Starter gun for my young son

[Glock19]

I've let my son shoot a few different .22 rifles and I think I'm ready to pick something up for him. Thoughts? Ideas? Im not gonna let him handle it EVER without me there and it wont be "his", you get the idea.. He is not even a teen yet to give you an idea of age. He has cousins that go hunting at his age tho..soo I don't really see an issue. He has been great every time i've taken him shooting before..

 

[TheWabbit]

Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 60

 

[indyjohn]

Whatever you get him, please teach him how to use traditional "iron sights". I see this more and more as a lost art unless you go through the armed services and that is even coming to an end.

My kids started with open sights but once I put them behind a scope or red dot, of course they didn't really want to go back. I think it's an important skill to have after the battery runs out and the scope gets cracked.

That being said, one boy has a CZ 452 Military trainer, another has a classic Remy 513T Matchmaster -both bolt guns. But both also know how to handle and run an AR. They are 12 & 11.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I would rely on the advice of John Plaster who shared a negative position on semi-auto rifles encouraging as he put it in Ultimate Sniper, half-ass-ism. It seems reasonable to me that in order to foster good marksmanship at a tender age, making careful aiming in the absence of a quick follow-up shot (i.e., using a bolt gun) necessary without the option to spray lead is a good thing.

John Plaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Incidentally, Ultimate Sniper is a good read which I highly recommend (and should re-read when I get some free time).

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I just bought my son a Savage Rascal. Its a youth model .22 bolt action, you can work the bolt with the safety on, it comes with the accu-trigger and peep style irons, and is tapped for a scope. I'm very impressed with the quality for the money.

 

[lumpagus1]

I think it'd depend on what style of rifle you want him to be familiar with. AR-15's seem to be the trend for the future. I'd say see what he likes the most: a lever-action, auto-loader, bolt action, pump action, wheel gun, and whatever else I may have forgetten. I'm with everyone else who has posted with the idea of a .22 as the caliber of choice. The younger years of a kids life are the best times for them to learn marksmanship ability, that way when they advance in age, they already have a base marksmanship skill. Once they get older and feel more confident and become better shooters, then it's time for a bump in caliber.

 

[TheTank]

Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60, or a Rossi single shot.

 

[Glock19]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Im mainly looking at a .22, he cant have my AR!!!

 

[rgrimm01]

I learned the lesson of shot placement and surety of aim with an iron-sighted single shot 22 as well. I do not know with any certainty if I would have learned the same lessons with a lever action, but I would have loved to have had a Henry Golden Boy. Although in retrospect, I did not miss it...

 

[LarryC]

I really believe every young person should learn with a single shot Iron sight 22 rifle. My father passed away when I was 10. My BIL who lived 100 mile away took me under his wing and taught me shooting. He was a Sergeant in WW2 and this was about 1951 - 52. He taught me firearm safety, accuracy and some hunting skills. I learned to hunt squirrel using a single shot iron sight 22. Cartridges were $.01 each at a local Co-op elevator. (and I didn't have many pennies). Brought home many - learned a lot from those times.

 

[1$Chuck]

I would probalby look into getting a Cricket.

 

[jgreiner]

I've let my son shoot a few different .22 rifles and I think I'm ready to pick something up for him. Thoughts? Ideas? Im not gonna let him handle it EVER without me there and it wont be "his", you get the idea.. He is not even a teen yet to give you an idea of age. He has cousins that go hunting at his age tho..soo I don't really see an issue. He has been great every time i've taken him shooting before..

My first one was a VERY well used Winchester model 60...was worn and rusted. Bought it for $5 when i was 8. It's still in the family and in use. I have another one now. Great single shot to learn on. Always shot true.

 

[Shootin'IN]

I would go with a bolt action with iron sights.
This will teach him the use of the sight picture & shot placement.
It would be up to you if you would want to start with a single shot or a mag or tube fed gun. I first learned on a single shot bolt action, that taught me shot placement because it took to long for a follow up shot.(hunting squirrels)
When teaching my daughters to shoot I learned the hard way that a semi-auto just teaches them to waste ammo. The second trip to the range they took a step back to a bolt action mag fed.
They got good enough when the first one would shoot a pop can on the back berm at 50yds the other one would shoot it again before it hit the ground. Both of them could do this about 1 or 2 times out of 5 shots.

 

[Shay]

My son has a Marlin youth model .22 bolt action. He gets to shoot other guns I own, but that one is his.

 

[VERT]

Picked up a Thompson Center HotShot for my son. It is a nice little gun.

 

[JollyMon]

What about a Henry .22 lever action. Very easy to shoot and reliable.

 

[sportsman223]

I bought TC contenders for my kids, they can shoot the 22 when younger and during summer, and as they got older switched to 357 maximun for deer hunting you can also find the .45cal muzzlerloaders which they have. Shorten the stocks or have someone like bullberry build one for there size

 

[dtkw]

What about a Henry .22 lever action. Very easy to shoot and reliable.

That's the one I got for my son when he was say....12. But he has lost interest in the shooting world. Now it's just his iPod in his life.

 

[the1kidd03]

My 4 year old nephew started on a Savage MkII bolt action 22. Great little shooters and not too big even for small guys. Just another option to consider.

Just remember to be patient, persistent but not pushy, and focus on safety at all times. Age is just a number.

 

[inlineman]

I bought my son a single shot youth model new england 20 guage when he was 10 and when he was 14 we went with a lever action henry 22.Now he works at a gun store and is 24 and up until this year he has deer hunted with the youth model 20 and killed several deer,they also shoot slugs extremely well. He killed a button buck at 10 years old at 70 yards with it. But put it up to save for his kids if he has some in the future its his favorite firearm and probably has 100 firearms.