First rifle for a child.

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itgoesboom

New member
With our first little one on the way later this year, I am "negotiating" with my wife to get a new .22lr rifle. This is for my child, when he or she is old enough ofcourse. But I would like to get something about the time of the birth, something that I will use for a few years, and then teach my child on, when he or she is old enough.

So what would be a good choice?

Something accurate, very reliable, and something that will last a lifetime, or more.

And under $200 would be good too.

Thanks in advance.

I.G.B.
 
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cntryboy1289

New member
Ruger 10/22

I highly suggest you pick up a 10/22. It can grow with your son and be added to with a new stock later in life if he finds the stock too short.
 
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yekimak

New member
i just got a nylon 66 and if you can find one they are a good fit, and they feel like a bb gun :) . Can't go wrong with the 10/22, they last forever, and you child will be able to pass it on to his/her children. Stay away from the chipmunks, they look neat and are small, but a 5-6 year old will have trouble pulling the cocking knob back on them, heck even some adults have problems with them. The Chipmunk rifle does not cock when you close the bolt and you have to do it manually.
 
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RRA Man223

New member
well i have a ruger 10/22 and i hate it, it jams all the time no matter what i do to it, i would suggest a marlin .22 i have one of those and its very good and reliable and will last a lifetime.
 
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38splfan

New member
Winchester

How about a Winchester 94/22?

It has a full-size stock, but the overall dimensions are small enough for a younger shooter.
It is also a handy rifle for you to pop squirrels and groundhogs with in the meantime ;)
They are fairly slim and handy to use, pretty light, too.
Out to be just great for a child.
 
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cuate

Moderator
First Rifle

a Chipmunk .22, single shot, tiny for youngsters, and a good starter. 10/22 can come later when physical size and some gun safety is taught. Me, my kids, Grandkids have wasted .22 ammo like it was free with semi autos, the Grandkids from town shot some holes in the henhouse in their exuberance, now they know better and when here shoot either a Winchester pump or Marlin lever .22 but still waste ammo but have learned where to aim at.
 
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gxi.llc

New member
10/22

My grandfather did for me what you're talking about, bought me a 10/22 just after I was born. He was going to give it to me when I turned 18, but when my dad and I stopped by his home near the fairgrounds, where my dad had just purchased me a .270 for deer hunting, he decided he should go ahead and give it to me. Wow, two rifles in one day was pure heaven for a 12 year old boy. I will always cherish that awesome gift, a 10/22 that is as old as I am.
 
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claude783

New member
For my son, I went with the Tarus pump 22. I preferred this because it only fires one shot at a time, and it also an exposed hammer which can be observed to see if the gun is cocked and ready to fire or is in a safe condition!
Because it is a pump, they can "burn" up ammo at a pretty fast rate and not get bored. Later, it can be used for small game hunting with quick follow up shots.
It also breaks down into two pieces which makes it nice to pack along, would also make a good back packing gun!
 
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WillBrayjr

Moderator
Ruger 10/22, they're short enough for young children, they're very dependable, accurate and last hundreds of thousands of rounds! :)
 
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USMCGrunt

New member
Well, I'm going to suggest a single shot like the Chipmunk or the little Savage/Stevens falling block. This way they get ingrained with the idea early on that each shot has to count rather than start them off with the idea they can spray lead at the target and if they miss, so what, another shot's only a trigger pull away.
When I grew up, my dad let me use his old Winchester 69A. It may have been a repeater but he pulled the magazine and wouldn't let me use it. I love to shoot gophers in the pasture but the catch was that I only got one round. I shoot a gopher and brought it back for the barn cats, I got another round to go out and get another gopher. Miss, wound one or let him get away, and shooting was done for that day and I could try again tomorrow. Learned fairly quick to not miss and to wait for a good time to shoot where they wouldn't flip back down the hole. Excellent way to teach discipline IMHO. :) Thanks dad!
 
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rugerdude

New member
Marlin 925 (I have a 10/22 and like it better than the marlin but it is for a youngster and a first timer needs a bolt-action) It is light, good looking and VERY accurate. It has a 7 round magazine and can very easily be used as a single shot. However, you CAN NOT go wrong with a 10/22. :D
 
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Jungle Work

Moderator
Marlin Single Shot Youth Model bolt gun. A little over $100.00 in price. A good accurate gun. So far I've bought two of them for my grandson and granddaughter. They started shooting them at five and six years of age.
They are both now shooting pistols and High Powered rifles. They are now 10 and 7.

Jungle Work
 
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9mmMike

New member
I would also say a single shot or at least a bolt-action. A semi for a child can teach some bad habits with regards to spray-and-pray.
A nice CZ or Marlin bolt-gun would be a terrific starter, IMHO.
A 39A is also not a bad first gun and an instant heirloom, practically.
Mike

edited to add that I am not a fan of the small child-sized guns. Of course I did not get my first rifle until I was ten or so and one of the "chipmunks" would have seemed like a toy.
 
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iamkris

New member
In addition to the Chipmunk and the Marlin Youth mentioned above, I'd add the following.

Henry mini-bolt --
http://www.henryrepeating.com/minibolt.cfm

Savage Youth
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...pe=1&dept=4125&path=0:4125:4155:170080:170169

I am a NRA Certified Rifle Instructor. I do not believe in giving a child an autoloading rifle as a "first". Make it a reward after they have demonstrated 1) safe handling and responsibility ALWAYS, 2) they've learned the fundamentals. Reduce the number of complexities for a new shooter. Auto loaders do not do that and encourage spraying...its just too much fun to do that and most (qualified...yes there are many exceptions) won't learn the fundamentals that will last them a lifetime.
 
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cntryboy1289

New member
Semi auto gets a bad name

I feel pretty sure that this man will teach his kid the proper way to handle a rifle. The notion that kids will not learn to shoot correctly with a semi auto is pushed on folks by the folks that did just what they are talking about, wasting ammo and spraying and praying. The idea is to make shooting as much fun as it can be. This is possible with any type of gun. There will always be those who favor a semi and those who favor something else. For a kid learning to shoot correctly, any 22lr will do just fine as long as the parent teaches good manners as well as skills. I would suggest taking him or her to a hunter education course as soon as they are ready as well. I took my 6 yr old son and he passed as well as learned a lot from the course.
 
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