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Posted: 7/9/2026 10:40:55 PM EDT
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I've reached that era of gun ownership where I just want to build functional and unique firearms. Sometimes it is silly, others serve a very specific role. I had the idea for a new project gun, based off the new Ruger Scout rifle. I have this old, 1st Gen Surefire FA556AR that needs to be retired and replaced with suppressor technology T&E'd in this decade. It's still a great suppressor and has a lot of life left, it just needs a cool new forever home. So, my idea is this: Ruger Scout Gen II 5.56. -Cut barrel back to about 12.5" - Re-locate the barrel shoulder to move front sight to set into the forend - Re-profile the new barrel length to fit the old Surefire muzzle adapter (I'll be using the birdcage flash hider variant, and the old adapters need 2.75" of barrel overlap, hence the ~12.5" barrel.) -Mounted Trijicon MRO in a low picatinny mount. It might actually provide a lower 1/3 co-witness. -OR- - I also had the idea to have the full length picatinny rail custom cut to direct mount an RMR footprint optic, which will definitely co-witness with the irons. Thr RMR idea has the benefit of being the most low profile. I already have a kick-ass Mk262 clone I handload, and it shot sub moa in my Gen1 Ruger American Ranch 5.56. I like the iron sights of the Scout, plus I like the idea of a slightly smaller bolt action for coyotes and a camp site gun. I made some (pretty good, if I do say so myself) renderings in MS Paint for your enjoyment. Stock Ruger American Rifle Gen 2 Scout 5.56  With SBR, suppressor, and MRO;  How say you? Thoughts? |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: So it'll be the same length as original, but heavier, suppressed, w/ a supersonic cartridge that is going slower than originally? Yep. And I don't care. I'm not building it to shoot a mile. I'm not not building it to shoot 500 yards. I'm building it as a modern update of Jeff Cooper's Scout rifle concept. I love my 12.5" AR15 SBR; I've never missed the 300-ish FPS in any IRL measurable way. Weight: Under 6.6 pounds (unloaded) or 7.5 pounds with optics. Length: Under 1 meter (approx. 39.4 inches). Optics: A forward-mounted, low-power scope allowing the shooter to keep both eyes open for fast target acquisition, supplemented by backup iron sights. Max effective range of Cooper's Scout concept was 300-400 yards, with enough power to drop a 450lb animal. Now, my intended use for the rifle doesn't include the need to drop a 450lb animal....maybe 300 at most. So, a 5.56 is a perfect caliber for my most probable use case. If I like the 5.56 too much, I'll build the same thing in 308 for my old AAC 762SD suppressor. |
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Originally Posted By AT-ST83: Yep. And I don't care. I'm not building it to shoot a mile. I'm not not building it to shoot 500 yards. I'm building it as a modern update of Jeff Cooper's Scout rifle concept. I love my 12.5" AR15 SBR; I've never missed the 300-ish FPS in any IRL measurable way. Weight: Under 6.6 pounds (unloaded) or 7.5 pounds with optics. Length: Under 1 meter (approx. 39.4 inches). Optics: A forward-mounted, low-power scope allowing the shooter to keep both eyes open for fast target acquisition, supplemented by backup iron sights. Max effective range of Cooper's Scout concept was 300-400 yards, with enough power to drop a 450lb animal. Now, my intended use for the rifle doesn't include the need to drop a 450lb animal....maybe 300 at most. So, a 5.56 is a perfect caliber for my most probable use case. If I like the 5.56 too much, I'll build the same thing in 308 for my old AAC 762SD suppressor. Originally Posted By AT-ST83: Originally Posted By backbencher: So it'll be the same length as original, but heavier, suppressed, w/ a supersonic cartridge that is going slower than originally? Yep. And I don't care. I'm not building it to shoot a mile. I'm not not building it to shoot 500 yards. I'm building it as a modern update of Jeff Cooper's Scout rifle concept. I love my 12.5" AR15 SBR; I've never missed the 300-ish FPS in any IRL measurable way. Weight: Under 6.6 pounds (unloaded) or 7.5 pounds with optics. Length: Under 1 meter (approx. 39.4 inches). Optics: A forward-mounted, low-power scope allowing the shooter to keep both eyes open for fast target acquisition, supplemented by backup iron sights. Max effective range of Cooper's Scout concept was 300-400 yards, with enough power to drop a 450lb animal. Now, my intended use for the rifle doesn't include the need to drop a 450lb animal....maybe 300 at most. So, a 5.56 is a perfect caliber for my most probable use case. If I like the 5.56 too much, I'll build the same thing in 308 for my old AAC 762SD suppressor. No, that's fair, and you're shifting the mass rearward, instead of hanging a pound off a 16" lever. You're also shortening the sight radius for the irons. What if you went to a featherweight pencil 14.5" or 16", and ran a less capable lightweight can? You might end up at the same weight, or less, w/ the same sound pressure at the shooter's ear - even though the can is lighter, the effective muzzle is around 20", and the supersonic crack is a few more inches away. It's easy enough to change the barrel if you don't like the result. |
| I'm starting to play with the idea of a 300 blackout build. The bolt action makes the 300 blackout much more interesting to me, since I wouldn't need to worry about feeding reliability issues (unlike an AR platform). A 1:5 twist makes stabilizing sub sonic 220gr SMK's very easy. I also have an old AAC 762SD that could use a forever home, as well. |
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