22 rifle suggestions for my kid

Bait O' Eggs · 09-22-2002, 02:32 PM

I am looking for a 22 rifle for my boy for Christmas. He is 5 so it needs to be short and small.

I dont want anything that is semi automatic. Single shot would be probably best since he will learn to take a little better aim if he has to reload every shot. This will be a pop can plinking machine when the old man is along to keep the barrel pointed down range.

Any suggestions out there?? I stopped at Sportsmans Warehouse yesterday and they had a couple options in a brand I dont remember the name of or believe I ever heard of before.

My first gun was an Ithaca Model 49 single shot with a lever. I got it when I was 5 and still have it. Lever all the way down to eject the shell, half way back up to allow the shell to be placed in the barrel. Had to pull the big hammer back to get it to shoot. Took a long time to run 50 shells thru, but I think that was dads plan when he got it for me.

note: It will be in the gun safe which he doesnt have access to yet, when we are not out passing a tradition along. :smile:

skein · 09-22-2002, 03:14 PM

Sounds like you really have this pretty well planned out. Good for you.

There's a couple of things that you might keep in mind. First is the boy's size. Some rifles, like the Chipmonk, work pretty well for small-stature guys, where other boys will outgrow them quickly. You don't want his first rifle to turn out to be unusable because he's sprouted a little and now it just doesn't come up right. My first rifle was just a tad big for me to shoot off-hand, but I could handle it kneeling, sitting, or prone. By the time I got old (big) enough to hold it offhand, it was an old friend in my hands and I was pretty deadly.

The other part of the puzzle has to do with sights, iron or scope. Some configurations work well with iron sights, but just don't play out naturally with a scope - and vice versa. If he has to c o c k it between shots, like the Chipmonk or the Win 67 Boy's Rifle, then a scope can get in the way or maybe the gun isn't even tapped for mounts. Something to think about as he grows older and the gun sees expanded uses.

And since you're thinking about single-shots, how about a bolt gun with a loading ramp. There's a lot of bolt action 22's out there that have a magazine that can be replaced with a singe-shot loading ramp. Target s h o o t e r s use them all the time. Just drop a round on it and it feeds smoothly into the chamber. Presto, single shot. Later, when he's ready to move to a magazine feed, replace the ramp with the original magazine and he's good to go.

At any rate, I appreciate your approach. Kinda makes me think back on some early years and my dad....

Skein

nerta · 09-22-2002, 04:42 PM

Bait O' Eggs you might look in the gun shops for one of the Daisy 22's with the stock that will grows with the child. I found one for fifty $ for my grandson. It has a block in the reciever that can be pulled for a clip when he gets older. They are also becoming collectable in some circles and the investment may be worth it. Good luck! :smile:

japeter2 · 09-22-2002, 07:23 PM

If you can afford it ($379.95) the best 22 you could buy your child would be the Golden Boy from Henryrepeating.

http://www.henryrepeating.com/goldenboy.html

It won the Gun of the Year award from guns and amo. That is right a 22 won best gun. It is a beautiful gun that I plan on getting my son in a few years. Either that or a rifle with interchangable barrels like a 22 and .410 shotgun would be nice.

BassMan · 09-22-2002, 08:45 PM

Bait.. if you want a decent 22 for your boy New England Firearms has a single shot break open youth model for about $100 or less.

jb

pdxkevin · 09-23-2002, 06:05 AM

here are the youth rifles I will be checking out for my kids, once they are old enough:
<ul type="square">[*]Henry Mini Bolt .22 - the official youth rifle of the USA Olympic Shooting Team[*]Rogue Rifle's Chipmonk[*]Marlin Model 15YN[*]Savage Mark II-GY Youth Model[/list]

[ 09-23-2002, 07:06 AM: Message edited by: pdxkevin ]

WaterDog · 09-23-2002, 08:24 AM

Roy,

I too learned on the ithaca 49. Dad still has it and once in a while we still shoot it. Great starter gun for the little ones and it does take a while to go though 50 rds. :grin: If it were me, that is what I would use. As the youngster grows up, you can always move up to something else.

chummer · 09-23-2002, 10:31 AM

B.O.E. did'nt you answer your own question? You still have your 1st rifle, is it still a shooter? if it is, maybe it should be your son's first also. seems to me i saw an ad some time ago about an old single-shot rifle that was going back into production, i think it was like the ithica. I have my grandfathers old stevens single shot bolt. Many memories, him and I taking turns at ground squirrels. He's long gone but I still shoot that rifle with my son, who is now 12.

Norm · 09-23-2002, 12:27 PM

I picked up a Rossie .22/.410 combo at Bi-Mart for my son last year for around ~120.00. It's a youth model, so it has a small stock. I wanted somthing that was single shot for safety, but also somthing he could use to hunt birds on grampa's berry farm(starlings and robbins for which he has a permit). It's a been a great combo for him. The .410 might be a litle to much kick on the for a 5YR old though. My son has had a blast and has gained some important skills with the .410, I'm really glad I got him the combo. The only complaint is the sites are not very good on the .22 barrell. I think the Chipmunk might be a better starter for just a .22.

KingFisher85 · 09-23-2002, 03:01 PM

The Marlin Model 15YN or if you can find one a Stevens Model 15 made by Savage Arms 22 longs or shorts. I have a Stevens model 15 and it shoots very good with cci cheap 40 gr. rounds.

fishisabonus · 09-23-2002, 04:57 PM

It is none of my business, but 5 years old is aweful young. They tend to think they know it all, etc. I think teaching them gun safety is great, but I would make him think it was YOUR gun and he got to use it when he asked you. Once he proved himself responsible, I would then give it to him. In the meantime, whatever you do....

Please keep it and all guns locked up.

Bait O' Eggs · 09-23-2002, 09:20 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, I need to look up one of those golden boys by hawken. I think I would like of them for myself since I have always liked octagon barrels.

I just need to get to the store and start shopping, I learned a bit here since I havent been gun shopping in quite a while. I hope I dont ask stupid questions at the store and I wont be going to the gun room.

My favorite 22 is a model 94 blr browning as I like how the trigger travels with the cocking action, and the short 30 degree throw on the lever is sweet.

I understand your concern with the age of 5. When my son was born I went and bought a fort knox safe so there was no way my kid would get his hands on a gun when I didnt want it to happen. I got my first gun when I was 5 and dad kept them in a closet with a lock since our family couldnt afford a safe. As long as he understands all guns are loaded at all times I dont think we will have a mishap. I have no problem with my son thinking the gun is his, he will understand he only gets to use it when dad is there to keep the barrel pointed down range. He has a bike now that he only gets to ride on the street when I am there to keep an eye on him. Dad use to find a log to shoot off of, and we had to keep the gun on the log, it made a good rest and one of us boys couldnt get down range in a hurry with the log in the way to slow us down. One of my earliest memories is shooting dad in the eye. :shocked: :shocked: Dad use to put the gun across the bed and we would shoot into a mirror on the wall and try to shoot his eye. He could look into the mirror while standing behind us and see if we had the sights lined up properly. It was an effective way for us to line up the sites and he could tell if we were doing it right without being in front of the gun. I guess dad was smarter than I gave him credit for.

I am torn with the idea of giving my boy my child hood gun. I think a new gun today would mean more to him today since it would be his gun. When I am old and gone my son having my gun then would probably mean more to him then. I guess I need to kick that around, for some reason I want to give him his own gun.

Either way he will not get a scope on this gun as he needs to learn how to shoot open sights in my opinon before he gets a scope. I dont know why I feel that way but I do.

Thanks for the suggestions.

MasterCaster · 09-23-2002, 11:19 PM

You might want to check out Rossi I think it was at bimart. single shot and comes with another barrel in .410 also. Nice little guns.

Jon

Firedog · 09-25-2002, 06:17 PM

Roy Here is a web page that talks about first .22 rifles for kids and also the Chipmunk page. One of the guys I work with has two of them for his kids and says they are perfect and the fact that tey are single shot is abig plus. Beside even if the kids out grow them you can still shoot them :grin: Chipmunk Rifle Page

First Rifle Page

[ 09-25-2002, 07:18 PM: Message edited by: firedog ]

Killertraylor · 10-02-2002, 12:09 PM

Roy - that old Ithaca is a neat little gun. A friend of mine had one when I was a kid and I hit a rabbit with it once with open sights at over 100 yards (it probably was more like 50, but when you're 12, everything seems like it's more than 100 yards away). It would be neat if you found one of those Ithaca's at a gun show so your son could have a gun just like dad's. I'll keep my eye out at gunshows and let you know if I see one. They are pretty rare though.

I agree with the post about staying away from the Chipmunk rifles - they look more like toys than guns and kids should learn that guns are for grown ups and responsible people - that's one advantage of a bigger gun. Winchester used to make an excellent bolt action single shot - I think it was a model 69. They are incredibly accurate and you see quite a few of them at gun shows in the $100-150 range. It's a genuine Winchester, and I think all of them were made prior to the 1960's which means good steel and quality construction. They are excellent rifles that will last many lifetimes. If you're going for that new gun approach, you probably can't beat that single shot goldenboy. Definitely stick with open sights - that's how a kid should learn how to shoot.

Dr Strangelove · 10-03-2002, 09:14 AM

Hi Roy,
I had a thought - how about the Taurus gallery gun? It's an inexpensive pump action 22 knockoff of I believe a Winchester design? I would avoid autos because they detract from marksmanship in favor of blasting. But the repeatability is nice without having to fumble with those little shells so often.
Thanks for the glue work - its held well.
Doc Strangelove

[ 10-03-2002, 10:16 AM: Message edited by: Dr Strangelove ]

Bait O' Eggs · 10-08-2002, 01:26 PM

Thanks for the comments all.

I have been to 4 gun stores so far and am finding less than I had hoped. :depressed: To complicate matters worse my boy is definately a lefty. :depressed: Not a lot of bolts in a left model for a youth rifle. Looks like a pump or lever may be the future for him.

I need to find the gun show schedule. I hope the Oregon Militia leaves me alone this time, the last couple of times I have been they have tried to recruit me in the aisles as I walked around minding my own business. :whazzup:

riverrat · 10-09-2002, 07:20 PM

boe......a bb gun by daisy that can shoot pellets was the first gun that i got my son.....he had a great time shooting thousands of rounds at pop cans.....and the same time he was learning gun safety and the responsibility of gun ownership......however the 2nd gun that i got hip was a ruger 10\22 by ruger bi-mart for $129 this is a great rifle, dependable and accurate.....it holds 10 rounds, but only allowed my boy 1 round at a time.....have fun trying to get the most bullseyes....those young-uns have great eyes and will give you a run for your money as they get older and more confident in their shooting !!!