Ruger Scout and Mossberg MVP

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triggerhappy2006

New member
I just wanted to know what everyone thought of these little guys. I really like the idea of a sub 20" bolt action in a readily available cartridge, I'd really like to see 270 and 243 in these guys as well, they'd make for great brush guns. I wonder if this has anything to do with the whole "prepper" scene emerging and making a niche in the sporting goods market. A 16" bolt action in 5.56 is certainly a easy sell to that guy looking to get a SHTF gun, yet it's a nice practical 'yote gun for field patrol, small town sheriffs may start getting on board with this especially since it gives them the ability for a wildlife control rifle that takes their patrol rifle magazines. The Scout rifle is another niche gun that works out for military types looking for an off the shelf tactical bolt gun, I've been thinking about getting one as a nice little brush gun(right now all I have is a 45/70 Marlin, which certainly doesn't do the job as well as .308), and rural police/wildlife rangers are probably taking interest as a decent backup to rubber buck shot for the pesky black bear rummaging through trash. Let me know what you all think about these type guns, I have feeling Savage and Remington will be getting on board soon as well.
 
triggerhappy2006 said:
I just wanted to know what everyone thought of these little guys. I really like the idea of a sub 20" bolt action in a readily available cartridge,
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If .223 and .308 are readily available in NY, I'm calling my buddy in Fillmore to have him ship me some!

Seriously though with your states current ban on standard capacity magazines I don't see where either rifle is offering a greater advantage over a standard bolt action. I can see where if a LEO has to purchase his own service rifle in NY where it might be cheaper to purchase an MVP to carry in his/her car. If they already have an AR I don't see the point to adding another rifle to the trunk, it isn't like either one are going to be significantly more accurate than an AR.

Using a 20-30 round magazine in a bolt action is over rated anyway IMO, and I wouldn't want one larger than ten rounds. You're never going to be able to empty the magazine while hunting, and I'm not even going to discuss your other scenario. While calling coyotes you'd have to be darn fast to get five aimed shots off with a bolt action on a set of multiple targets.
 
Google will reveal that there may be a problem with the Mossberg Patrol extractor.

Apparently the extractor is thought to be a bit fragile...... not well designed or executed and there are reliability concerns.

I was looking at one of these myself and decided against the gamble.

This is a SHTF gun for a lot of people, so reliability is key.
 
I've been thinking about getting one as a nice little brush gun(right now all I have is a 45/70 Marlin, which certainly doesn't do the job as well as .308)
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Isn't close quarters hunting were the 45/70 shines? easy to reload for aswell, packs more of a punch then 308.
 
The Ruger is by far the better rifle. Of course with a price that refelcts that. A quality 308 carbine bolt gun is a great all round choice for woods hunting. I don't especially care for a lot of the features on either of the scout rifles, but they work. Somethng simlar to a Remington model 7 with an 18-20" barrel is more appealing to me.

Isn't close quarters hunting were the 45/70 shines? easy to reload for aswell, packs more of a punch then 308.
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A 45-70 does a better job of punching the shooter than the target. There isn't an animal on the planet that will know the difference if hit with either. The 308 generates 1/4 the recoil that hot 45-70 loads generate. It is far more accurate, especially at any range greater than 100 yards, and versatile for other applications as well.

I have feeling Savage and Remington will be getting on board soon as well.
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Savage has been building a Scout rifle for at least 10-15 years. It is listed under the Law Enforcement series.

http://savagearms.com/firearms/models/
 
Seriously though with your states current ban on standard capacity magazines I don't see where either rifle is offering a greater advantage over a standard bolt action.
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The sub 20" barrel is what draws me in, I like handy guns, long barrels don't appeal to me, and currently living in NC(guess I should update that) I don't have to worry about the legal issues in NY for the time being, I am from and "live" in NY but with current residence in NC gives me the ability to own pretty much anything I want. Either way I really like the Ruger Scout and I've checked out the Savage and it doesn't appeal to me near as much as either the GSR or the MVP, just cosmetics, probably a better rifle by far than the Mossberg. I have a really good "reach out rifle" if I need it, but I've realized that a 7mm with a 4-14X42mm Burris and 26" barrel is a bit excessive for pretty much anything I have done, maybe in the future it will be useful for a plains hunt or Colorado Mountains hunt. Plans are to get a fluted 22-24" bull Barrel for that and put a Swarovski Z5 with a bit more magnification and larger FOV, 7mm really only becomes superior out past 300 yards IMO so there is no point in using it if the max range you can shoot is 150 IF I get really lucky. The Burris Scout 2.5-7X32 on a GSR or M1A would be a perfect for brush hunting and mountain hunting just about everywhere on the east coast with more than enough range and power. For denser brush or swampland, Mossberg 835 with a Rifled Barrel and Holosight or similar is perfectly sufficient as well. 45/70 fills the niche of brush gun for now, but 30-30/7.62X39 or even X51 would be a bit better in my opinion, lighter load with bit flatter trajectory, 45/70 is great for big game at close distances, but the biggest I usually hunt is whitetail with the occasional opportunity shot a black bear
 
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For me, the 5 and 10 round magazines are very important. I like the rail and muzzle device. I was not able to find a new, reasonably priced bolt action rifle with 10 round capacity five years ago. I do wish the Ruger Scout had M1A National Match sights on it.
 
Ruger sends me periodically a request for suggestions. I kind of scolded them for allowing Mossberg to run with the scout concept in 223. It would seem to me to be logical that they would come out with the scout in 223 using an AR-15 mag or a Mini 14 mag.

By the way, and off topic a bit, I also suggested that they come out with their SR 556 in 308. It would be called an SR 7.62.

Of course logic and Ruger have never been two things that often went together.
 
I have a Gunsite Scout and can only say great things about it. I love having more than 3 or four rounds at my disposal in a bolty without having to reload. The short barrel is very maneuverable, and the gun is light (of course ya have to understand fully loaded 10 round clip of .308 is what >/= 5lbs?). The Mauser style extractor is trouble free. Again, love it.
 
I have the predator version of the MVP and it fine for its price. I suspect the Ruger is the better overall rifle.


I have a 700 in 308 and needed a bolt in 5.56 to cover my M4 in case legislation went the/wrong way if you get my drift.
 
Scouts

The Scout Rifle concept has been around near 30 years and the Ruger and MVP may appeal to current "military types" and end of the world preppers because of its hi-cap box, but Scouts were originally conceived as GP rifles that could handle a variety of chores and were above all things, portable.

I've still got the Guns & Ammo article that I clipped from the late 70's, written by Jeff Cooper.
 
bamaranger said:
The Scout Rifle concept has been around near 30 years and the Ruger and MVP may appeal to current "military types" and end of the world preppers because of its hi-cap box, but Scouts were originally conceived as GP rifles that could handle a variety of chores and were above all things, portable.
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Are you saying the GSR isn't "portable?" If so, could you clarify? What do you mean by that?
 
portable

No, not at all, it IS portable, which is a plus. What I was trying to say, obviously not well, was that the Scout family are not exclusively tactical/military rifles. They are intended as GP rifles.

Cooper labeled them "Scouts" as a a scout in his day may have found one useful (as opposed to a an M1 Garand, also from his military days).

Coopers scouts did not have big box mags either.
 
epwrangler, you made my point before I could, kinda.

The GSR seems to be a copy of the British Jungle Carbine. Look at the similarities. Both feature peep sights, muzzle device, compact barrel, and a detachable box mag.
 
the Ruger is a much better built rifle, better materials, tighter tolerances.

the Mossberg is a more practical rifle, the bolt is loose and floppy when opened and it's not built to the same standards that the Ruger is but it's cheaper and it takes AR15 mags instead of proprietary mags so you have more options for capacity, and cheaper, easier to find options for mags. MVP also has more stock options/configurations than the Ruger at this juncture.

I am a ruger fan through and through so I would probably spend the couple hundred extra dollars and get the ruger but the MVP just keeps coming back to haunt me for some reason.
 
I believe that a 270 in a very short barrel, 20" or under, is a waste of powder and muzzle energy. Too much powder creating a ball of fire in front of the muzzle.

The MVP or Scout rifle makes a lot more sense to me in 5.56 or even 308 than a full length cartridge like 270, or 30-06.

I'm not a fan of magazine rifle in a bolt action anyway. It's just another part to malfunction, get bent or lost, fall in the mud.ect. I like hunting to be as simple as possible, with as few opportunities for failure as I can manage.

That said, I own rifles for no other reason, than I was interested in an ultra deluxe, very accurate heavy rifle, that all I would do is shoot from a bench. My bench or at the range.

Rugers Guide gun in 300 Win Mag makes no sense to me, all the magnum is going out in a titanic fireball, in front of the rifle.

I have my eye on a Big Horn lever, in 460SW, easily handled, terrific muzzle energy, and a $3000 price tag, but it would be the only one around here.

I like Rugers action much better than any rifle drilled from bar stock and with washered recoil lug. Most reasonably priced rifles are drilled bar stock. These include MDL 700, Savages, Tikka, MarlinX, Rem 783, Ruger American and Mossbergs.

I don't want any of those. I have had several MDL 700's and a Savage, all serviceable, but feel cheap in my opinion.

Now that I get whatever I want I have chosen to own quality, when I do chose a new rifle, pistol, or whatever. I own Weatherby's Vanguard and MKV, Ruger rifle and pistol, Win 70, and Cooper MDL 22. All solid and integral, but more costly.
 
My only problem with the Ruger (cub) Scout is that not only does it take a proprietary mag, it takes a different *&U*^$# proprietary mag than the Mini-14.

I can't fathom any rationale behind that design flaw other than to make more money on factory mags.
 
I had the gunsite scout for a period and foolishly sold when times got hard. There isn't very often a day that I don't wish I held on to that gun. I loved it! It was a great, small rifle it fit most anywhere, put a long reflex variable power scope on it and it was money for close ranges as well as long. It even came perfectly zeroed (for me anyway) with the irons getting about 10in groups at 150m from standing, closer to 3 if I sat down and took my time. I just wish it had a double stacked mag.
 
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