I have an Enfield SMLE that has been sporterized that is an excellent Scout rifle and was actually what the Col had in mind when he designed the original.
A good rifle cartridge ,he settled on .308 but my .303 is fine.
Light and handy but still capable out to 600 yards.
My SMLE has a 10 round mag and is charger fed
I picked up some bandoleers and chargers for it.
The Col liked bolt actions but did not discount a semi if it could be made light enough. The Socom 16 is a beautiful semi scout. A bit more cash than the 100$ I spent on my SMLE though.
The scout scope is the one thing the Col considered least important. He said a good set of iron sights or a red dot or holo sight would do just as well.