Which .22 for a child?

Z

zukiphile

New member
My younger daughter is interested, so I am looking for a rifle for her. She is small enough that the length of pull and weight on my adult sized czech rifles rules them out.

I think the best option I've seen after a few hours of searching is a Savage Rascal.

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It is small and light, and reputed to have a nice trigger. If she puts a scope on it, I will have to tape a riser to the stock.

My other option is to cut a couple of inches off the butt of a JW15. It's a good rifle with an ugly stock, though not as small as the Savage above.

Any other ideas?
 
Is that one of those 'safe action" kiddie rifles or does it require manually engaging the safety ? I prefer the latter, the sooner the young acquire proper gun handling skills the better .
 
When my son was still in diapers I found him a very nice used Winchester M67 Youth model. 24 years ago it set me back $85.00. I'm sure today the prices are kind of silly, sweet little rifle though.
 
It depends on her age and maturity. I bought my oldest son a chipmunk single shot when he was about 8. My first .22 was a Remington pump when I was about 12. Still have it today almost 40 years later.
 
one thing to consider

Not only do you want a safe and mild shooting .22, but for many youngsters, the size and weight of the rifle is a major consideration. That's why I'm a big fan of the Cricket, Chipmunk, Rascal line. Too, in my mind, it needs to be a single shot.

The Malin 39 id a grand old classic .22, but I can't in good faith endorse it as a youth starter, unless single loaded exclusively and very heavily supervised. The Marlin is near a full size adult rifle for one thing. And my experience with lever rifles and external hammers leads me to believe that many youngsters (and some adults) cannot grasp the concept of safely lowering the hammer on a live round, nor may they have the hand strength and coordination to manage it either.

When it was time for Bamaboy to move up from a .22 , I thought my Marlin 1894 with .38's would be a logical next step. It was, power, recoil and size wise. But the hammer manipulation gave him fits. We ended up single loading rounds through the open action. One shot, eject, and single load again. Exclusively a single shot, if it's loaded, shoot affair. No lowering the hammer till some years later. I might add that bamawife, tiny as she is, cannot manage the hammer on lever rifles either.
 
I also have heard good things about the Savage Rascal, the little single shots are good for control but I have seen children get board with a single shot. you may want to look at a Marlin bolt gun or a Ruger 10/22. These will be rifles they can grow into. Most children shoot from a bench with a rest and hardly ever shoot off hand. A Ruger with an adjustable stock would be good for all shooters because they can be adjusted. Ruger also makes a one shot mag for the 10/22 or you could just have her load one at a time until she earns a little trust to load two at a time.
 
I was always a proponent of a light single shot as well. If the child likes it, they quickly outgrow it. Most children need more stimulation. When the little girl showed up at my range with her pink cricket, she was quickly bored and uninterested. When I collapsed the stock on my AR15 with 22 conversion, dot sight, and 25 round magazine, her eyes lit up and she had a ball. Agreed, the basics must be taught. But if they never want to shoot again, we lose another potential lifelong shooter. Plus, the M4 stock grows with the kid.
 
I don't know if it's the best choice, but just throwing out another option...

I bought a youth H&R/NEF .22 Sportster to introduce an 8-year old to firearms (he'd used a BB gun before). I put a Williams peep site and a higher front post on it. Pretty lightweight (just under 5#, I think) and fit him fine.

A couple things I like about it are that simply changing the buttstock (about $30) makes it usable as he grows (all other components are the same as the adult version). It also has sling swivel studs (unlike many youth guns), so if a shooter wants to practice sling shooting techniques, that's an option.

However, since break-action rifles aren't really mainstream, I can see why starting with a single action bolt makes sense.
 
I started my son on a Savage Rascal when he was 6. It was the perfect starter rifle, and yes the trigger is really nice. He shot that for three years and still uses it now. I even have fun with it sometimes. I recently upgraded him to a Henry lever action .22 but still think that Rascal was instrumental in preparing him.
 
I have a Marlin 15YN for beginning youth. Bolt action single shot with manual safety and short length of pull and barrel.

No longer made, but it may be worth looking for one.
 
Why not CZ's 16" Scout model?

It's got a somewhat shorter length of pull than CZ's other rimfire rifles, but not so short that she'll outgrow it. The Scout also comes with a single-shot adapter to help instill safety instructions, shooting technique, and marksmanship skills. Once you're confident she's progressed, you can start using CZ's 5- or 10-rd rimfire mags.

Heck, I'm 6'3 and I shoot my Scout w/ zero LOP issues. ;). Plus, it could become her lifetime "keeper" .22 that she eventually passes on to her daughter.
 
I started my son late (age 10.5). Got him a Browning lever action BL-22 Micro Midas. He is a little guy. More expensive, but got a decent price. It will be one that will be in the family for a long time.
 
When looking at this class of rifle, pay attention to how flimsy that rear sight really is. Kids drop stuff and/or bang into things. Having a sight sticking up like a sore thumb is bound to cause problems sooner or later.
We bought the Grandsons TC single shots(miniature Contenders) but those are out of production.
 
I think the targets that are being shot at will have more to do with youngsters attention span than the gun. Reactive targets will prove to be much more exciting for them. I remember my cousins and I going to the dump with our pellet guns and .22's. Nothing like shooting half full aerosol cans.
 
Cricket, they are about $100.00 at Wally world. You can get them with a pink stock. My grand daughter has the pink/stainless and grandson has the black/blued. Good shooters, will never lose value at that price.
 
agtman said:
Why not CZ's 16" Scout model?***
Heck, I'm 6'3 and I shoot my Scout w/ zero LOP issues.
Click to expand...

That is an outstanding question, but your final observation is part of the answer. The extra money for a CZ is well spent, but the LOP on the scout is only barely shorter than the trainer stock.
 
Here are the five that I know of,,,

I thought I would attempt to compile a list of what's on the market today,,,
I'm only including rifles that are available new from the manufacturer.

Crickett - My First Rifle:
Manufactured by Keystone Arms,,,
They don't get any more basic than this little rifle,,,
Manually cocking single-shot bolt action made from Alloy Nickel Plated Steel.
The peep sight is a bit crude but works just fine,,,
$115.00 from budsgunshop.

Chipmunk:
Manufactured by Keystone Arms,,,
Virtually the same gun as the Crickett,,,
A few of the models give you different sight options,,,
And the stock options are either laminated wood or real wood.

Savage Rascal:
Very similar to the Crickett but with much better peep sights and the Savage Acu Trigger,,,
Unlike the Crickett or Chipmunk, this rifle does not need to be manually cocked.
$152.00 from budsgunshop.

Mossberg 801 Half Pint:
This rifle is somewhat similar to the Rascal in that it isn't a manual cock action either,,,
It differs from the first three in that it comes with a "single-shot magazine plug",,,
It will accept the 10-shot magazines made for the full size 802 Plinkster.
$184.00 at budsgunshop.

Henry Mini-Bolt Youth:
Manually cocking single-shot bolt action with a manual safety switch,,,
Stainless steel with Williams Fire Sights.
$239.00 at Cabela's (out of stock at buds).

I own a Crickett and have found it to be a good rifle,,,
It is plenty accurate enough for any new shooter.

I've never seen a Chipmunk in person.

I've fired the Rascal a few shots,,,
It's fit and finish is better than the Crickett.

The rear peep sight is much easier to adjust,,,
And that Acu-Trigger is very nice indeed.

I fired the Mossberg one time at the range,,,
It was comparable in fit and finish to the Savage,,,
I really liked the wood stock and the more standard sight style.

I am definitely a fan of the Henry Mini-Bolt,,,
I actually prefer the manual cocking bolt style,,,
And those Williams Fire Sights are a big plus for me.

My friend bought one for his 8 year old daughter,,,
She's becoming a very decent shot with it,,,
She likes it a lot more than my Crickett.

Bottom line is that all of these rifles will work well,,,
Any of the five will get a young shooter started just fine.

I hope this helps,,,

Aarond

.
 
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My dad started my brother and I with an old Stevens 22/410 over/under. Single shot break action. We had a blast shooting rabbits. Then our uncle gave us each a Glenfield mod 25. Bolt action with a 7 round mag. I still have mine . Took it out and cleaned it up to see if it still shoots. It does and its still a tack driver. I know they aren't made any more but a similar rifle is what I would recommend.
 
Savage Model 72

If you can find one, the Savage Model 72 would be very hard to beat for a starting .22. Our family has one of the later models that were offered back in the 80's. Simple operation, falling block action with the transfer bar safety system, and very easy to show a youngster exactly how a firearm works. Both my sons learned how to shoot with ours. The cool little .22 is "ours" because it will always be in the family, and my two grandkids will learn shooting basics with the M72, too. The stock is short enough for kids, and also just as much fun to shoot for an adult. My wife and I get the grandkids for a couple of weeks this summer, and I've got a good supply of .22lrs to begin the lessons. Good supply of ears plugs, too... That little Savage has great, simple barrel sights too, just perfect for young, sharp eyes to learn on.
 
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