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theinsider
the roy HUNtINGtoN insiderTM
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Iknow I did. At least until I
moved where I could shoot anytime
I wanted on our land. What
I forgot was how much fun
shooting .22s were. Especially
— single shot .22s. Think about it.
Your first rifle was likely a single
shot .22. And yes, you probably shot
a gazillion (a real number, maybe)
of .22 shorts, longs, long rifles, CB
caps and anything else you could
scrounge. Nothing was safe from
the “great hunter” with his trusty
.22. Squirrels and rabbits were “big
game” to me, crows something that
might have fallen once in a very great
while to my trusty iron sights; and
man-eating grasshoppers, toads, scurrying
field mice and no end of inanimate
targets of opportunity, all met
their match. It taught me gun safety,
trigger press, how to coax as much
performance as possible out of the
rifle at-hand, and built a framework
for a lifetime of interest in firearms of
all sorts. Sorta’ like you, I’ll bet.
Do you remember now?
But … when was the last time
you unlimbered “Old Betsy” and
had some fun? Years? Decades
maybe? Does your Remington
Model 514 (my first .22) sit gathering
dust in a closet? It’s okay,
maybe even good, if you’ve passed
it on to a deserving family member
or kid you know. But why didn’t you
get another? All that “stuff” fun 20,
or 30 or 50 (!) years ago is still fun. I
think, actually — it’s more fun now.
Even though most of us can
FOrGOT
Forgot
Forgot
afford to shoot just about whatever we
want, the cost, recoil, noise and general
fuss of shooting “big” guns can sometimes
take the edge off the fun. If the
fact you’re spending 50 cents or a buck
every time you pull the trigger nags at
you, then the fun quotient drops fast. It
sure does for me.
At the NRA Show last year I was
visiting with old buddy Bill Dermody,
who handles the marketing chores at
Savage. Of all the really cool things
they showed (and there were lots)
what caught my eye the most was their
new single shot youth rifle called the
“Rascal” — in six different colors! I
asked Bill if I could borrow one for
a quick look-see and he sent one out.
I opted for the bright yellow version
(they also come in real wood, pink,
black, green, blue, orange and red versions).
I thought if I was teaching a kid
gun safety and he or she was afield with
me, I really liked the idea I could easily
see the rifle and where it was pointed.
I found the Rascal to be useable
even for an adult (scrunch-up some
and you can shoot it just fine), and
the adjustable rear aperture, “Accu-
Trigger” (mine broke at just under 3
pounds) and easy-to-load ramped
chamber were geared toward first-class
fun. I’ll confess I was more excited to
shoot the Rascal than I generally get
with even some of the fancy guns we
test. Reliving my youth maybe?
I loaded up with CCI Mini-Mags
(who doesn’t shoot ‘em?), their Green
Tag target ammo, CCI CB caps and
shorts, and some Remington HPs I had.
Savage’s new Rascal is a single
shot youth-sized .22 that shoots
like a laser! note the adjustable
aperture sight, big safety lever
and red ramp helping to
make loading much easier
for little fingers.
A quick zero had me on target at 25
yards and then the Rascal proceeded
to amaze me time and time again. The
Accu-Trigger broke crisply and the
aperture sight gave me a clear sight picture.
Soon the targets were covered with
1" groups! It almost didn’t matter what
load — the Rascal shot like a laser. The
CCI Mini-Mag HPs actually did the
best, which surprised me as they often
tend to be in the middle of the pact
when it comes to accuracy. Every group
broke the 1" barrier if I behaved. And,
perhaps oddly enough, the CCI Short
HPs shot about the same, and to virtually
the same point of aim.
The .22 CB caps grouped around 1.5"
and were quiet enough I didn’t need
ear protection. They sounded like a
soft “bap” and I could hear the bullet
hit the heavy cardboard. I’ve used my
share of CB caps around here popping
grey squirrels who get pushy and crowd
our deck. They work just fine if you’re
close. The Rascal shoots ‘em great too.
What’d I learn? There is simply
nothing like spending an inordinate
amount of time enjoying plinking,
target shooting or small-game hunting
with a single-shot .22. In actual ammo
fired, I’ll bet I didn’t spend five bucks,
and I spent a relaxing hour and a half
simply doing nothing but having fun.
And the Rascal? I’d have to call it a
“perfect” first rifle for a kid. It’s safe,
accurate (which means it’s rewarding to
shoot), has “real” rifle features, and fits
a kid’s frame. But even an adult would
like to own one because it’s also a nearperfect
truck, ATV or “.22 by the door”
rifle. The fun quotient for the Rascal is
off the charts!
Dig out your old “first-best gun” you
have and enjoy it. Chances are you’ll
have such a good time you’ll think seriously
about adding to that all-important
part of your rifle lineup — .22 single
shots. Have some fun, would you? For
more info: www.americanhandgunner.
com/savage-arms, (413) 642-4262
Continued on page 120
122 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2013