Steyr Scout

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 polymers 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.

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 integral Weaver rail.
 * Bottom UIT rail.
 * 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 sights.
 * Integral folding bipod.
 * 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 Weaver 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.

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 STANAG type mounting rail, an enlarged bolt knob of the SSG type, an adjustable cheek piece, and a height-adjustable buttpad. It is also fitted with a heavy 570 mm 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, 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 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.

Users

 * 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan: Used by SWAT teams.
 * 🇹🇼 Taiwan: Used by Thunder Squad.