Steyr’s Famous Scout Rifle Now In 6.5 Creedmoor

This would be so perfect, if only they had it chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor! Oh, wait…

The Steyr Scout rifle is just about to celebrate its 21st birthday, given that it was first introduced back in 1998 at the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show by Steyr and Col. Jeff Cooper (of Gunsite fame). Steyr has always been wise enough to leave perfection alone, which is why one of the world’s most highly engineered scout rifles has remained largely unchanged for most of that time. But every so often, a perfect rifle meets with a perfect chambering, such as the wildly popular and flat-shooting 6.5 Creedmoor…and that’s been reason enough for Steyr to introduce a new caliber.

“It can’t be said that Col. Cooper wasn’t a fan of the 6.5 mm, as he wrote about the 6.5 Mannlicher Schoenauer rather longingly,” said Scott O’Brien, Steyr Arms, USA, CEO. “But Col. Cooper never could have expected the amazing performance of the 6.5 Creedmoor, nor could he expect the widespread availability of such a round.”

Throughout his decades of development of the scout-rifle concept, including the nearly decade-long collaborative design process to create the Steyr Scout, Cooper was very specific in his chambering choices for his ultimate production scout rifle. In addition to his long list of qualifications that only the Steyr Scout accomplished, he wanted the rifle to be able to knock down any North American game, and he wanted the ammunition to be readily available. While the 6.5 Creedmoor wasn’t available in his lifetime, it has since become one of the top cartridge choices in the U.S., and it’s become quite plentiful.

Steyr and Cooper began collaborating on a production Scout Rifle around 1990, and Steyr engineers worked within his limitations to produce a rifle that was less than a meter in length, less than about 7 pounds, and it had to be able to take anything in North America from hare to bear. Steyr engineers provided his desired backup “ghost-ring” iron sights that rest snugly within the Steyr Scout’s profile and can be deployed within seconds should the optics fail. They also provided two-stage magazines that could accomplish the same function as the 1903 Springfield’s magazine cutoff but in a much faster manner than the original.

Just like the original Steyr Scout, the 6.5 CM version incorporates a spare magazine in the stock with the ability to accept a pair of optional 10-round magazines. The stock also incorporates an integrated bipod, as well as a set of five whale-tail sling-swivel attachments to accommodate a three-point Ching Sling on either side of the stock.

“We can never know how the Colonel would have felt about chambering his rifle in the 6.5 Creedmoor, but considering its performance and after extensive testing, we think he’d wholeheartedly approve,” O’Brien said.

The Steyr Arms Scout 6.5 Creedmoor has a 19-inch cold hammer forged barrel that is fluted and threaded to accept 1/2-20 RH muzzle devices. It is now available in Black, MUD and OD Green stocks with an MSRP of $1,735.00. Click here for more information, or to find a dealer.