Savage Arms Mini Youth Model Cub .22 Rifle

Last year, I bought a Savage Cub for my son. I wanted a 22 for him to learn on. It couldn't be a monstrously heavy rifle, and it couldn't have an awful trigger like many do. And, it had to be a single-shot. Having to reload for each shot really helps you focus on shot placement.

After looking at a seemingly endless number of rifles, I found this one - and instantly fell in love with it. It is light, it is small, and Savage's Accutrigger is nothing short of OUTSTANDING. This is the same trigger used even on their varmint models, and it is an absolute pleasure. The trigger safety takes a minute or two to get used to, then it is second nature. The trigger is clean, crisp, and wonderful. The aperture sights that come with it are also very decent.

The real surprise came when I viewed the price tag: MSRP is only $213, and I only spent $180. Had the sticker said $350, I would have thought it was worth it... but $180? That was a no-brainer, I said "Yes, I'll take it." This may be the single greatest bang-for-the-buck in the world of firearms.

Coupled with CCI CB Short or Long (both are loaded identically) ammunition and some "swinger" targets, it is a very cheap and fun way for my son to work on accuracy. In fact, with the CB Short loads, it is quiet - my piston-driven pellet gun that I had growing up produced more noise.

It used to be that my Ruger 10/22 was always in-demand when we would go shooting as a group... but this rifle rivals it. It is so light, and so fun to shoot that there's always someone waiting to use it.

UPDATE: As luck would have it, I was about to post this when I saw the comment left below about the scope mount. My rifle, being a little older, has the rimfire grooves in the receiver. A friend of mine purchased one last week, and we found that the newer models do NOT have the grooves. A quick google search indicates that it *might* use a Weaver #16 or #24, but I cannot confirm whether that's the case. If I am able to find more, I will post it here.