Steyr Scout

In 1998, premier Austrian gun manufacturer Steyr Mannlicher introduced a new rifle designed by shooting guru Jeff Cooper. This radical rifle, the Steyr Scout, is arguably the finest general-purpose rifle in mass production. While Cooper's Scout Rifle design concept has been around for a while, only now has a manufacturer decided to mass-produce such a well-designed rifle.
It truly is a delightful tool: light, accurate, and easy to use. When I first tried one, I was so impressed I bought it on the spot.
Surprisingly, on 10/15/98 -- just a few months after introduction -- an article in USA Today was accompanied by a picture of a Kosovo Liberation Movement soldier (in front) carrying one of these fine rifles. Word of good tools travels fast, and it's good to know this tool is being used on the side of freedom.	(USA Today picture used under the "fair use policy".)
Early models of the Scout do have a slight problem: the firing pin may not properly strike a badly-seated, hard or insensitive primer on cheap ammunition. The factory provides a firing pin package that completely solves the problems. The kit can be ordered through GSI and is listed as part number SC 04.09 AH. The cost is listed as $109.50. Contact GSI for further details. A free solution is to adjust the firing pin, a rather simple operation; doing this has fixed the problem for me with all but the worst ammo.