The Savage Rascal is a much better gun IMHO. Or, find a used Savage Cub. I bought 2 Cubs for my boys when they were young. I still use the Cub with 22 CB's for rabbits around the house.
Being very much 'into' 22 LR's, I bought and tried out for my kids and science===> a Crickett, a Savage Cub, and a Savage Rascal, in that order.
The Crickett was the least desirable of the three IMO. They have no safety, you have to pull the cocking piece to the rear to make it ready to fire, and lastly the rear mount for a scope is not very strong (the rear of the receiver is split so a conventional base or mount will not work). Also though apparently moot on newer production guns, it had no feed ramp... each round had to be placed 'in' the chamber.
The Savage Rascal has a safety, a feed ramp, better iron sights, a much better trigger that can be adjusted (or modified easily) and the receiver is drilled and tapped for (weaver) bases and IIRC is also grooved for a scope.
The Cub was the nicest of the three, but unfortunately they are discontinued and were replaced by the 'Rascal'. The upside of the Rascal is that the price is significantly lower, though except for the stock it is essentially the same rifle.
I was impressed with the accuracy of all three rifles, all shot about the same at 50 yards. For an adult they are challenging to shoot well, due to that teenie forend and the incredibly light weight.
Due to the compactness and light weight, I was holding on to the Rascal as a rifle to carry in a backpack for grouse (legal here in Oregon to shoot with a rimfire), as I can shoot it more accurately than a pistol. I would have kept the Rascal... except my nephews daughter needed it more than I.
The original Chipmunk's were made here in the Rogue Valley, Hence the Rogue Rifle Co. name on the original Chipmunk's. The owner of the rifle company unfortunately took it upon himself to unjustifiably shoot another man and found himself in prison. An outfit in Idaho bought the company and made the rifles for a few years. Later Keystone came along and started making the very same rifle and calling it the Crickett. Later they designated some of their rifles as the Chipmunk model, what they needed for that designation I do not know.
Another contender in this size and weight class is the the Henry. But I'd already had experience with the Crickett and the Henry also has a split rear receiver, so I skipped it.
In these threads someone will always come along and recommend the CZ Scout. The CZ Scout is better than any of the above rifles in my opinion, the trigger aside (I've had a couple). However it is also more than double the street price of the Rascal (here anyway). But more importantly it is a much larger rifle, If the kid is truly 'small' the Rascal may be the better fit, best to handle them to see for sure.
Jerry
