The Savage Cub

Guns Magazine, Jan, 2004 by Charles E. Petty

I hope you'll forgive me a few moments of reflection, but the opportunity to review Savage's new Cub .22 single-shot rifle evolves strong memories of how I began shooting more than 50 years ago. There were two key things: a single-shot Winchester rifle and my grandfather. It was he who nurtured a little boy's interest in anything that went bang, and got me started on a course that led me to having the "almost bestest" job in the whole wide world.

Sense Of Obligation

But the world today is a mighty different place and guns have been demonized instead of being the everyday tools they were back then. So, though I didn't know it at the time, the love of shooting and the outdoors my granddaddy gave me came with some strings attached--a sense of obligation to pass on some of those lessons.

I always thought of them as the lessons of the back porch, for that's where he let me satisfy my natural curiosity about guns. There were quite a few around his house and they were certainly off limits. Maybe kids today are a bit smarter, for they know we really won't kill them if they break such a rule. But if I asked, he would take one out and we'd go to the hack porch. The lessons were simple although back then they weren't codified, they were common sense. You made sure they weren't loaded, didn't point guns at people and kept your finger off the trigger.

My own children grew up surrounded by guns and all of them learned basic shooting and safety skills but it never became more than an occasional fun thing to do. And as children will do, they grow up leave home and get married. Then come grandchildren sometimes and golden opportunities for grandparents.

I know I will never be able to give them the education I received--nobody even has back porches anymore--but at least they have a chance to shoot a little. My oldest daughter's kids, Sarah (13) and Riley (9) have gone shooting with me a number of times now. It was fun to watch. Riley took to it as almost all boys will, but Sarah wasn't so sure. That is until she hit the first tin can. And then it was one of those priceless moments when the lights go on, "this is fun!"

Right Idea--Wrong Equipment

Their choices were few: a small .22 revolver, a .22 pistol and a Ruger 10/22 they shot from a bipod or benchrest. Someone could call "shame on me" for not having a kid-sized .22 rifle and I didn't realize how truly shameful it was until the kids started shooting the Savage Cub.

The handguns were no problem but the rifle was simply too big for both of them. It was awkward and hard to get a good position m relation to the scope. Once they figured out how to accommodate they did pretty well, but it was simply unnatural.

The first time they shot the Cub it was a whole new ballgame. You could see things change. With just a little instruction both adopted good prone and sitting positions and began to easily pop steel targets 70 yards downrange. I had already made sure the sights were adjusted so all the kids had to do was align them and squeeze the trigger. Kids that age generally do not give elaborate explanations but I heard not a discouraging word.

From a technical point of view the Cub is based on a simple single-shot action. The rifle cocks on the lifting stroke of the bolt handle, so there is no separate manual cocking knob as is sometimes seen on simple single shot rifles like this. The manual safety is large and easily operated but does not automatically engage.

While there may be some merit to automatic safeties I think it's far better to teach the kid to not kind until he's ready to shoot, and to keep fingers far away from triggers until then too. An empty gun is ever so much safer and since most of the shooting lot this type of rifle is going to be on the plinking range the safety issue is more effectively addressed with an open bolt.

When the kid graduates to walking around in the woods with the rifle then it is a completely different story. But it's up to us to leach them the right way without too much reliance on mechanical parts.

You Can't Go Home Again

And a funny thing happened on the way to this story. I found the shoe to be very much on the other foot. Where the kids had trouble shooting my rifles I had trouble shooting theirs. With the gun shouldered my eye nearly touched the rear sight. But for the kids the 11 3/4-inch length of pull was just right. So were the other specifications: weight 3 pounds, 14 ounces, barrel length 16 1/4 inch and an overall length of 33 inches.

Watching the kids shoot is always fun and although they had usually shot my Ruger, Sarah knew intuitively how to deal with the bolt action. She worked the bolt as if she'd been doing it forever, the rifle stayed on her shoulder and was reloaded with barely a glance. To me this says the dimensions are right.

Significantly Superior

Most single-shot rifles have very plain sights with a post front and buckhorn style rear. Savage did better. The rear sight is a simple peep sight that is screw adjustable for both elevation and windage. This is a really nice refinement, and it's pleasing to see it on a rifle which retails for only $149.