@HK thank you for another great suggestion. @aarond thank you for such a detailed and very informative post. I will be looking at the henry and the CZ. Thank you all who contributed. I have a nice winchester M69A but it would hurt for you others to watch h shoot it. Although he's not terrible at it at all. He is determined. Part of this was to get him something that was HIS and could grow with and admire as his first REAL rifle. So I think I'll scrap the super small youth idea. He's just such a small fella its a hard hurdle to jump. I keep telling him to eat that dinner....
The boy's first rifle.
- Thread starter mattL46
- Start date
RIDE-RED 350r
New member
Well, just last night I made a deposit on my 10 year old son's first real firearm for his main Christmas gift.
Old Winchester m69A. Stumbled across is at a LGS I don't usually go to when I was looking for some ammo for a recent rifle purchase of my own. I am not sure how old it is due to the fact that they did not number these rifles. All I know is the 69a ran from 1935 to 1963. The blueing is in very good condition and the wood is not what I would call excellent, but not trashed either. I figured $250 for the rifle with a sling was pretty good.
I can't wait to give it to him.. We are going to put it in the box my new m70 came in, wrap it up, and pull the "Ralphie" trick on him.... put it some place out of the way and subtly help him "find" it after he opens what he thinks is all of his gifts.
Not too much "new" stuff lays my hair back save for a Henry Golden Boy.. But we just don't quite have the budget for that. However on the flip side, what better way to help him learn to appreciate a nice, well used and proven firearm than giving him one to start with.
I vote for the Win 69A.
Old Winchester m69A. Stumbled across is at a LGS I don't usually go to when I was looking for some ammo for a recent rifle purchase of my own. I am not sure how old it is due to the fact that they did not number these rifles. All I know is the 69a ran from 1935 to 1963. The blueing is in very good condition and the wood is not what I would call excellent, but not trashed either. I figured $250 for the rifle with a sling was pretty good.
I can't wait to give it to him.. We are going to put it in the box my new m70 came in, wrap it up, and pull the "Ralphie" trick on him.... put it some place out of the way and subtly help him "find" it after he opens what he thinks is all of his gifts.
Not too much "new" stuff lays my hair back save for a Henry Golden Boy.. But we just don't quite have the budget for that. However on the flip side, what better way to help him learn to appreciate a nice, well used and proven firearm than giving him one to start with.
I vote for the Win 69A.
Last edited:
aarondhgraham
New member
Post #22,,,
Post #22,,,
Is way cool!
Aarond
.
Post #22,,,
Is way cool!
Aarond
.
kilimanjaro
New member
You made a good choice. He'll be shooting it for another 50 years.
He needs his own cleaning kit, too.
He needs his own cleaning kit, too.
@ride red SUPER cool idea!!! How much did you get it for? I have a 69A the "match" model with Lyman 57E rear peep. Its simply just too much rifle for him. Although he shoots it rather well considering. I would venture to say this little dude's LOP is only like 10". I wouldn't be shocked if it were less. He is just a small Kat. Gets it from his petite mother. This is her fault.
RIDE-RED 350r
New member
I see.... His current physical attributes would make a full size rifle less than ideal for him to use.. That is understandable. I may have missed that bit of information previously mentioned.
With that being the case I always like the idea of those Handi Rifle combos. My brother in law has one that I think is a 17HMR/410 he got several years ago and it seems a descent little package. But I have seen some less than stellar reviews on them as of late.
What about an old "crackshot" Stevens?? Seems like they were made in smaller dimensions that would be more kid friendly
With that being the case I always like the idea of those Handi Rifle combos. My brother in law has one that I think is a 17HMR/410 he got several years ago and it seems a descent little package. But I have seen some less than stellar reviews on them as of late.
What about an old "crackshot" Stevens?? Seems like they were made in smaller dimensions that would be more kid friendly
I have looked at the "crack shot" and even the "favorite" Stevens. I love them both. I'd like to see on in the flesh but seriously doubt I'd get it done. Another member told me that savage was remaking the "favorite" which was news to me. It has pretty good reviews other than some less than smooth mechanical issues. All have said they can be remedied with minor polishing of parts. An oldy is what I would like him to have. For the very same reason you chose the awesome 69A.
I took a slightly different tack for my grandson. I got my hands on an H&R handi rifle in .357 Mag. I reamed the chamber to .357 MAX.
After putting a youth length stock on it, I loaded .38 spl cases with 3 grs. Bullesye/Clays under a 125 Cast bullet. The twelve year old took to it like a duck to water. After a couple of months working on fundamentals from a rest, he learned improvised rests (tree in the woods, fences, truck hoods, etc) sitting, kneeling and prone.
After a year, we load 125 gr. JHPs over 12 grs 2400 in a .357 mag case. Next year I am going to take him to a deer blind where he can kill a deer from 20-50 yards with the MAG.
When he gets that down, it's going to be full tilt .357 MAX load with a 180 gr bullet going 2,000 fps.
When his arms get long enough, I will replace the 13" LOP and restore the gun to a full adult sized rifle. After a year, he has not damaged the Tasco scope, so I swapped it out for a Weaver K-4.
.22 rf loads are coming back but I refuse to pay stupid prices for them when I have a better alternative with more flexibility. Now, the lad has to reload the rounds that he shoots.
After putting a youth length stock on it, I loaded .38 spl cases with 3 grs. Bullesye/Clays under a 125 Cast bullet. The twelve year old took to it like a duck to water. After a couple of months working on fundamentals from a rest, he learned improvised rests (tree in the woods, fences, truck hoods, etc) sitting, kneeling and prone.
After a year, we load 125 gr. JHPs over 12 grs 2400 in a .357 mag case. Next year I am going to take him to a deer blind where he can kill a deer from 20-50 yards with the MAG.
When he gets that down, it's going to be full tilt .357 MAX load with a 180 gr bullet going 2,000 fps.
When his arms get long enough, I will replace the 13" LOP and restore the gun to a full adult sized rifle. After a year, he has not damaged the Tasco scope, so I swapped it out for a Weaver K-4.
.22 rf loads are coming back but I refuse to pay stupid prices for them when I have a better alternative with more flexibility. Now, the lad has to reload the rounds that he shoots.