular sporting rifle cartridge. Initially designed as a varmint round, it is now more frequently used on medium to large game such as whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, wild hogs, and even black bear and caribou...
, .376 Steyr
.376 Steyr
The .376 Steyr cartridge is a rifle cartridge jointly developed by Hornady and Steyr for use in the Steyr Scout rifle.Introduced in 1999, it is based on the 9.3 x 64 Brenneke case, necked up to accept a diameter bullet...
and 7mm-08 Remington.
Overview
The Steyr Scout has the following features:- Removable box magazines with "magazine in reserve" setting for manual loading.
- Second magazine stores in the butt of the rifle.
- Light weight due to aluminum receiver housing, hammer forged fluted barrel, and extensive use of polymers.
- Top and bottom integral Weaver/Picatinny railPicatinny railThe Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...
s. - Roller tang safety with "Locked Safe", "Loading", and "Fire" positions.
- Bolt handle locks downward against receiver in "Locked Safe" mode.
- User-adjustable trigger factory set at 16 N (3.5 lbs).
- Reserve flip-up "ghost ring" iron sightsIron sightsIron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
. - Integral folding bipodBipodA bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two axes of motion .-Firearms:...
. - Third attachment point for a 'Ching Sling'.
There were early reports of problems with the Steyr Scout rifle relating to breakage of the bipod pivot pin. The affected part was subsequently redesigned to improve its strength. "Aftermarket" pivot pin replacements are also available. There is a fixing point under the built in bipod. This can be used to mount a more substantial bipod if required.
Some users find the bolt lift effort to be on the high (but not excessive) side due to steep profile of the cocking cam contained within the bolt. This can be eased somewhat by appropriate lubrication but a revised cam is available.
The other criticism has been of recurring light hits (primer strikes), particularly with early production runs. Factory recommended solutions have typically been adjust the spring to the next higher setting or to install a "high energy" firing pin kit or stiffer spring.
The Picatinny rail above the action and barrel allow either for conventional positioning of a scope with normal 1.5 in - 3.5 eye relief
Eye relief
-Eye Relief and Exit Pupil:The eye relief of a telescope, a microscope, or binoculars is the distance from the last surface of an eyepiece at which the eye can obtain the full viewing angle. If a viewer's eye is outside this distance, a reduced field of view will be obtained...
or for the forward placement of a "scout scope" with intermediate or long eye relief. The latter is more faithful to Cooper's Scout concept, and the Steyr-Mannlicher rifle can be ordered from the factory with a low-magnification Leupold scope with long eye relief.
Steyr Elite
A variant and effectively the successor of the Scout is the Steyr Elite (previously known as the Steyr Tactical Elite), a more robustly constructed model with many of the same features of the Scout, but designed primarily for the law enforcement market for an urban tactical role. Differences to the standard Scout include an extended STANAGSTANAG
STANAG is the NATO abbreviation for Standardization Agreement, which sets up processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO state ratifies a STANAG and implements it within their own...
type mounting rail
Picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...
, an enlarged bolt knob of the SSG type, and an adjustable cheek piece. It is also fitted with a heavy 570mm (22.4 in) barrel, and can produce high muzzle velocities due to a "fast" internal profile. The additional features of the Elite give it a weight of over 4.2 kg (9.2 lbs), which makes it fall outside the definition of a scout rifle
Scout rifle
The Scout Rifle is a class of general-purpose rifles defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper in the early 1980s.These bolt action carbines are typically .308 caliber , less than 1 meter in length, and less than 3 kilograms in weight, with iron and optical sights and fitted with practical slings for...
. Although intended for intermediate ranges, with match grade 7.62 mm (.308 inch) ammunition and 10.0 g (155 grain) projectiles entirely acceptable performance at up to 800 m (900 yards) has been recorded making it a good all-rounder. It is standard with a synthetic 5 round magazine, but an external adaptor kit can be attached to fit a 10 round magazine. It is normally available in two calibers; 5.56 NATO and 7.62 NATO, but can be specially ordered in 7 mm-08 Remington upon request.
See also
- Steyr MannlicherSteyr MannlicherSteyr Mannlicher is a firearms manufacturer based in the city of Steyr, Austria. Originally a part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch manufacturing conglomerate, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken in 1990.-History:...
- Steyr AUGSteyr AUGThe AUG is an Austrian bullpup 5.56mm assault rifle, designed in the early 1970s by Steyr Mannlicher GmbH & Co KG . The AUG was adopted by the Austrian Army as the StG 77 in 1977, where it replaced the 7.62mm StG 58 automatic rifle...
5.56 mm rifle - Steyr ACRSteyr ACRThe Steyr ACR was a prototype flechette-firing assault rifle built for the US Army's Advanced Combat Rifle program of 1989/90. Although the Steyr design proved effective, as did most of the weapons submitted, the entire ACR program ended with none of the entrants achieving performance 100% better...
Prototype rifle - Steyr HS .50Steyr HS .50The Steyr HS .50 is a .50 BMG single-shot anti-materiel sniper rifle manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher.- Design and features :The Steyr HS .50 is a single-shot bolt action rifle. It does not have a magazine so each round has to be loaded directly into the ejection port and is pushed into the chamber...
.50 BMG sniper rifle - Steyr SSG 69Steyr SSG 69The SSG 69 is a bolt-action sniper rifle produced by Steyr Mannlicher and serves as the standard sniper rifle for the Austrian Army....
sniper rifle - Steyr MPi 69Steyr MPi 69The Steyr MPi 69 is a 9 mm submachine gun of the late 20th century made by the Austrian firm Steyr.-Characteristics:The MPi 69 is shaped much like other telescoping bolt submachineguns, such as the MAC 10 or Uzi...
SMG - Steyr TMPSteyr TMPThe Steyr TMP is a select-fire 9x19mm Parabellum caliber machine pistol manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher of Austria. The Magazines come in 15, 20, or 30 round detachable box types. A suppressor can also be fitted...
SMG - Steyr Mannlicher M1901Steyr Mannlicher M1901The M1901 Mannlicher Self-Loading, Semi-Automatic Pistol was an early semi-automatic pistol design.-General features:This pistol is one of the most simple of blow-back semi-automatic pistols ever designed. The lockwork is essentially that of an elementary single action revolver...
, M1894Steyr Mannlicher M1894The M1894 Steyr Mannlicher blow-forward, semi-automatic pistol was an early semi-automatic pistol.-General features:This earliest Steyr Mannlicher pistol, manufactured by FAB.D'ARMES Neuhausen, Switzerland, was designed to be self loading and to use a special rimmed cartridge in 6.5 mm caliber...
Pistols
External links
- Official page of the Scout by Steyr Mannlicher
- Official page of the Elite by Steyr Arms
- Profile of Steyr Scout at World.guns.ru
- The Steyr Scout Rifle Page Fan site
- The Steyr Scout in Kosovo Includes pictures and information regarding the use of Steyr Scouts by the KLA during the Kosovo conflict