Rob,
That gun is very accurate. It has detachable mags but it also comes with a solid plastic mag to make it a single shot- I still have mine with a 4 power scope on it- I love the gun it’s very fun. The only issue it may have is bolt only opens when the safety is off (but mine is 4 years old, they may have changed that).
But it’s a great gun and extremely accurate at 25-35 yards.
I say CZ452 Scout. I’ve heard of a Cricket or Chipmunk. Anyone know anything about them?
I bought my son a Henry Mini-bolt when he was 5. He is 11 now and this year Santa brought him a stainless 10/22. The Mini-bolt went to his little sister so that she can learn to shoot. The little single shots are priceless for safely teaching the little ones how to shoot while being safe. They require the youngster to load, cock then fire.
Priced out the options.
The first is the CZ 452 Scout that I can get for @295 OTD.
http://czusa.com/product_detail.php?id=5
The second is the 10/22CRR that I can get for $287 OTD.
http://ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=1168&return=Y
I really want to get the CZ, but at $30+/ea for 5 and 10 round replacement mags (if you can find them) it starts to get a little silly.
The ubiquitousness of the 10/22 platform makes those mags super easy to come by (not to mention I already have a few), but I’d really like to get the kid running on a bolt action first, I just don’t want to spend $400 doing it and then get stuck spending half the day at the range stuffing the 3 mags we own. That same $400 for the CZ and 3 10 rounders gets me the 10/22 and 4 25s, not to mention the 2 or 3 25s I already have.
cz 513, step down from the 452 but i’d take one, well i guess i bought one didn’t i,…instead of the 10/22. Save ya enough bucks for those mags I think it would.
I have owned a CZ 542 Scout for several years and it continues to be my favorite gun to shoot. It has a Pentax 1.5-5X scope, but is otherwise stock.
I orginally acquired it for several reasons:
- I needed a .22, and I needed a short stock.
- I knew CZ .22s were incredibly accurate (you can’t touch them with anything even close to the price range).
- I wanted a rifle I could use to teach my nephews how to shoot, so a bolt gun with a single shot adapter was ideal.
The nephews have never touched it (they’re almost 16 and still can’t be trusted), but I’ve put 2351 rounds through it myself according to my records. That doesn’t sound like much, but that’s a a lot of shooting for a bolt gun.
I think they are ideal for smaller shooters or anyone who otherwise needs a shorter stock. If they outgrow it, you can lengthen the stock in a variety of ways. It’s likely a kid will “outgrow” the bolt-gun concept before the stock is too short.