Opinions needed! First long gun for a 12 year old.

[Jeremiah]

marlin 795/thread

 

[HollowPoint]

The 22/410 may be a little heavy. Try the bolt action .22 or maybe the little lever action .22 by Henry.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

CZ 452 Scout. Two important consideration for a kid's gun: weight and LOP. The Scout is light and has a 12" LOP. It also has nice big iron sights.

I prefer bolt guns for kids as you can remove the bolt from the weapon. It needs a sling for safety too.

 

[Bunnykid68]

CZ 452 Scout. Two important consideration for a kid's gun: weight and LOP. The Scout is light and has a 12" LOP. It also has nice big iron sights.

I prefer bolt guns for kids as you can remove the bolt from the weapon. It needs a sling for safety too.

Hadn't thought about the bolt gun for kids. That's a great idea Kirk. Reps to you sir if I hadn't whored them all out for cheesy posts already.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The Marlin M60 and the Ruger M10/22 are fine weapons but their stocks are too large (LOP, the compact 10/22 is much better) for proper manipulation and proper stances (for girls the "girl cantilever" develops here as well as that goofy thing kids do with their heads in sitting when you are teaching them the positions, and it because of those stupid large stocks). Further the self-loading platform does not lend itself to ease of manipulation and removal of the bolt for safety.

A CZ 452 Scout allows proper manipulation of the bolt to be taught early. Kids may not know but the learn quickly.

Further the turn bolt prevents shooting too quickly (spray and pray) and requires them to focus on each shot to ensure proper trigger manipulation and sight alignment.

For optimal performance the trigger needs work, I'd slick the bolt and, above all else, install a sling.

 

[kludge]

Savage Mark II Youth.

 

[loony1]

Marlin model 60. An accurate semiauto 22 and is about $150. Put a rimfire scope on top for about $40. and you're in the game for plinking and for small game.

 

[mister]

My first long gun was a Savage 10/22. I added a scope to it when I was 12-13, and still shoot it weekly.

I'd avoid any "youth" sized guns as it sounds like he is already too big for them.

 

[Ben Nelson]

A bolt action .22LR is the gun for a twelve year old to learn how to shoot.
More fun than a single shot, but won't pound through ammo like a semi-auto and will be easier to develop discipline and eye for safety when manually operating the bolt.
.22 LR is the cheapest ammo by far.

Search around for the Marlin 22-XT. They are in the below $200 price category. Magazine fed, and iron sights. Can get a scope later. This has the Microgroove barrel and ProFire Adjustable trigger. Very accurate out of the box. Will hold reasonable resale value if you ever want to resell.

Gotta agree...a Marlin bolt-action .22lr is a great first rifle...Accurate and, more importantly with the 12-year-old (or even dad for that matter), you won't pound through the ammo.

My kid is basically grown now, but when we go shooting and take the shotguns and the Marlin .22, I basically have to pry the .22 out of his hands.

 

[Arickosmo]

This was a great post. I'm currently dealing with this. My 12yo can handle my rem 870 on trap shooting but it's so long and the LOP is a bit much for him. I'm probably going to go with the Henry as it's going to be his first real gun. It will look nice, keep me from being shot too quickly and be a great way to learn hunting.

 

[IndyGunner]

My first gun was a single shot 20 gauge "lever break" (not sure the proper term here) shotgun. As for rifles, id stick with a .22 until they show an extreme interest in shooting.

 

[BriceR]

This is a link to the Rossi's single shot break aways this is a 20 gauge and 22lr combo the barrels swap for just under $200 you could start him with the 22 if it works fine with him and he can handle it you can up it to the 20ga.

This is a youth sized combo.

Rossi USA

 

[IndyGunner]

^looks perfect to me. Not sure on the brand (no experience with one), but thats a fantastic idea.