Best Youth Rifle

[TooSharp]

New to the forum so I figured I'd drop a note and see what suggestions you folks might have. My son (7yrs. old) is all about the guns. He's been to the range with me a couple of times and has shot a few loaner .22s from there. I thought it was about time to get his own so we could go to other ranges that don't rent firearms. I know some people might think he's a bit young, and he may be, but I think this is the right time for him to start. He's very smart and listens very carefully about all the safety rules that are given to him. I would like something pretty cheap seeing as he will out grow it fairly quick.

[fritzmeister]

Pretty young????? I started my boys when they were 4 & 8 respectively.

A good .22??? Rifle or pistol?

Rifle: I would say Savage. Good value with features. There is also one called a "Cricket". It is really small and is only a single shot. +/- $100. I got a bolt action so we could have more shots fired down range, and it requires that they actually cucle the action to chamber a round. A semi-auto may not be the best choice for a young, first time shooter.

Pistol: Not sure. I think Ruger's Bearcat is the smallest .22 out there. Don't hold me to that. I got my boys a Taurus PT22 and it is still a little big for their hands. Walther's may be small enough for him.

Best advice: Shop around and let him see how it fits his hands. Also, make sure that he thinks it looks neat. At that age, if it isn't "cool", he might not like it as much. ie he may like revolvers better than semi-autos, or vice versa.

[jmeister]

My dad taught me to shoot on his Marlin 60 when I was about 7 or 8. Finally bought me my own model 60 when I turned 11. Still have & shoot them both 25yrs later so I doubt he'll outgrow it if you went with a full size.

[Brickboy240]

Go cruise the pawnshops for a nice old Remington bolt action 22. They made single shots, models with 6 shot detachable mags and tubular mags...all are great shooters. Most will run you about 100 bucks or less. The Remington Model 510, 511, 512 and 514 are the ones I'd look for.

Most of these will handily out-group a Marlin 60 or 10-22 Ruger...by a long shot. They are built from steel and wood...not plastic and cast pot metal and will last a lifetime. They have good iron sights...some come with Lyman peep sights and most are grooved and you can easily mount a scope later on if you wish. Break a spring? Gunparts Corp. has everything you'll need an cheap. Chancea are...you won't break them - they're pretty stout little guns.

Easier for kids to learn on and if the bolt is open, its easy and fast to see if its loaded. Less chances of an accident with a 5 shot bolt action or single shot bolt action.

I learned on Dad's Remington 510 single shot bolt action and learned to make my shots count...not spray an pray with a semi-auto. I have three old Remingtons and use them like crazy on the ranch and love these rifles.

My daughter is learning on my Remington 511 bolt gun...I wouldn't start her out on a semi auto, lever or pump 22...thats for later on.

- Brickboy240

[jonny4523]

My first rifle was a Savage .22LR rifle. I was probably 5th or 6th grade? As far as being managable, a .22 rifle is definately the way to go. But depending on how long his arms are, you might want to consider a .22 Criket.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=78817801

I've never shot one so I can't saying anything about its accuracy or dependability, but I know this would be like a "youth" model.

[fritzmeister]

I compared the Cricket to alot of other youth model .22's. The Cricket is considerably smaller than any other youth model rifle I saw. I don't think I ever heard anything really bad about them. As he grows, you couls always add some sort of recoil pad (not that it needs it) or something to increase the LOP.

I still vote for a Savage bolt action w/10 round mag. I am pretty sure you can get them with an Accutrigger now too.

[aiformula]

I picked up a Savage Mk2 for teaching kids with. It is an incredible trigger for 150 bux and groups well out of the box (1.5" @ 50yds off a front bag only, iron sights)

[Tard]

Buy a used bolt action rifle with iron sights.

Usually you can find one that already has the stock cut down for a child's use, it's a really common thing to do.

Real gun stores have these in the used racks.
Most urban gun stores only sell black weapons for full retail, however, you know you have a real gun store when they sell used rifles and shotguns for a reasonable price.

Thanks for teaching your kid to shoot!

[TooSharp]

Great suggestions keep them coming! I'm gonna have to go hit the pawn shops next week.

[dobbsjv]

I was started out with a Ruger 10/22 at about 10-12 that I could go shoot by myself and I started w/a Ruger Mark whatever pistol, it was an old gun. The 10/22 was lever.