When my children first expressed an interest in shooting, I scoured the local gun shops for a youth rifle that had "real rifle" quality and features. The pickin's were slim, but CZ USA's little Scout rifle stood out from the crowd. CZ enjoys an excellent reputation among rifle cognoscenti for building quality centerfire hunting rifles and rimfire target pieces.

When CZ's designers set out to build a youth rifle, they wanted to maintain their quality and accuracy. They knew few youth-rifle buyers would shell out target-rifle dough for a kids' gun, so they cut back in areas that wouldn't affect the quality of the rifle while allowing them to offer an affordable youth-model .22 with all the quality and most of the features of their adult rimfire line. The Scout is the fruit of those efforts.

Even with iron sights, the Scout proved plenty accurate (especially off a verstilize Fat Bag rest as seen here).

As with all of CZ's offerings, it all starts with the Scout's action. It is machined from a steel billet and is perfectly scaled for the diminutive .22 LR. The top is grooved to accept scope rings. The stainless bolt has a pair of extractors on either side, and a cutout on its underside allows the bolt to slide over a fixed ejector. The action on my rifle is fairly smooth, with a slight hitch when I push the bolt handle down.

Of course, the author didn’t need a paper target to tell him that after he completed an impressive string of head-shots on Texas squirrels with it.

The safety is a two-position model that blocks the firing pin. It's a good safety, but it works backward: Forward is Safe, back is Fire. It was a bit stiff when I got it, but several bricks of Megalomart .22 Long Rifle ammo have smoothed it right up.

CZ spared no expense when it came to the Scout's barrel; it is the same hammer-forged tube that comes on its adult target rifles. In consideration of the slight build of its intended market, the Scout's barrel has a fairly thin profile. I was pleased to see CZ use a target-grade barrel rather than a cheap tube on the Scout. After all, perforated pop cans and dead bunnies at a tender age are the perfect recipe for a lifetime of involvement in the shooting sports, while frequent misses will spoil the fun fast.

CZ 452 SCOUT
Manufacturer	CZ USA, www.cz-usa.com, 800-955-4486
Type	bolt-action
Caliber	.22 Long Rifle
Barrel Length	16.2 inches
Overall Length	32.8 inches
Weight	5 lbs.
Sights	adjustable open (grooved for scope mounts)
Stock	birch
Finish	blued
Price	$266

The Scout uses CZ's standard detachable magazines. Both five- and 10-round versions are available, but a single-round loading device, which is basically a solid magazine insert that allows the shooter to drop a round on top and feed it into the chamber, is standard. It's a wise way to go-- beginners have the safety of a single-shot, while more advanced youths can head out with a higher-capacity magazine.