STEYR SCOUT II

Steyr Mannlicher has a long traditional approach to rifle styling, but let us not forget the company’s tremendous tactical rifles. Steyr took a brave and completely new direction in firearms design when other manufacturers were rehashing old ideas by bringing to fruition the dreams of one very famous American, Colonel Jeff Cooper, in the form of the Scout rifle concept in the 1990s.

The original remit for the rifle was for a multipurpose gun that transcended the boundaries of being solely tactical, sporting or survival, while being shorter than 1m and lighter than 3kg. It was quite a challenge for a rifle maker to produce a true all-in-one firearm that would serve every need of a shooter in the field. However, the Colonel knew exactly what his concept rifle should be capable of and how it should look. He had built several Scouts using Brno actions and old Sakos. Common to all was the short overall length, front-mounted low-power, wide-angle scope, and a pointability/shootability that is normally difficult to obtain from a rifle straight off the shelf. The only drawback was that he needed a major manufacturer to take up the idea and bring it to its ultimate conclusion.

Enter Steyr Mannlicher and the Steyr Scout rifle, which is a perfect blend between hunting rifle and practical, with all the extras you could ever want thrown in. And it’s damn accurate and easy to use, too. This new Scout II version is even better, as the bedding blocks are milled from one piece of aluminium, and there is an integrated top Picatinny rail and M-Lok mount. It comes in a variety of calibres and colours: black, green and mud brown. The RRP is £2,276.99.

STOCK

The stock design, although radical in its day, is entirely practical and very user friendly with its multitasking arrangements. The material is a synthetic polymer called Zytel, which has a good non-skid maximum-grip finish that precludes the need for chequering and gives the rifle an overall matte sheen in this model’s green livery. The forend still houses the twin-raised panels of softer rubber that are scalloped to aid in proper hand control and stability. The matching panels in the butt are purely decorative.

The feel of the stock is far better than the old Cycolac models on the SSG rifles – it feels sturdier, denser, and warmer to the touch. The ergonomics of the overall design are equally reassuring. The pistol grip is ambidextrous, with no palm swell and is quite deeply recessed at its rear to allow the palm to sit around the circumference rather than perched on top. This aids in positional control and allows the other hand to release magazines or move foliage while out stalking.

There is no cheekpiece, nor is there a need for one, as the ambidextrous nature of the stock is sufficiently high at the comb and slightly forward tilting to guarantee correct scope alignment between face and eyepiece. At the rear of the stock are two buttstock spacers that can be removed or added to in order to lengthen or shorten the length of pull – which was 13in as supplied. This allows total flexibility and maximum adjustment to tailor the rifle to suit the shooter. The actual butt pad sits interlocked with the last spacer and provides good adhesion between the rifle and the shoulder.

Moving forward, the underside of the stock is deeply recessed for two reasons. The first is to allow an extra gripping area when the rifle is shot from a bipod-supported position, and the second is that the inner space is home to the spare magazine. This is a five-shot magazine supplied with the rifle, but a clever sprung trap within the stock comes into play when the optional 10-shot magazine is inserted. This saves having an empty void that will just collect debris.

What should be emerging from this review is that every part of this rifle has been fully exploited to the utmost. The trigger guard is simple. Instead of a separate metal type that could rust or become damaged, it’s integral to the overall stock design and therefore blends seamlessly into the overall look of the rifle. More importantly, it contributes to the rigidity of the stock as a whole.

Foremost in the stock comes the truly radical design feature, which is actually the part I liked least. This is the integral swing-down bipod arrangement that is certainly novel but needs a few refinements in my view. The operation to release the bipod is easy, with a toggle latch on the underside of the forend. This bipod is actually the folded-down sides of the forend that swing down to a fixed height with a pivotal position at the front of the stock, allowing a degree of cant adjustment.

This is undoubtedly a clever and space-saving design, but the height is non-adjustable and therefore restrictive in use. The audible snap of plastic on plastic as the bipod engages and disengages in the lock position is also a tad annoying. However, some people may say that the original design encompasses the use of the bipod for casual emergency use, and as such I cannot fault it.

Talking of fittings, there are also quick-detachable flush-mounted sling swivels that fit into flush sling sockets on the underside rail. These swivels are just in front of the magazine well on both sides and near the rear butt spacers, again on both sides. Their positioning and arrangement allow the use of a wide range of conventional and practical sling positions for shooting prone and supporting the rifle while standing. You also have twin M-LOK fitments in front of the forend release lever for attaching accessories such as an aftermarket bipod or underslung lamp or laser.

ACTION

The action is impressive, formed from one aluminium housing extending three-quarters of the way along the barrel into the forend, with a full-length 13in Picatinny rail on top. This gives the rifle its characteristic space-age look, with three vents along its forward section, bedding into aluminium pillars, and two stock screws along with a forward-mounted cross pivot pin through the stock.

More conventional is the bolt setup. The old model had rear locking lugs while the Scout II now has four twin-opposed lugs that lock into the receiver. A further safety bushing encases the extractor, which should cope with any irregular excessive chamber pressures, and a powerful sprung ejector in the bolt head does a forceful job of case ejection. Along the bolt body are recessed ice and residue grooves, designed to increase the bolt’s reliability under freezing and adverse conditions. At the rear is the usual cocking indicator protruding from the cocking shroud, with a red dot as a visual and tactile aid to determining whether the Steyr is cocked or not. The trademark Mannlicher butter-spoon bolt handle has gone, and in its place is a very practical and far superior large bolt handle that is longer in length and nicely angled rearward, allowing positive bolt operation and speedy reloading if necessary. Bolt action was slick and smooth with minimal wobble. It all felt tight and precise while operating with a fast lock time. There is a very small opening in the receiver for the ejection of spent cases and it was difficult to peer into the breech bolt, which may or may not be a problem if a case gets stuck. All I can say is that during testing and my roe stalk I had no functional problems and the empties were flung with vigour from the ejection port.

The trigger is similarly excellent in operation. It is a two-stage affair with a factory setting of 3lb 6oz, but I had a far better and crisper let-off at 2lb 10oz (tested). There are adjustment screws for weight, travel and so on, but they are glued in place and Steyr recommends that a gunsmith adjusts anything that relates to the trigger – your choice.

The safety is the much-talked-about SBS safe bolt system, which has three settings and is positioned on a tang on top of the pistol grip. The safety is an ambidextrous roller system with three positions: Fire, Loading and Safe. The Fire position shows a red dot and the rifle can be fired as normal. On Loading, a white dot is visible on the thumb wheel (roller safety), and the trigger safety is on, although the rifle can still be loaded and unloaded in this position. The Safe position reveals both a white and a grey pop-up catch. In this state the safety is on, the rifle will not fire and the bolt can not be opened. Additionally the bolt handle itself can now be pushed down further, which locks the bolt down and safe, with the firing pin totally locked. Whether you embrace this system or, like me, are indifferent to it, the features are there if you feel that you want to use them.

SIGHTS

The new full-length Picatinny rail is the obvious choice for mounting a scope and will accommodate anything on the market and also, as the Colonel intended, a forward-mounted pistol scope with long eye relief for close quarters sighting. I like the clever pop-up ghost-ring rear sight, which, combined with a similarly operated foresight in the barrel shroud, provides a reasonable set of emergency open sights.

BARREL

The barrel has a pencil-thin profile, tapering from a diameter of 0.7in at the breech to 0.6in at the muzzle to provide excellent harmonics while in use. The overall length of the barrel is 20in, and it is hammer-forged and threaded to ½-in UNF for a sound moderator, which when fitted brings the overall length to just over 1m. In the field this rifle is a dream to carry. Weight is actually only 2.8 kg, making it very manageable. It looks thin and carries itself very well in that respect, especially with the slim grip that allows it to swing better and give that extra visual touch when using it for hunting.

RANGE TIME

For testing I opted to use three different .308 rounds: the well-regarded Hornady Precision Hunter with 178gr ELD-X, a factory reload from RWS with 150gr soft point, and my own handloads with 165gr Nosler Accubond bullets. The range session took place at a local shooting club in the well-ventilated 25m indoor range, which was an excellent environment for getting comfortable with the rifle. I quickly discovered that the fit and feel were perfect for me – I really liked the balance and lightness.

After some barrel warming, the rifle settled down well after five rounds to put three Hornady rounds into a tight 1in group at 100m. I was consistently impressed with the repeatable accuracy. My next groups with the RWS load and the handloads came in at the same level, so all my components for the test were performing as anticipated.

I even tried some offhand shooting and from the bipod. The stability was impressive, although I did have to pull the bipod arms wider apart to have a solid shooting platform.

CONCLUSION

It’s easy to see why this rifle has attracted such high praise. It’s the best mix of form and function and it encapsulates the dream of a great all-round rifle. I really liked it and was impressed with its accuracy potential, the ergonomic features and all the additional functions.

In practical terms, most people who hunt on the UK mainland would be well served by the Steyr Scout rifle. If you hunt in more extreme conditions and climates, or long-range, it might not be the rifle of choice. But the concept behind the rifle has merit and holds well for the sportsperson seeking versatility.