For Easter, I bought each of my boys a 452 Scout. My oldest is 9 and middle boy is 5. While my middle boy doesn't shoot much yet, my oldest has shot a few bricks through his 452.
At the time of purchase, I also looked over the Savage Rascal, Henry Mini-Bolt, and Keystone Davy Crickett. While these are all fine "starter" rifles in their own right, I just wasn't very impressed with any of them. Each had its own issues that I won't go into here, but overall quality just wasn't what I wanted for my boys. Also, they seemed like a rifle that my boys could quickly grow out of.
So I special ordered in a pair of CZ 452 Scouts. At this point, I had neither shot nor handled a CZ rimfire rifle. I was simply going off the reputation I had read here and on RimfireCentral. When the rifles showed up, I was quite impressed! Fit and finish was much better than the cheaper rifles (as it should be). The stocks are a little different in color, one being a little darker and the other lighter, which is great because each of my boys knows which one is theirs just by looks. The barrels are fully free-floated, and the rifles are accurate enough to hit 12 gauge hulls every time at 25 yards. I had some initial concern about how accurate the sights were going to be with such a short sight radius, but never did I feel handicapped using them. They had zero issues nailing 4" hanging steel targets, pop cans, 8 oz V-8 juice cans, and even 12 gauge hulls at 25 yards. Making shots at 100 yards on a 8x10 piece of steel was also not an issue. At one point, my boy was getting a little upset with me for "hogging" HIS rifle! It's a fun, handy little rifle!
The only issue I have with the rifle is the trigger. Not the pull weight but the creep. When I shoot it, I almost use it like a two stage trigger; there is that much creep. And I'm sure that most of that will go away the more the rifle is shot.
But even with the creep, the rifle is an outstanding value. Especially when you can "upgrade" the rifle as the child grows. Adding a scope is no issue with rings available through CZ or Leupold. If they get too tall for the smaller stock (still longer than the others mentioned!), you can put the barreled action in any 452 stock from CZ or Boyd's. And while I appreciate the single shot follower, I think that a few 5 and 10 round magazines will definitely be in order.
All in all, I think CZ hit a home run with this little rifle. I'm quite impressed by it, and will not hesitate to grab a CZ Rimfire for myself down the road.
