Ruger Gunsite Carbine

[W.R.Buchanan]

Sq, Butte: what did they want for it? At a gun show I bet they wanted at least full pop.

I don't see alot of bargains on guns at my local gun show, every once in a while (usually when I don't have any money to spend) there is something that is a good deal.

Williams Gun Shop Auburn is still the most consistant source.
Randy

Randy

[square butte]

Honestly, I didn't look at the price tag. But was surprised to see it there. Am not in the market for one. Had an oportunity to buy one at Rody's in Newport, NH - Just down the road from the Ruger plant. After reading reviews, Decided it wasn't my cup of tea.

[Dobetown]

Two weeks ago Ross's gun and coin in Idaho Falls Id had them for 7 0r 800. He said he had a case.

[redneckdan]

Anyone got any more substantiated reports on the 5.56 gunsite rifle? Or is it still vapor-ware?

[Rick Hodges]

I'm interested in the Canadian version....18" bbl. without the darn muzzlebrake, and oh yeah, left handed.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Curly James: I found out another tidbit from the engineer yesterday, your gun was an early run built on a Hawkeye action hence the 711 prefix. Mine is a "production run gun" and it's SN prefix is 680-

Randy

[Curly James]

Thanks Randy,

Explains a couple of slight differences and probably accounts for the smooth action.

[Curly James]

I want to retract a statement from an earlier post. I stated this rifle wasn't going to be a MOA rifle. Maybe it has broken in or more likely I've come to better terms with the sight system but I am now able to manage 3 shot MOA groups regularly.
This mostly with a handload consisting of Reloader 15 and a 150 grain Nosler BT bullet. My rifle loves WW white box FMJ and Federal Premium 150 grain loads.
I am really looking forward to hunting with this rifle and will shoot it in a Tactical Ridle match in a few weeks. The ranges at the match will be from 25 to 200 yards. I'm betting the Ruger Scout will shine at the match.
I also understand the difficulty in obtaining one of these rifles as everybody who handles and shoots mine wants one of their own. I have turned down some attractive offers for mine because it is mine.

[greywuuf]

Can any one here Comment on the action itself of the gunsite carbine, My last Ruger was a tang safety m77 in 7x57 (still have it and love it ) but there is enough I dont find find "just right" ( such as the caliber I want mine in 338 or 358 ) with the Gunsite that I would rather build my own, IS the Gunsite the same as the hawkeye ? action wise and while we are at it, whats a hawkeye? same as the mark II ?... someone point me to a ruger ID 101 or school me up please.

Dan

[Heavy lead]

Can any one here Comment on the action itself of the gunsite carbine, My last Ruger was a tang safety m77 in 7x57 (still have it and love it ) but there is enough I dont find find "just right" ( such as the caliber I want mine in 338 or 358 ) with the Gunsite that I would rather build my own, IS the Gunsite the same as the hawkeye ? action wise and while we are at it, whats a hawkeye? same as the mark II ?... someone point me to a ruger ID 101 or school me up please.

Dan

I believe the action is the same as a mark II, the floorplate is steel, rather than aluminum and the gun is not blued any more, it has some sort of coating on it. The trigger is different as well, reported as better. I have one, but it is an Alaskan stainless, the trigger may be better than the mark II I had, but not by much. However it is a great shooter.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Grey Wuuf/ Heavy lead: The early guns were built on Modified Hawkeye Actions with the feed rails removed, mainly because they had some laying around that weren't being used. The new RGS77 is the same as the current M77action, but with the feed rail modification. The Mag Well and Trigger Guard unit just takes the place of the regular mag well and trigger guard pieces. It is not a big jump from the existing M77 action. This is exactly what you are trying to do when designing a new model. You want to use as many parts from existing as possible with as few modifications as possible.

The new actions are made the same way as the regular M77 (slighty different casting) but with no feed rails to remove. IE specifically for the RGS77. The trigger guard and mag well are the major difference and are made of Glass filled polymer. Don't let the plastic moniker disuade you. It is done right, and is just as good as a metal part. See Glock?

The gun has a flat blasted blued/black finish. It is NOT coated with any magic coating , it bears more resemblence to a Parkerized finish

There is no floor plate, the rifle feeds rounds off the top of a box magazine made by Accuracy Systems. It is similar to,,, but not the same as, a M14 mag. It is still a controlled round feed system, despite the ramblings of a less than knowledgable writer for AR mag.

You probably aren't going to see a .338 or .358, but you could easily (if you want) rebarrel a Scout to any .308 family cartridge. And Wuuf,,, another option for you wanting a .338 or .358 would be to have the existing barrel rebored to your new cartridge. Obviously everything else would function exactly the same as the .308 version. Smaller calibers would obviously have to be rebarreled, but you never know maybe Ruger will accomidate some time in the future. Since they would only have to bore different holes in the barrels it is not too big a stretch to possibly consider this option for short specialty runs. I know if Lipseys or Davidsons asked them, they would do it! That's how the .44 Special Blackhawk, and Blackhawk Bisley's came into being. And they sold out in 48 hours!

The gun is currently available as a right hand , left hand or Canadian Version with no Flash Hider and an 18" barrel.

The next one you'll see is a .223 model which will be slightly different in the action and magazine area, but using the same overall Scout concept, and I want one!

I have mainly been using mine for long range silhoutte and the accuracy is definately there. Last Sat I hit four 500 meter rams right out of the gate. I "could" hit every single one off a rest. Please note: This is an 8.5lb gun with a 16" barrel and it is shooting right with the full on silhoutte guns at my club here in Ojai CA. Not exactly the intended usage of this piece, but it damn sure proves a point.

Here's some detailed pics of the action area of the gun, with a 5 round mag. If you click on the pics they will enlarge so you can see a little more detail. Hope this clears up any misconceptions of how this thing is made and how it works.

Randy

[greywuuf]

Thank you!
Exactly the info I was looking for.
Not saying I dislike the gunsite version, but Mama don't let me have that kind cash. I have a lathe and have swapped some tubes. Just easier for me to buy a bare bones hawkeye and change things a little at a time. (not even going to suggest cheaper, just my combination of instant gratification and a payment plan)

Thank you again for the info.
Dan

Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk

[redneckdan]

Looks like mossberg beat ruger to market with a bolt rifle that uses ar-15 magazines.

http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?id=46

[W.R.Buchanan]

Dan: solution to your problem is to not let Mama know you have any cash! That's what I do. I can accumulate $5-600 in about 3 months just by horse trading and selling junk. But you can't let them know or they will spend it for you, and more too! And always on crafp and stuff you would never buy in a million years. Best to keep your stash to yourself.

Nice looking Mossberg Rifle. I wonder what the MSRP is? Usually Mossberg has been a pretty good value.

It is set up as a Varmint rifle and the 24" barrel could easily be 16" with no loss in velocity or accuracy.

Ruger's will be another Gunsite Style Rifle just in .223. Probably won't see it until SHOT Show.

On another note,,, my monthly Slihoutte Shoot is this Saturday and I am expecting to do better. Trying to knock down 10 this time. Got the pellet gun out and am practicing tonight and tomarrow night..

I just loaded some .308's yesterday and they were the best ammo I have ever loaded. I used the new recycled bullets I got from Hi-Tech at .11 each, had to weigh every charge of IMR 4895 as my powder measure is not getting it.. All the cases were trimmed and deburred and tumbled, and all went together perfectly.

Probably going to buy one of those Electronic powder dispensers soon, as it took way too long the weigh every charge.

Really looking forward to this shoot.

Randy

[redneckdan]

rumors i have been hearing are 650-800ish. Packages vary from just the rifle to scope, bipod, mags etc.

I would still prefer something like the scout I think. Stock iron sights w/ scout mount, factory threaded, etc...

[W.R.Buchanan]

Well,,, yesterday marked the 4th time I have shot Silhoutte with my Ruger Gunsite Scout!

I knocked over 11 this time, including 2 rams, 2 turkeys , 3 pigs and 4 chickens

I actually won Chickens with 4 being the highest score posted, which netted me $8. We have a pool so there is added incentive above just gloating ,which I did plenty of also.

This round was fired with my newest batch of reloads using 45 gr of IMR 4895 and my first run with the new recycled bullets I got from HI-Tech. All the charges were weighed as I couldn't get my powder measure to repeat, and were 45 gr +/-.1

After shooting the match I set up the Chrony to see what was actually going on with my loads, and was surprised to find somehting I had not expected.

When I picked the 45 gr charge I had done so by consulting all of my reloading manuals, and extrapolating where I wanted to be based on what was purported to be the Federal Factory loads speed of 2800 fps from a 24"barrel. IE I was seeking a charge that duplicated that Federal generic load. This is the most common factory .308 ammo out there running $10.95 per box at gun shows, and is likely the only Factory ammo I will ever use.

Allowing 25 fps per inch loss in velocity the 16.5" barrel should have been yeilding @2600 fps. And this is what I based my Ballistic Calculator charts on. The results so far in the matches have validated the elevation settings yeilded on the charts for the 4 distances, So I had considered the velocity to be in the 2600fps range.

First shot over the Chrony was a surprise!,,, 2792 fps! Second shot was 2786 and so on right in that area for 5 shots. I had had some primers that were a little flat, but not that flat, and others that weren't flattened at all. Since they were Remington 9 1/2's which are noted for having soft cups and since all of them were not flatened. I dismissed it as near the top but not into any danger zone at all. I had fired 150 of these same loads with no outward signs of pressure like hard bolt opening or damaged cases. Etc.

Then the eye opener came. I fired 5 Federal factory rounds and they all were in the 2710-20 fps range. I guess I was a little hotter than I thought and definately more than I wanted.

But It still managed to put 5 into a 7/8" group at one hundred yards and exactly 2" high and on center!

I will be reducing the powder charge, and now that I have a complete scientific set up working I can go about working up the load in a more empirical manner starting at about 42gr and going up to about 44 tops.

Several things were learned by this experiment

First: shorter barrels are not bleeding off as much velocity as formerly anticipated. If the Federal factory ammo in fact does yeild 2800fps from a 24" barrel then this gun is only losing about 12 fps per inch.

Second: Anyone who claims these guns are not accurate is not doing something right! Asking more than 1MOA accuracy from a generic gun is asking alot. And at 7/8" on the front end of of the load development, I see potential for even better groups from this gun. The factory ammo yeilded a 1.5" group and it was shot into a Caldwell target that I could index properly.

Third: this gun is completely suitable for long range silhoutte. I am competing with much more experienced shooters many of which have dedicated guns built specifically for this sport and I am starting to beat them, and rather than beat my own drum, I am suggesting that this gun is largely responsible. Highest score was 14. Which is about average for our group of about 20-25 shooters.

Fourth: It is a complete creampuff to shoot. I ran 60 rounds thru it yesterday and there are no after effects whatsoever. If I could get away today I'd go back and do it again.

Please note in the picture there were 4 zeroing shots fired thru that target with my .30-06 before I shot the .308 group. I only had one target with me yesterday.

Any of you who were holding back because any of the internet BS you have read about poor accuracy of this rifle need look no further, Just go buy one. I promise you I'm not getting a kick back from Ruger!

One last point,,, If you don't have a Chronograph of some type and you are trying to work up loads, you are shooting in the dark. I had no idea I was above factory velocities, and would have carried on blissfully until ? The $79.95 I spent on this tool gives me a very accurate assessment of my progress and I urge any of you who are serious about the reloading hobby to spend the money. I put it off for many years and I would be much farther up the food chain had I aquired one earlier. It is a must have tool for reloading.

Randy

[762 shooter]

W.R.Buchanan,

I too am wondering why this platform doesn't have people giddy.

I have fired more rounds through mine in the last month than I have fired in all my other guns combined in the last 6 months. The sixteen and one half inch barrel has surpassed all my expectations as far as noise, accuracy, velocity, handiness, and consistency.

XS sight rail
Nikon Buckmaster BDC conventional
1 three round polymer
1 five round steel
3 ten round steel

I am jealous of your access to rifle silhouette.

762 Shooter

[JesterGrin_1]

Looks like mossberg beat ruger to market with a bolt rifle that uses ar-15 magazines.

http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?id=46

If you have an academy near you they are $499.95

[Whit Spurzon]

I too was smitten with the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle when I first saw it at the beginning of last year and immediately ordered one from my favorite gun-monger.



Used the Ruger Registration discount to buy a couple of five round Mags.



Early load testing revealed a preference for 165 grain Hornady JSP over Max charge of IMR 3031 (2573 fps avg) and 4895, 4064 and Varget produced good accuracy too but not the velocity.

I've also tested pretty much every 30 caliber projectile I had.


Some real standouts have been the Lyman 311334 and 311284. Both do very well over a wide range of velocities. The 311334 does GREAT over 2400 (1548 fps avg) and SR4759 gets me (1867 fps avg) Both loads are below Max published data. The 311284 shoots amazing groups jogging along as low as 559 fps and even better at 1338 fps using Unique.

The Lee 309-113 Soup Can shoots well at both sub and supersonic speeds. The powder I'm having the most luck with is W231 at just enough to get me to 800 fps. Fun load in the Ruger GSR

It is a very enjoyable rifle to carry in the field. By far the easiest carrying bolt gun I've ever owned, it's almost levergun like in its handiness.


I've had mine since February and I like it even better now.


Shoots very well with a wide variety of loads. The above target shows six different loads both cast and jacketed.

[W.R.Buchanan]

whit: I haven't had a chance to actually shoot a bunch of cast Boolits thru mine.

I have them loaded just haven't shot them I used 21 gr of 5744 for all my cast loads in this caliber. used a Lee 308-190gc and 311299 which was dropping undersized.

Waiting for Swede's current remake of said 311299 to get one that acts right. I see this boolit as being the end all for .308/.30-06 shooting, in this gun , my 03A3, My Husky .30-06, and my Garand.

I'm running 45 gr of IMR 4895 against a 147 gr BT recycled bullets from Hi-tech.

The gun continues to amaze me everytime I shoot it. they done good!

Randy