I just got my new Skout Evo. I couldn't be happier!
The new solid barrel system is very impressive. I opted for the .22 caliber Lothar Walther 25 inch poly 1:15.75 twist. This is a full typical LW barrel inside the 1" diameter carbon Skout housing with the entire remaining volume filled with CF and epoxy bonding. It is as solid as a baseball bat!
The new indexing is more intuitive, repeatable, and better executed than on any gun I have ever seen. I upgraded to the benchrest buttstock instead of the lightweight Evo setup because I prefer the additional adjustability and I am not looking to save any weight since it will mainly be shot from the bench. The electronics are improved from the Epoch and the larger screen is much appreciated. The trigger mechanism remains unchanged (which is a good thing). The on/off valve is better and both shuts off the bottle and degasses the gun with one twist. As a lefty, I did prefer the regulator gauge on the right side of the gun on the Epoch and I also preferred the tool less regulator adjustment. Although it never happened to me there was a risk in setting the bottom of the gun on a log or bag and bumping the reg adjuster by accident on the Epoch. The new design brings the reg adjustments up and in alignment with the gun lengthwise. Lastly I was able to get it in custom camo which I fell in love with on the very first Epoch prototype!
It is stabilized by an Odin Prizm bipod that is my new favorite even if they are fairly pricy. Atop sits a Vector Optics 5-30x56 Continental 34mm tube. The bad news is that I only took a couple of types of ammo to the range today and the wind prevented any critical analysis of groups at 100. The good news is what I saw so far is very promising! I can't wait till next Friday when I'll have another chance, and I'll get test more projectile options.
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