Kid's .22 rifle

[HamsterStyle]

I am considering picking my son up a rifle of his own that will ultimately be passed down to his younger brother, than sister.

Aidan will be 7 in October and is probably average size. I know that I need to take him with me shopping and let him see what feels comfortable and what fits. We very briefly looked at a 10/22 and a couple of the cricketts. the 10/22 seemed a little on the heavy side. I'm thinking about that one in a year or two.

Are the Cricketts good enough quality to pass down to the other kids over the next 5-7 years as long as they are taken care of?

Are there other comparable brands in the same $100-120 range?

Has anyone that has used these had issues from the what seem to be **** poor sights? The extremely small hole that you cant even seem to be able to see through.

And then... When we do decide on a rifle, I would like to do a father-son type safety class. I would like to think that I teach him pretty well, but I am pretty much new to guns as well so it would serve us both good to get instruction from an outside source. I am somewhat aware of the appleseed program from brief reading of the section on here and their website, but I am looking more for a rifle safety class than a shooting/marksmanship class.

As always your help and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

thank you
tommy

 

[kludge]

Savage Cub and Henry Mini Bolt are much higher quality IMO than the Crickett, however the Mini Bolt is a bit larger, and the Cub a bit larger still.

 

[oldbikelvr]

My son is a big 8 year old. He can handle the Mossberg 702 Plinkster fine, but it does get heavy in offhand after a couple of magazines. We've looked at others, but this was about the lightest I could find. I am considering a 10/22 with an adjustable stock to shorten the Length of Pull.

 

[miguel]

We found a Crickett meets our needs at this point in time.

It was $99 at Gander Mountain and I was shooting 1" groups with it the first time out. Size is just right for my kids. Sights were OK. There's a fiber optic like green front site with two red dots in the back. I did see a Crickett with peep sights on it, but it was a little extra.

Kid was happy and I was happy. Just my two cents!

 

[D.T.O.M.]

I bought my son a cricket for his first rifle I think that the quality was fine. They are very light and easy to handle for beginners. He has out grown it and passed it on to my daughter it is still in great condition for her. Just my 2 cents

 

[Boiled Owl]

I gave my son a Cricket when he was 6 1/2. He wasn't very big and could handle the weight well. He's 12 now and occasionally shoots it along with about everything I own now! The cricket is a little cheesy but it's a tack driver in his hands. We got the Black/Stainless? Steel one. The SS wasn't very good as it got some small oxidation spots on it from the humidity. Now we oil it up like a blued one. We recently bought a Henry Lever action for him and it certainly wins the quality award.

It has the peep sights. And he's keeping it to pass on down the line!
I do like the idea of a single shot and needing to cock it after the bolt closes for a beginner.

 

[Cain71]

I got my boy, now 8 a Rossi youth model,22 and 410, just change the barrels and you get 2 guns for the price of 1. He has taken 1 squirrel this year. I gave $100 used with nylon case. Break open single shot. And it is still light enough with a 3x9 scope.

 

[HamsterStyle]

hmmm... I was at Dick's last night and the guy never even told me that the Rossi comes with the .22 and the 410 barrels. I'll have to look at those again. lol

 

[Joe Williams]

We gave our son a Cricket when he was four. Six years, and LOTS of rounds later, it's still going strong. He doesn't shoot it much any more, having pretty much outgrown it, but it works beautifully. I had it out a few weeks ago, as a matter of fact. Shot some nice tight groups with the aperture sight at 25 yards. This gun still plays a role for us as a pack gun, and as part of a survival kit due to it's small size and light weight.

I think it's the perfect first gun for a child. It's sized well, being a single shot and requiring cocking for each shot means the kid has to actually THINK to fire a shot, and learns to make each shot count. It's simple, rugged, and accurate. Highly recommended.

 

[Gunpowder]

I read the rossi has issues but a friend bought one. I use a Chipmunk coon hunting with a scope mounted on it.

I would find a Stevens Favorite if you can find one.

 

[mike8170]

My youngest daughter picked out her own rifle when she was eight, a Henry lever action .22. She is ten now and still shoots it regularly, though she is advancing to a Ruger PC9 9mm carbine and an M1 carbine. I wasn't a fan of the crickets when we were shopping for her rifle, and most bolt rifles were just too hard for her to work the bolt at that time.

 

[thompal]

I got a Crickett for my son, who was 5 at the time. I liked the requirement to manually cock it after chambering a round. The peep sight is TINY. It's tiny enough that I have trouble getting a sight picture, but once I do, accuracy with it is fine. Trigger feel is a little coarse, but that is probably easily fixed.

 

[Mr. Habib]

We have a Crickett at home for my 7 yr old. She got it when she was 4. Have had zero issues with it. The accuracy actually surprised me. The peep sights are actually easier to learn with then open sights, IMO. There is also a scope mount available for them also.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Kirk's Top Three Recs:

Marlin 15Y

Savage Cub

CZ 452 Scout

 

[Hoosier45]

Marlin 15Y

My first gun 28 years ago. Got it for Christmas when I was 6 years old. My 4 year old will get it when he is ready.

 

[loony1]

i learned on a chipmunk that i still own, my daughter's will learn on it too. Very similiar in size to the cricket, and imo a bolt gun is the 1st style a young shooter should learn on.

 

[whitetrash]

try your local 4h. they have shooting sports program that teach the basics and hunting rules .

 

[451_Detonics]

Of course you could sign up for my giveaway...lol...

 

[HamsterStyle]

I already did. :thumbup: I also have three kids that it needs to last through. Some kids going to be super happy with that. I did talk to an employee at the outdoorsman in greenwood and they offer a hunter safety class for adults and kids as well that I think I am going to take with him. I am still keeping my options open though for a good safety class that I can take with my six year old if anyone has suggestions.

 

[tdkahn]

I'd check out the Rossi. Multiple barrels for multiple game.
Whitetrash is right, 4-H is a great place to learn safety and shooting basics. My parents had my 2 brothers and myself in the program for 4-5 years, lot of fun and good instruction.