Obscure Object of Desire – Stevens Little Scout 14 1/2

A very long time in the past, after I was a younger man on the College of Infantry, an teacher instructed us we have been apes. He talked about how, with feminine Marines, he might clarify to them the best way to do one thing, and so they might sometimes do it. He instructed us guys that, as apes, we needed to study in a extra tactile method. I don’t know if it’s true that every one males study higher with the merchandise of their hand, however I do. I needed to expertise the distinction between a rolling block and a falling block. As a substitute of studying about it on-line, I bought a Remington Mannequin 4 and a Stevens Little Scout 14.5 and figured it out myself.

The distinction was fairly darn easy, and I ended up having two very enjoyable rimfire firearms. I just like the Remington, however because it’s restricted to .22 Quick and Lengthy, I don’t discover myself capturing it as typically because the Stevens Little Scout 14.5 in .22 LR. The Stevens Little Scout 14.5, hereby referred to as the Little Scout, is a falling block rimfire rifle. Stevens made a complete collection of those rifles. They fell into the style of Boy’s Rifles.

The Stevens Boy’s Rifles

Again after we have been a correct nation, gun makers might produce firearms for teenagers with the thought of instructing gun security and marksmanship as a talent. In case you try this today, you’ll have Chuck Schumer calling on the FTC to come back after you. I want I used to be joking, however I’m not. Hell, you possibly can’t even promote a brief inventory as a youth inventory anymore. You’ll have to name it a Bantam inventory. Rant over, however I’ve gotten into gathering these Boy’s rifles and discover them to be fascinating. Plus, they are typically loads reasonably priced. The falling block Little Scout is only one of many.

The Stevens household of falling block Boy’s rifles is made up of 14 rifles that began with the No. 12 and ended with the No. 71. They skipped a couple of numbers however ended up giving us two 14s. The 14 and the 14.5. The variations embrace caliber. The 14 chambered the .22 RF and had an 18-inch solely barrel. The 14.5 chambered 22 LR, and subsequently 22 lengthy and 22 Quick. The rifle additionally supplied each 18- and 20-inch barrel choices.

Stevens supposed these to be pretty small and light-weight rifles that have been reasonably priced and simple to shoot. It’s not a flowery rifle, but it surely’s definitely properly put collectively. These have been all single-shot, falling-block designs. Whereas a few of the Steven’s Boy’s rifles, just like the Crack Shot, had the falling block lever, it appears the Little Scouts have been extra budget-focused.

Again after we have been a correct nation, gun makers might produce firearms for teenagers with the thought of instructing gun security and marksmanship as a talent.

Breaking Down the Little Scout

The Little Scouts lacked the lever, and as a substitute, you have got a small knob that the consumer pressed to drive the block to fall. That exposes the extractor. It’s simple to unload and cargo the chamber. The Little Scout has a easy rear open sight and glued entrance sight. The inventory and the foregrip are each constituted of wooden and look wonderful throughout.

You possibly can inform the inventory was designed for a smaller, youthful shooter. I really feel like an ape wrapped across the Little Scout. It matches my 12-year-old completely, and he rings metal with the little gun constantly. His younger eyes work properly with the ultra-small sights.

The Little Scout collection are takedown rifles. A easy screw will be unscrewed, and the barrel separates from the motion and receiver. This makes the Little Scout a compact rifle that’s simple to move and really simple to retailer. It’s one of many easiest takedown designs on the market.

There isn’t a lot to the rifle. It’s quite simple, and the attraction is off the charts. When was the final time we noticed anybody attempt to produce a falling block rifle on a budget for rimfire enjoyers? The true attraction is available in pulling the set off.

To The Vary With The Little Scout

The Little Scout is an outdated gun. The final of them have been produced within the Forties. They have been designed for normal velocity .22 LR, and with that in thoughts, I’ve caught to straightforward velocity. Utilizing high-velocity stuff from CCI, Federal and Aguila is perhaps a recipe for a catastrophe and a broken gun. That’s no bueno for me and mine.

With low cost, standard-velocity ammo, the gun shoots fairly properly. It’s very dependable, and I haven’t run right into a spherical that wouldn’t hearth when the hammer fell. Capturing the Little Scout isn’t irritating and is kind of a little bit of enjoyable. My son and I took turns and blasted away at a rimfire dueling tree, competing to see who acquired essentially the most hits earlier than the inevitable miss because the targets shrunk in dimension.

The small open sights on the Little Scout are loads workable inside plinking vary. Out to 50 yards, we constantly hit a small metal gong. The small sights make capturing tight teams a little bit difficult, however at 25 yards, you possibly can produce a 50-cent-sized group in an off-hand capturing place. As you’d think about, there’s virtually no recoil. The extractor makes eradicating empties simple, and it’s fast to reload and get again into motion.

This was my first expertise with a falling block rifle, and it was essentially the most enjoyable I’ve ever had with a single-shot. It gave me and my son an exercise we each loved, one thing that’s changing into an increasing number of uncommon as he will get older. For a mere 170 {dollars}, the Little Scout has offered me a ton of enjoyable. On this economic system, its definitely one of many cheaper thrills one can pursue.