M6 Scout Survival Rifle Review for 2021

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By Joel Jefferson •  4 min read

One of the purpose built survival weapons that I always found interesting was the M6 Scout made by Springfield Armory.  Based on the design for the pilots of the USAF, the Springfield Armory M6 Scout has only a few changes from the original M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon.

The commercially available model of the M6 is almost identical to the USAF version.  The biggest difference is that the Springfield Armory version has a barrel length of 18.25 inches and the Air Force version has a barrel length of 14 inches.  The only other major difference is that the Springfield Armory version has a removable trigger guard, where the USAF version has no trigger guard at all.

When you hold this weapon and put it up to your shoulder, you definitely know that this is a spartan survival weapon made with no creature comforts.  The cold steel of the stock and its hard edges were very unfriendly to the face, the sites were crude at best.  Maybe I should not even refer to this as a survival weapon but more of a survival tool,, because that is exactly what it is.

Features

I found the M6 Scout to be a worthy survival weapon with some cool features.  My favorite feature is the over/under barrel combo of the .22 LR and the .410 Shotgun.  Having the rifle or shotgun capability in a survival situation is never a bad thing.  The other nice feature is the ammo storage compartment in the butt stock of the gun.  You always know where your ammo is located and there is no chance of misplacing your ammo unless you lose the whole gun.

The M6 Scout is a very simple design with very few moving parts.  There is almost nothing that can go wrong with this gun once it is assembled.  That is the good news, the bad news is that something could go wrong before you assemble the weapon.  The Achilles’ heel of this design is that there is a small pin that is required to assemble the barrel to the stock.  The guy who loaned me this weapon for the review specifically said to me “Whatever you do, don’t lose that little pin.  I think it might be hard to replace.”  I could see this being a problem if you were in bad weather or somewhere at night.  This pin is small and if it is lost, you will be stuck trying to jerry rig the weapon which would not be fun if you are in a survival situation.  Is this a show stopper?  No, but it is something to be aware of if you are looking to buy this weapon.

The weapon did come with a small canvas carrying case with a shoulder strap made by Springfield Armory.  I am not sure if that was bought separately or came with the gun but it fit the M6 Scout nicely.

Overall

I would put this weapon in the “Buy It… If It Fits Your Requirements” category.  Disassembled, it would fit nicely in the back of a truck or in the trunk of your car (check local laws and restrictions).  It could also fit into a Bug Out Bag or get strapped to the outside of your bag.

Video Review by the SurvivalCache Team

Buying the Springfield Armory M6 Scout

This gun is no longer commercially made but you will see the M6 Scout at gun shows or on the internet via online gun dealers.  We have received a lot of emails about this gun and we were curious about it as well.  I have seen them for sale anywhere from $400 to $900 depending on condition.

For mod ideas to the M6 Scout, see V Shrake’s post.

Video by: The SurvivalCache Team

 

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Joel Jefferson

Joel is one of the original founders of SurvivalCache.com. After college, he joined the USMC where he served as an (0302) Marine Infantry Officer. Joel is an avid outdoorsman and spends much of his free time in the mountains. Joel’s hobby is researching survival gear & weapons as well as prepping. Read his full interview here.