Youth Rifle Questions

Hey guys, I've been tasked with Teaching my godson how to shoot. I'm Pretty excited to be have of bestowed this responsibility, However I'm trying to figure out what a good rifle would be to start him off with. Was shooting a old remington pump action that i had, as well as a 10/22 and the pump was two heavy and long for him and the ruger was to large and i'd rather he wait a little while before he gets started with the semi-automatics.

He's Smaller for his age, (10 Years old) So ive been looking at various "youth" model rifles like the rascal, cricket, chipmunk, ect... After handling a few, and reading about some of the accuracy horror story's, along with the size of the rifle and how quickly it will be out grown very quickly.

I would like this to be able to last at least 2 or 3 years, What do you know of some middle ground between a youth rifle and a full size rifle. I was hoping for a magazine fed bolt action, I think a bolt action would be best for teaching him to slow down, aim, and be safe.

What do you guys think? Any experience with this narrow part of the market?

10/22 with a tapco adjustable stock, rossi break action, or bite the bullet and get a cricket for $125 new and sell it for $100 (in an hour or less on here) when he outgrows it

A semi is best for training. he doesnt have to reaquire sights, cheek weld, ecetera each shot. load one round if you must. 10-22 stocks are cheap on e-bay. buy one cut it to 11" LOP or use the trigger finger to elbow pit measure and use it with your 10-22 if you just want to train. The tapco stock is a good suggestion, he could extend it out as he grows with no hassles. Get him a stainless standard 10-22 if you want him to own a nice gun and put the tapco on it. I know this is hearsay but i would go with the straight tapco stock and put optics on it from the gitgo.

Go to rimfirecentral.com

Keep your eye out for any bolt action Marlin or older Remington. I have a Remington 514 single shot that makes probably the best first rifle for a new shooter.

If you are set on a semi, consider a Marlin 60 or 795. Both are less money than a 10/22, and will out shoot the 10/22 out of the box. If he sticks with it and outgrows that rifle, then you can enter the world of the CZ and Savage bolt rifles.

The best thing about starting with a .22lr is the cost of ammunition. Most kids can start out paying part of the cost of their ammunition. As most people who shoot will attest, the cost that never goes away is the cost of ammunition. Introduce it to him early and he will learn to appreciate each and every round and learn to make them count. It will also lead him into reloading or at least considering the cost of different weapons after considering the cost of ammunition.

Be safe.

My son grew out of a Cricket so fast it was stupid. I bought a 10/22 and put a Blackhawk Axiom stock on it. It will adjust all the way down to fit him and then all the way out to fit me. I'm 6'8", so it has a hell of a lot of adjustment.

Here's an off the beaten track suggestion: A Contender G2 or Encore Carbine and then as he grows, the calibers can grow with him.

Being a single shot (same thing rings true for a bolt that you're looking for) he'll learn to aim rather than spray and pray with something like a 10/22.

O2

I think using a bit larger rifle than he can handle will help strengthen him and as others have said they do outgrow things quickly. What''s wrong with repeating the rifle mount, cheek weld, sight picture, trigger control sequence over and over? Helps build muscle memory and discipline ... maybe consider joining a 4H club that does shooting sports with him.

Lever action .22!!!!!!! Just like me and you other old farts learned on.[Luck]

Marlin, Henry, etc...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pdr240

What's wrong with repeating the rifle mount, cheek weld, sight picture, trigger control sequence over and over? Helps build muscle memory and discipline.

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^This

Anyone who recommends a semi-auto as a first rifle does't remember what they were like as a young boy :)

O2

All Great Suggestions and Feedback. You have made good points and brought up things that i hadn't thought of yet. Thanks for the input.

My daughter is small for her age (10 also), so I got her a Henry Youth Rifle. She picked the stock color-Orange-too. She loves shooting it and is getting really good with it. Don't worry how long it will last, worry more about having more time to shoot with him.

A rifle that fits him and gets him excited about shooting is an investment that will go far. If he outgrows it, and he wants a larger one; then that is a good quality problem to have.

Jason

CZ youth model would be a great choice. It comes with a single shot adapter and can take magazines. If you wanted to you can switch out the stock later to a standard model.

I got my sons a Henry Mini-bolt and it has been great. I even shoot it some.

After a while shooting shooting with my Red Ryder and later a daisy airgun I moved on to shooting my dads Winchester 190. When my friend wanted to buy a gun and start shooting we went to Walmart and picked up a Marlin 60. I liked it so much I bought a Marlin 795 a few weeks later for plinking (the old Winchester is a pain to clean and kind of an heirloom).

For somewhere around $160 you can't go wrong. They are easy to clean and pretty durable. My 795 has the black synthetic stock which puts up with a lot of abuse and is pretty darn light. The wood stocked 60 is a bit heavier but with its tube magazine you never have to worry about loosing a tiny little magazine. Both work well with smaller framed shooters.

There's a couple youth sized single shots w peep sights at Spotsmans. I forget the brand, but they felt really nice. Cheaper than the savage cub which I've never seen in the wild.

The Hogue Overmolded YOUTH sotck is very lightweight and with a shorter LOP. I have one for my boys and it is their favorite of all the one we tried. They started shooting it at 7 years old and are still using it now, the older one at 11 next week.

Slap one on the 10/22 and call it good. Best overall choice IMHO.