With new offerings from Mossberg, Ruger, and Savage, and with the Steyr Scout now more affordable, we’ve seen a resurgence of COL Jeff Cooper’s Scout Rifle concept. I’ve been obsessed with the Scout Rifle and have studied every aspect of the platform. I’ve trained with Scout Rifles at Gunsite Academy and have hunted with them in North America and Africa. What I’ve learned will soon be complied in a book and a portion of that book will be dedicated to ammunition.

I’ve tested every commercial Scout Rifle from the bench with a wide variety of match, hunting and tactical loads. What I’ve found is that Hornady offers ideal Scout Rifle loads, regardless of the application. Here are four you should consider if you are a Scout Rifle aficionado.

Precision Shooting

Without question, Hornady’s 168-grain A-Max Match ammunition has consistently proven to be the most accurate load tested in Scout Rifles. On average, this load produces velocities twice as consistent as most other match-type 308 Winchester loads fired from Scout Rifles. Remember, Scout Rifles have short barrels and I suspect the powder Hornady uses in this load is more compatible with them. Don’t be surprised if this load produces three-shot cloverleaf groups out of your Scout.

Low Recoil

Scout rifles are, by design, lightweight. My New Ultra Light Arms Scout Rifle customized by Jim Brockman weighs less than six pounds with the scope attached. The 308 Winchester is not a slobber knocker but prolonged range sessions can pound the shoulder. The most accurate and big game capable low recoil option I’ve found is Hornady’s new Custom Lite load. It generates about 30% less recoil and is amazingly accurate. It consistently delivers sub MOA groups from by Brockman Scout and my Steyr.

Defense

The 308 is a powerful cartridge and with any bullet you’re going to realize fight-stopping performance, but there are other considerations. During the Advanced Scout Rifle course at Gunsite we cleared buildings with Scout Rifles. Though not ideal, their compactness and low-power forward mounted optics proved adequate. Here, a fragile bullet that reduces the opportunity for excessive penetration is needed. Hornady’s 110-grain TAP load delivers a wickedly wide wound cavity but only penetrates about a foot in 10% ordnance gelatin.

Hunting

Though 18 to 19 inches is the norm, some Scout Rifles have barrels as short as 16 inches. This can lead to reduced velocities. Hunters need bullets that will expand regardless of target distance, and, expansion is dictated by impact velocity. Hornady’s new Precision Hunter ammunition loaded with their 178 grain ELD-X bullet is an ideal solution. Designed to expand out as far as 600 yards at standard 308 Winchester velocities, it’s generally considered a long-range load. However, it’s good to go out past 400 yards when fired from any Scout Rifle. An Idaho black bear taken at 403 yards stands as evidence. This bullet will also maintain its integrity when impacting big game animals at spitting distance.

Ammo Matters

Cooper’s Scout Rifle concept is often misunderstood. His idea was for one rifle configured to be suitable for general-purpose work. It was not intended as a specialized sheep hunting rifle, brush gun or battle rifle. As Cooper said, “It’s most outstanding characteristic is handiness. It is light, compact and user friendly…It is easy to carry, convenient to pack into a boat, car, or airplane, powerful enough for any targets short of pachyderms, and easily provisioned throughout the world. It is ideally adapted to the snap shot, and is quite able to group well into the vital zone of a 200-pound target out to around 400 paces — under field conditions.”

When dealing with a rifle designed to provide general-purpose service you have two ammunition options. You can choose a single, general-purpose load or your can tailor your ammunition to match the task at hand. If I had to hang my hat on a single, multi-purpose Scout Rifle load, I’d probably go with the 178 gr ELD-X Precision Hunter offering from Hornady, due to its accuracy and exceptional terminal performance at any distance.

However, while Cooper did not intend the Scout Rifle to be a specialized weapon, there is intense appeal in being able to specialize performance based on need. Hornady’s wide selection of 308 Winchester ammunition makes Scout Rifle specialization easy.