Springfield Armory is well known for its continued production of the military’s M-14 rifle and naming it the M-1A.They also make a very fine line of handguns. And they used to make a highly useful and interesting little survival rifle that should be known better than it is. Their version of the military M-6 survival rifle. They call it the Scout.

This handy little jewel is an over-under single shot .22LR, (or .22 Hornet).410 Ga. shotgun. Of all metal construction, the barrel is slightly longer than the military issue model in order to conform to Federal firearms laws. This rifle/shotgun was developed from the Air Force M-6 Aircrew Survival Weapon. The major difference is the barrel length. The military weapon has a barrel length of 14” but this is too short for a legal civilian rifle so Springfield made it with a barrel of 18.25”.

The rifle will break down into two parts using the quick detachment pin. As you can see in the photo, the trigger is a rather unique lever and was designed to be used with heavy mittens in sub zero weather.

The rear top of the stock has a hinged cover that holds an ammo supply underneath of 4 .410 rounds and 15 .22 LR cartridges. In .22 Hornet, it will hold 9 of those. The rifle pictured is mine and an early model. Newer ones have a sheet metal trigger guard. The rear sight is a flip type for both the rifle and shotgun. Peep sight for rifle, v notch for shotgun. This little guy weighs in at just 4.7 pounds. The newer ones can also mount a scope. A sling with quick detachable mounts and a carrying case with ammo pouches was available.

This is a great little combo that you can toss in the back of your vehicle during camping trips or picnics and is light and small enough to be easily carried in your bug out bag. I love mine and take it often on trips.
Evidently they are no longer in production and if you find one for sale, they can be a bit pricy. I have seen them advertised for $500.00 plus. But I wouldn’t trade or sell mine for the world.
Springfield Armory still sells accessories for them, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it back in production some day.