Jeff Cooper’s scout rifle concept raises questions about the best rifle scope placement. What’s the best AR scope configuration? Which will win the day when we test an AR scope vs Scout Scope vs Red Dot vs Iron Sights?
Full Scout AR Playlist:
Scope and Mount List:
1. Ultradyne Iron Sights:
2. Bushnell TRS-25 Red Dot Sight:
3. UTG 0.83″ Riser Mount:
4. Nikon Force XR 2.5-8x28mm Scope:
5. Nikon Force XR 2x20mm Scope:
6. Weaver Thumb Nut 1″ Mount:
7. Falcon S8i 1-8x26mm AR Scope:
8. Weaver Thumb Nut 30mm Mount:
We’re testing all of these configurations for speed and accuracy. Watch the iron sights. They actually performed much more quickly and accurately than I anticipated. If you’re looking for a BUIS system for your AR 15, these are the finest sights I’ve ever tried. Of course the Bushnell TRS-25 is an industry standard. It’s solid reliable, and quick on target. But the big question mark is the AR 15 scope vs scout scope. Which one is quicker? Which is more accurate?
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Kyle Broderick, The Social Regressive
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Hey Kyle,
Love your content! Scout scopes seem to be far and few between, with only few true rifle scopes, rather than pistol scopes. I looked into providing ODM services to other brands and found demand quite low. Ultimately, so many experts have asserted that low power standard scopes provide similar, if not superior resolution and field of view than the “scout scope,” and that the scout scope is obsolete.
Personally if agree that the scout rifle concept is alive and kicking, but forward mounted optics are dated, when it comes to practical rifle use. IMHO Cooper was a genius, but tech passed him by. Red dots and low power illuminated reticles were not even a pipe dream when he defined the scout rifle concept.
The 30-30 336 was something he admired for handling purpose. Grandpas deer rifle with a 2x7x32 is tough to beat from a value standpoint.
Bolt guns, lever guns, or a AR10, we all know that the AR will out perform all, but it’s what you have that rules the roost. This is why I am so fond of your videos with your friends evaluating product. Is there a market for a mil based low power optical with a tree reticle in FFP? 0 to 5 or 7, with a 32mm objective, HDLD? Forget about caliber based BDC, straight Mils and user dope to create solutions that are ranged based on general applications. What do you think? I’d love to see some guys that are skilled with a 30-30 or 35 rem with modern lever revolution rounds run a practical course against guys running .308 bolt guns. My guess is that the cowboy rifle outruns the bolts, but the AR10 ends the debate forever. Fun discussion optics and scout rifle, thanks!
What suppressor/flash hider are you running on that setup? Sorry if you mentioned it and I missed it I was focused more on the testing in the video. Thanks!
Great video. I have been waiting for this and you included a whole range of optics which made it better. I am not as good a shooter as you are. Big criticism: you only ran the Ultradynes through one full sequence (I am an ultradyne fan). I have compared a 2.5 PA prism scope, a Sig Romeo 3, A2 irons and Ultradyne irons in two ways. First, spreading out a field of balloons 20-75 yards in a semi-circle and second comparing them at distance at a range on a bench. The RD was faster at close distance but got less accurate the further out you went (balloons). The 2.5 prism was wonderful in its wheelhouse of 50-100 yards–faster because it was more accurate so less misses. The A2s were A2s, we all know them. The Ultradynes were faster transitioning from target to target and had better visual awareness (since less blocking vision). They were not as fast as RD close or the prism in the prism's range of strength. At distance, well RD no good really beyond 50 yards ( 3 MOA dot). Prism scope was good to 300. The Ultradynes were good at 100, 200, 300, 320, 378 where I ran out of ammo. So overall each had their strength, Ultradyne was second at everything except distance where it was first—-but I had no real magnified or LPVO to compare it to. I think if you worked with any one of these you would get much better at it. Again, great video testing these sights.
you forgot one combo that I use on one of my guns that is fairly handy for short to intermediate distances: red dot + swing to side magnifier. I often use this for 2 gun competitions and for anything within 300 yards works pretty darn good. In addition one thing you did not mention which in my mind makes a significant difference is weapon balance when shooting offhand. I would assume the far forward mounted scope would radically alter presentation and target acquisition but you made no mention of this potential effect.
Did you ever watch any of the In Range TV's series 'What would Stoner do now?'
I have a ruger gunsite scout and i switch between the vortex scout scope and a trijicon reflex sight. Both work very well. That's a damn good looking AR. I love this idea.
still trying to find someone who has done a comparison with the Armson OEG in the pack, they seem to still be available but not much around on their use, no batteries, electronics, and tritium sounds like they might be useful
A scout scope gets mounted just in front of the action, not at the muzzle. Right?
It would have been good to see the 1-8 in 1 power as well.
well done review, thank you for your efforts.
Great video as always. Never seen someone do a similar cool comparison.
Great video..Yeah the two eye open Biden Aiming Concept takes a second to kind of rewire your brain a little bit , but once you start to get use to it it's great for situational awareness and is pretty darn fast…Coming from a precision background it's kind of hard to shake that habit of wanting to close that eye. Once you get your brain to super impose what your right eye see's on top of what now becomes your main seeing eye (the left for a right handed shooter) it finally comes together good. This let's you use powered optics like a red dot almost. Keep your rifle shouldered and leave it dropped slightly below your line of sight. You see a threat/ target you only need to move your rifle an inch to fire. That's a great way to practice to get better at it. Start slow and make sure you stay target focused throughout the whole movement and let that optic pop up into your sightline and super impose the reticle right where you were staring at. Your focus should never be on the crosshairs themselves when shooting this way, you look through them and stay target focused. The aim small miss small philosophy works great practicing this. Then crank up your speed until you become inaccurate again. That's your bench mark for getting better at it. Get that down and you'll be ready to CQB in no time brother…I think if Colonel Cooper was alive today he would be a LPVO or ACOG fan with the optic mounted back towards the eye. He was working with what was available at the time and made an excellent method with what he had…Take care
Nutnfancy did a similar vid some time back and came to the same conclusion about the LPV scope. So except for my home defense ARs and AR pistols (use 1x Vortex Spitfires for those), I've been running the Redfield 2-7×33 scopes on my ARs with AccuRange reticles for fast target acquisition. Work great and half the price of the Falcon you used, but still with the Leupold lifetime warranty. Your vid was even better than the one by Nutnfancy IMHO and confirmed my own feelings about the LPV scope on ARs. Great job (loyal subscriber!).
I have a Pulsar trail XQ38 on my new AR10 308 and it works real good now
Just need to find the right time to meet up with them hogs and gonna put a smack down on them one of these nights
The only problem I foresee in having it is there will never be enough ammo around to feed it's obvious giant appetite of spitting dollars out the barrel LOL
Check it out in my last video Extract of Lamb Fetus & DB10ELB as the 308 diamondback turned out really nice indeed
I feel the LPVO equipped Scout is the natural evolution of the Scout Rifle