Starter .22 Rifle for my 8 year old

H

Hallenbeck

Inactive
I've managed to gather some gift cards for Gander Mountain and while I was tempted to obtain another hand gun, I think it would be wise to invest in a .22 rifle.

The primary purpose will be to have something my 8 year old can shoot, and while there are plenty of good starter guns out there I figure I don't want some tiny little rifle that he will outgrow in a few years.

So hopefully there are some suggestions for a reasonably priced .22 rifle that will be manageable for my son now but something he can use as he grows into his teens and even adulthood.

Probably a weird request but any info is much appreciated. Thanks!
 
The problem I ran into with my kids were that at 8 yo, they still weren't physically big enough for full length stocks. At that age they could easily hit a growth spurt and be big enough in a couple short months. I started mine out with the cricket and savage rascal then they wanted ruger 10/22's. Then came 4h shooting and they wanted more accurate and bolt action rifles. They have anshulz and cz's in the cabinet. If I could go back and save myself alot of money I would simply buy the full size rifle of my choice and modify another stock to fit them. 10/22's are the most versatile. New barrels, triggers, stocks, and anything in-between.
 
Hard to beat a Ruger 10/22. Out of the box, it is an excellent rifle.

Then if your son ever decides he wants to upgrade/modify the rifle, the possibilities are almost endless - target stocks, heavy barrels, target triggers, etc.
 
Start out with a single shot like the Cricket. Inexpensive and the requirement to load and cock before each shot helps teach discipline and safety. In addition the gun is small enough to fit a smaller shooter. Then 'graduate' to a bigger gun once the young man demonstrates he's ready to move on.

I bought one for about $100 for my grandson and sold it for about $60 after a couple years. Cheap way to get him started.
 
With younger shooters, the hardest part is keeping them from getting tired from holding up the end of the rifle. I bought my son a Savage Rascal when he was 6 and he shot that a lot. He still does. It's got good sights, a great trigger, and cocks on opening the bolt. He could shoot it at 6 and not get tired because he rifle is so small and light. I bet it doesn't weight over 2.5 lbs. but just guessing at weight. He's 9 now and I recently bought him a Henry leveraction carbine, non youth model. It's a little big on him but he does well and simply loves it. Still, he goes back to the Rascal now and then and has a fun time. I enjoy both guns myself...so much that I went and bought a Henry Frontier for myself and we shoot often. I'm not sure a 10/22 is a good choice for a youth. They're excellent guns and I do have one, but they'll burn through ammo very rapidly and that gets expensive. Plus, a single shot is safer if it's his first gun, and either single shot, bolt, or lever will teach them marksmanship better than a semi auto...in my opinion. Truth be told, since getting my Henry I haven't touched my 10/22 and don't imagine that I will any time soon.

Here's a video of myson's first time out back with his new Henry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvTtBn-V5_Y
 
All things considered, I'd advise a BB gun or a higher power air rifle until he becomes fully safety trained. After he has proven that he can handle the gun safely and becomes confident with it, then move up to a bolt action 22.

My young un' had to learn some self discipline and how to listen first before he got a 22. A gun can make an 8 year old very excited and can lead to problems.

Whatever you do- good luck, and train him well.
 
I just underwent a similar process, but for my 10 year old daughter. I am not sure I made the right choice.

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=574745

She really liked the Savage, largely for the peep sight. It has a very short LOP, 11+ inches if memory serves, but a too short LOP can be easier to handle than a too long LOP. It also looks easy to load and operate.

I am leaning toward getting her a Blackhawk axiom stock for a 10/22. It is very light (which is no trivial consideration for a child for whom 5 pounds of rifle may be a lot). The axiom adjusts down to a 9+ inch LOP.
 
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I personally think that 8 years is too early to get children into shooting, but that's just my opinion. At 12 to 14 I think children will be more responsible and have a better understanding of gun safety.

Depending on where you live, country vs city will have a big effect on when a child can be trusted with a firearm and it's use.

Since it appears that you are looking toward the future in choosing what to get, I would suggest that you look toward what would work best when the child is much older say 14 years old. That being the case I would recommend the Ruger 10/22 as his first rifle. As they come the wooden stock will be too heavy for an 8 year old but there are many lighter stocks that can be purchased for that rifle and are easy to swap out as the child grows older and bigger.

While many things will change in the next 6 years (8 to 14) the 10/22 design has stood the test of time and should be a good option then as it is now.

As to holding up the rifle a good tri-pod will go a long way in helping the child to learn to shoot.

Good luck and stay safe.
Jim

 
I recommend the Savage MkII or MkI FVT. Bolt actions are better for training marksmanship than semi-autos, and those rifles are legal for smallbore competition.

Jimro
 
Same here, my daughter wasn't big enough to use the stocks on most 22 Rifles and I didn't want to start her on a semi auto. So I went with the Lil Cricket. I love the action of the rifle, it is a single shot, bolt action, that they have to manually cock the firing pin. It also has an integral lock. As a learning tool it fit the bill in my eyes. They also have larger stocks you can get when they can handle a longer length of pull. The little rifle is very accurate for what it is.
 
I would vote on a cricket for the safety and learning how to handle, load, etc.

I think the semi auto with a kid is something that will teach them that its okay to do mag dumps because its cool.

I would find one of the Rossi single shots with the 2 barrels in maybe 410 and 22lr. this way with the cost you can have a shotgun and 22lr.

I've had some scary instances with kids and auto loaders.
 
I started at age seven with my grandfather's bolt-action .22 rifle. 5-shot magazine, IIRC. It was certainly not child-sized, but I managed. At age 11, I was given a Marlin bolt-action with tube mag. I guess full-sized. Granted, I had relatively long arms.

One option is to shorten the stock, saving the cut-off piece for a later re-installation.
 
I bought my daughter a rem 597. I cut the stock. I then removed the plastic butt plate and put it back on. She used this for a few years shooting sporter rifle with me. Then for Christmas one year, I gave her a full size bolt action. SOLD the rem 597 to a friend.

She is 29 now and last time we shot the 25 yard offhand match, she beat me by two points. 464 and 466.
 
Another vote for the Savage mark II. I love mine.

There are a lot of suggestions for the 10/22, I'm assuming because of the category you posted this in you're not looking for semi autos?
 
The 10/22 is a great recommendation. So long as the adult manages the ammo and starts them off with one round at a time, there is no reason to claim a safety benefit with a Cricket or a manually operated RF rifle. There are bolt, pump and lever .22s. But some of it will be where does your child's interest lie. If it is hunting and plinking, a bolt-action might be a good idea. If Rimfire Challenge, Steel Challenge or other action games, the 10/22 is a better choice.

I started my boys off with airsoft, then BB guns and they were shooting 10/22s by 7 or 8. When they were 8 and 10 they shot the Rimfire Challenge Worlds and I got a ton of compliments about their safety. I moved them to .223 ARs at about 11, they both have built their own AR15s and both shoot M&P9s in USPSA at 12 and 14 now. At 12 they moved up to 12g and .308s and the oldest has been hunting for 2 years now having shot deer elk and pronghorn.

Yes, they are all boy and they are rambunctious at times. However, when they are at the range, there is absolutely no tolerance for any horseplay, lack of safety, etc. and in close to 8 years of my boys shooting and hunting I have never had anything but compliments. In fact several ROs ask to work with my boys running stages. If they are taught right, no-one should have an issue. It all comes back to example and education. Sure there are some kids that get pushed beyond their capabilities and or interest and it has become a problem with some parents that are unreasonable about their kids, their kids maturity and skill level.
 
My aunt taught me with a Winchester pump .22 the summer when I was eight. I think it was likely a 62a, but I was eight years old and likely didn't know for sure and for sure don't remember now:D.

It was definitely rural and I wandered all over the countryside with that rifle and a pocket full of .22 shorts. I don't remember it being difficult to carry around. As a result, for at least some children, in some places, I would say 8 is not too young.

My recommendation today would be a Henry Youth lever action rifle (Model H001Y). I have one and I enjoy the easiness of handling the little thing. I don't find it too small for me and don't believe it would be too big for an 8 year-old and do believe it's a load of enjoyment.

Slightly more complicated to teach safety with, but a rifle with which he can grow. And as above, adults can ration the ammo.
 
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A marlin Model 60 is less expensive than the Ruger (I have both) and, IMO, more accurate with a wider variety of ammo.

When my boys were 6, I started them with a single shot Marlin 15Y (aka, "Lil Buckaroo"). That way they didn't go through a brick of ammo in an hour like they did when they moved to the Marlin and Ruger
 
Now I'm not bashing the 10/22 at all, I've got 3 in my safe. I don't think they are ideal for a young child to learn on. I came up on the philosophy that a .22 bolt action is the best for a child to learn on. I still believe this. Now for your boy, take a look at the Ruger American Compact .22lr. I recently picked one up for my god daughter so she can learn on. We had to change out the stock module, but thats beauty of the RAR, the stock can grow with the shooter.
 
This is all just .... wow everyone, this is amazing. Such great advice and recommendations.

I realize I truly have a lot of homework to do!

Much agreed on the BB Gun statement. That will come in time, and maybe I'll check those out at Gander too but I feel I can get one of those easily anywhere. This .22 will primarily be for target practice and possibly some hunting here or there.

I have a shotgun and a 30.06 rifle, but my son has mostly seen me with handguns. He is highly, *highly* conscious of them and a bit scared really (healthy fear, which I am ok with). I remind him at least once a week that when he is ready to shoot we will head out to the range anytime he is ready. I want to take the mystery of guns away from him so he wont feel tempted to go after them, even though I keep them put away or on me.

So this 22 rifle will be a good start.

Thanks again, and keep it coming!
 
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