Scope wise I see more of a disadvantage to a scout scope than a regular mounted scope. I can find the scope field a lot easier with a standard scope with a big front objective than a scope mounted a foot from my face. A scope mounted pistol is even worse at arms length.
Sorry, I should've been much more clear. I tend to type fast sometimes. Ayway I had a handi rifle in .243 that I set up with a scout scope and I really liked that gun. Both me and my step son shot well with it out to 200 yards from field rests. It carried very nicely, and was quick to shoulder. I really liked the 4x scout scope that was on it. Now, I also have an encore pistol in .308 that i swap out for a muzzleloader, I like that one a lot too. I'm set on the .243 caliber and the scout set up just to see how I like it in the encore. If it doesn't work out I'll get rid of it and go back to the handi.
All the factory barrels I've seen are tapped for a regular scope to be mounted. I've never seen a forward mount from the factory, so I'm assuming that my options are either putting another set of holes in a factory barrel, which I don;t really want to do and wonder if I can? Or look for a custom barrel.
Nobody has an encore scout rifle? or even a contender might interest me if it was the right caliber. I'm really curious to see pics of any that might be out there. Thanks. jammer