best air rifle for 6 year old with no shooting experience.

I

idek

New member
I know this isn't about firearms, but I don't know where else to ask. I'm looking to buy an air rifle for a six year old boy who's never shot anything (other than Nerf toys) before.

I wouldn't want to spend much more than $50 (because I don't know if he'll even enjoy shooting). I'm mostly interested in something that's easy to operate, reasonably well constructed, and has adequate accuracy for shooting pop cans at 10 to 15 yards.

I'm thinking a dedicated BB gun might be simpler than a BB/pellet gun, and he'd mostly be shooting around residential areas, and higher velocities/longer range might not be desirable. I might also be willing to try air soft guns if they can be reasonably accurate (however, I'd really prefer something that doesn't feel like a toy).

Any recommendations?
 
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If you don't mind doing the hard work of cocking the lever, how about a good ole' Daisy Red Ryder, for about $20?
Didn't you start with one, too?
 
Believe it or not, I've never shot a Red Ryder in my life. I occasionally used a daisy pump when I was growing up, but I wasn't really into guns until I was older.

I think I saw some Red Ryder kits (including glasses, targets, and BBs) on clearance at Cabela's the last time I was there. I may look to see if they have any left.
 
Crossman pump 760-holds bb's in a reservoir on top of the gun.

Ten Pump gun.

I've had one for thirty plus years.

Still shoots straight.

The ones I see on sale in Wallace mart seem almost children sized-smaller then the one I own.
 
The Daisy Pal is smaller, has great sights. The Red Ryder isn't bad either, although it is now made in China. The Crosmans may be a bit too powerful for a wee lad. But with either a Daisy or Crosman, along with eye protection and proper supervision & instruction, I'm guessing he will have FUN.
 
A small pellet rifle is better than a BB gun,,,

A small pellet rifle is better than a BB gun,,,
At least that's my take on it,,,
BB's bounce.

When a lead pellet hits something solid,,,
The lead pellet deforms quite a bit,,,
That makes the ricochet less.

BB's on the other hand are hard steel,,,
They don't deform upon impact,,,
A ricochet is more common.

Over the many years I had a BB gun,,,
And my subsequent experience,,,
I've seen this happen a lot.

One friend of mine is missing the front half of his tooth,,,
He was shooting at tin cans in his back yard,,,
He saw some bug crawl on his brick fence.

He took a shot at the bug,,,
The ricochet came straight back and busted his tooth,,,
Doubt this story if you will but the ricochet was well over 30 feet distance.

I know we all grew up with BB guns and never shot our eyes out,,,
But there are a lot of kids who have hurt themselves,,,
I took a BB in the forehead shooting a car body.

A couple of years back I bought my little girlfriend her first BB rifle,,,
It was the Daisy Cub and I also made her a BB trap for it,,,
Then I took her and her Dad out to the backyard,,,
I bounced several BB's off of their masonry,,,
Just to teach them that BB's bounce.

She just accepted it and learned from the lesson,,,
My friend on the other hand was dumbfounded,,,
Then I reminded him of the Christmas Story.

The kid broke his glasses shooting at a metal sign,,,
In this respect a BB rifle is more dangerous than a small pellet rifle.

It's just something to consider.

Aarond

.
 
Another vote for the Crossman 760.

Uses either BBs or pellets, and can be pumped once or twice for moderate velocities, and thus safer and better to use indoors in a basement target range.:cool:
 
I question a BB gun for a 6 year old. If he shoots under your supervision and does not have access to it unsupervised no problem.

A school friend related this story:

When he was ten he bugged his father for a BB gun. His father refused saying they were unsafe.

For Christmas that year he received his first 22 rifle. His father's thought was that BB guns are considered toys when they should be handled with the same safety concerns that a rifle is. A rifle on the other hand is recognized as a potential dangerous device and was treated as such by my friend.

Having participated in numerous BB gun fights I learned the sneaky Pete skills which served me well during my service. A red ryder will raise a nice welt on an exposed arm.
 
In ancient times I learned on a Crosman 101 .22 cal pellet rifle. It was almost as powerful as a 22LR.
I dont know the modern air guns, but find a pellet rifle that has a good trigger and good iron sights so you can teach him trigger control and target picture. Single shot would be safest with you doing the pumping.

I never had a BB gun. At age five I started with the Crosman above, went on to 22 short, then 22 long, then 22 LR. Then to a Winchester 94 30-30 (light reloads), then to Remington 760 .270 light reloads. Just before I turned six I shot a yearling deer with the .270 at 60 yrds. Papa had that yearling mounted and it hung in his den for over 20 years.
 
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