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I'm with gmckinl on this; growing up I hunted squirrels with a really old, really cheap single shot handed down from my grandfather. The drill was; load the round into the chamber, close the bolt, pull the really stiff spring-loaded shafety on the back of the bolt backwards and twist to the side to lock the safety. Unfortunatly on this crappy gun, that allowed the bolt to flop open with almost NO resistance. SO, unless I kept my hand holding the bolt closed as I walked through the woods, invariably when it was time to take a shot, I'd mount the rifle only to find the bolt open and round long gone. As was the squirrel while I was fishing around in my front pocket Barney-Fife like trying to dig out another bullet and get it loaded.... Best Christmas I ever had was the year I got my 10-22!

That bolt lock position sounds like a GREAT idea!!

TAM, thanks again for putting so much thought into your reply, and to the others for pitching in! Deep sigh, shaking head; not making any shopping progress (which is REALLY bad, as my better half has given me the green light to buy some stuff....). Still leaning hard toward the Sig 716, and will likely end up with one. That said, all of this M1A talk has me re-considering my decision not to go with a SOCOM 16 or buy another HK91 pattern gun. Are any of the HK clones worth the money? Don't mean to hijack the thread, as I will end up with the Ruger down the road. Cheers!!

Great review TAM!! Interesting that it shot the heavier loads best. Will be interested to see what you can wring out of it with other factory loads and tinkering with handloads. SO, after your first range run, if you had to choose ONE 308 to fulfill the Scout concept of being handy enough to protect/defend while being accurate enough to carry in the field for hunting; would this be the one????