Starter rifle

Ok, what you think about the Henry Mini Bolt Youth. It has fiber optic sights so I'm thinking that maybe easier to teach him how to line his sights up right. What do yall think. Its between the Henry and the Crickett.
 
Get him a Ruger 10/22 which he can learn on and keep for a life time. He will out grow the Cricket real fast and you will be stuck with it.
 
Get him a Ruger 10/22 which he can learn on and keep for a life time. He will out grow the Cricket real fast and you will be stuck with it.
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Or the cricket can be passed down when his kids are ready to start shooting... passing things down is a great bonding moment :)
 
I might also look at a Rossi.

I like the Trifecta --- which is likely what I'll get my young daughter for her next birthday.
 
X100 for the Cricket. My 4yo started with one a couple of months ago and is really learning. It takes more to load an cock than a mag fed or tube magazine and you have to physically cock it even after the round is chambered. It adds an extra step of safety as far as I am concerned. Plus they are cheap, I think I paid $125.00 or so.
 
jehu said:
Get him a Ruger 10/22 ....
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A semi-automatic for a six-year-old?! I wouldn't do it, m'self.

Much safer to start them with a single-shot... and after that, move to something mag-fed, but a bolt- or lever-action, so they have to do something to chamber each round. Kids and auto-loaders... not so much, until they're fairly mature and have some solid experience.

Another vote for the CZ scout, here...
 
Ruger makes a model called the 801 half pint plinkster, has a removable magazine plug so it can be used single shot or with a ten round magazine, youth model stock, only 4 pounds, scope capable...just my 2 cents:D.....Edit: made by mossberg lol not ruger
 
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Just because it's semiauto dose'nt mean you can't load one bullit at a time till the kid gets some experiance. I bought a Criket to start my kids off with and they quickly out grew it and moved to a 10/22 but with either gun they need very close supervision.
 
+1 for the daisy. I had a red rider that i halled through hell and back, tought me a lot about shooting, how to aim, and how to be safe. Not that a 6 year old can't learn all the saftey rules, but I have never met a 6 year old that could pay attention to anything for very long without some kind of lapse.
 
Here is another one to consider,,,

Mossberg 801 Half-Pint Plinkster.

It comes as a single-shot,,,
but you can remove the magazine plug,,,
Then you can utilize 10 shot 802 Plinkster magazines.

I've not fired one but I have handled one in a gun store,,,
It seems like a very fine little starter rifle for kids.

Just another option for you to explore.

Aarond

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"He will out grow the Cricket real fast and you will be stuck with it. "
Cricket sells all kinds of adult stocks. They go for as little as $45 from the manufacturer. I don't own a cricket, but they are suppoedly accurate enough that they serve as a training rifle quite nicely. I will be buying my nephew one for his next birthday(yes, his mom OKed it).
 
The best thing about a Crickett is,,,

You can always sell it and get most of your money back.

But here's another idea,,,
Try a H&R Sportster Compact.

It's a single-shot break-open rifle,,,
The compact comes with a 12" pull stock,,,
Later as the young man grows order the 14.5" stock.

This rifle is very well made,,,
Mine has countless rounds through it,,,
Accuracy (for me) is a 2" circle at 100 yards.

Again, just another option to consider.

Aarond

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i know this is a older thread but i just ordered a mossberg 715t its on the ar frame 22 cal. my boy turns 6 next week and this is his present. he has been out shooting with me for awhile and while he can shoot my stevens 87a the lop is just to long to fit him and its very barrel heavy for him. with the mossberg the lop can be adjusted from 10.5 to i believe 13 so it will fit him for a lifetime and hell you know hes gonna be the only 6yr old with a ar. he is very responsible when we are out hunting and never out of sight. and at 279.00 very affordable
 
I have a CZ Scout. Great rifle but too big for a 6 year old. The Cricket is the only rifle small enough for that age (unless you want to cut the stock).
 
I am not a fan of small rifles. I shot at a very early age, and my biggest thrill was shooting a full size rifle. A 22 has no recoil so we are not worried about grip and holding it right. I learned on a single shot and making the first shot count. We can learn to adapt to different ways to hold it. In a couple of years the small rifle will be to small. Sight picture and trigger squeeze is the most important thing to learn.
 
My $.02

Both of my girls learned to shoot with an NEF break-action single shot .22. Easy to focus on fundamentals of sight picture and trigger press. Also easy to keep track of hammer position. One daughter stayed interested in rifles and now has her own Marlin 795.

I bought the youth combo that also has a .410 barrel. Just recently, my young rifle girl expressed interest when I hit the dove fields, and we swapped barrels so she could learn shotgun fundamentals. Though it is not an ideal shotgun, it is light and compact, and made it easy for her to gains some success fairly quickly.

Good luck!
Tom Lynch
 
+1 on the Mossberg 802 half-pint. It's safe, accurate and has nice features for teaching my two boys muscle memory of safely carrying, operating, aiming and firing a bolt-action (as the configuration of their most-likely first deer rifle).
 
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