First Rifle For My Very Young Son

MCA · Feb 16, 2013

Bare with me if you will...

My little man turns two years old next Saturday. Mom is getting him the Radio Flyer tricycle, Dad is looking for something a little different.

I want to purchase a little .22 rifle that I can gradually get my son familiar with and shooting. Something he can grow into. Granted it is not going to be this month but I am hoping by the time he is three/four that he will have a basic understanding of the fundamentals...safety, point, aim, shoot, parts identification, having fun with Dad, being comfortable at the range and shooting, etc.

I can still remember learning to shoot my Dads little pump .22 rifle. It was his when he was a kid (he is 71 now), he taught me on it, and I would love to be able to do the same for my boy. I would grab it from him, along with his .22 Ruger pistol, but he is in San Diego. Heck, now that I am typing this maybe I should just ask him to send them my way.

Anyway, any fellow parents out there, or otherwise of course, have any suggestions as to make , model, etc.?

This is one of those "I just want to get it now while I can" ideas. Thank you for reading and for any opinions and/or experiences you care to share.

rotarymike · Feb 16, 2013

While I'd suggest waiting till about 5-6 for actual firearms, and starting him on a BB gun first...

Best value for .22 are Winchester and Remington bolt guns and the Ruger 10/22. Good luck finding the Ruger at a reasonable price. An older bolt action might be able to be had for around $100-150.

MCA · Feb 16, 2013

Thanks for the reply rotarymike. Of course the old Daisy BB gun would be a great start! Heck, I don't even know if they make those anymore as I had one almost 40 years ago.

I'm just trying to grab something now for the near future. I recently saw a video from a friend with his 3 year old daughter shooting her little .22 bolt action and it got me thinking. I also had a buddy in high school that drove a cool(?) Rambler with a license plate that read WILL 8. His parents bought it for him when he was 8 years old and kept it in the garage ready to go until he got his license. I always thought that was pretty cool.

Thanks again.

11B3XCIB · Feb 16, 2013

I love Marlin rifles. I have a Marlin .22 repeater made in the 70s, a late 60s Marlin 336 .30-30 that I learned to hunt with, a Marlin .17HMR and a Marlin bolt action .22 for suppressor use.

Marlin has a nice looking youth sized .22, the XT-22YR. 7 shot magazine, adjustable trigger, 16" barrel, 4lbs total. Shortened, youth sized stock. It has iron sights and a dovetail mount for scopes.

MCA · Feb 16, 2013

What an awesome collection you have 11B. Now I know why your gun safe is so full!

Thanks for the info my friend. I really like the idea of the youth Marlin you posted. I'm going to check that out.

kg4kpg · Feb 16, 2013

I'd start with the BB gun then go to a Crickett. http://www.crickett.com/

Here's a review of several youth rifles. http://gothunts.com/your-kids-first-22-rifle/

MCA · Feb 17, 2013

What a great reply and information. A big thank you kg4kpg for your time. I really had not even begun to research this and simply started this thread to see what fellow members might know. I am very happy I did so. Great info and great links. Thanks again...

HarperJt · Feb 17, 2013

How about a browning 22 auto. It's small and has a classic design that he will never out grow. I did basically the same thing. I bought both of my kids a shotgun and pistol the year they were born. The boy got a beretta 20 ga youth and a Ruger single six and the girl gotta Remington 1100 20 ga and a Ruger bearcat. When both of them turned 5 I let them shoot their pistols. It was fun and something they will alway remember and they still like shooting their pistols. This past year my son wanted to go dove hunting. The shot gun is still a little big but he's handling it and in the next couple years it should fit perfect.

At age 8 several boys in his school started talking about deer hunting, so I started taking him and we bough him a Rossi youth 243 combo package ( what a waist of money). The shot gun barrel and the 22 was alright but the 243 would walk all over the place. After he blooded several deers I started shooting the gun and it wouldn't hold a zero for anything . I even changed out the scope and,mounts. Nothing. So on his 9 th birthday I offered to buy him a rifle. He chose a Remington 700 youth in 243. After that he hasn't misses a deer. (1 last year and 6 this year ). I don't even carry a rifle when I go with him.

So I understand what you are trying to do. Create a heirloom. Good luck on you purchase,
Jeff

MCA · Feb 17, 2013

Great post Jeff. Thank you for the reply and for sharing what you did with your kids. You are right, exactly what I am trying to do for my boy.

What an awesome feeling it must be going deer hunting with your son and him having the rifle! One I am looking forward to someday as well. You sound like an awesome Dad Jeff. Thanks again for your time and advice.

11B3XCIB · Feb 17, 2013

Only problem I've seen with Cricketts on another forum is that they do not like some .22 rounds, like the popular lead round nose CCI, and will not feed them due to the shape of the ogive along with the driving bands on them. They just wouldn't chamber. At this point and time with .22 ammo, you need a rifle that will feed anything you can find on the shelves because the luxury of brand choice is kind of out the window right now.

rotarymike · Feb 17, 2013

10/22.

Tigerstripe · Feb 17, 2013

BB gun.

you dont have to go to the gange to shoot it. i shot one every day when i was a kid. i had a cat that would come running when i started pumping it. she would stand beside me "hunting" for the bird. when the gun went off she was off like a shot too. grabbed it and had a meal.

you might not want to teach him to shoot birds. i grew up a little different than most. i also had a bow and shot arrows all over the neighborhood. never got in trouble, just kind of on my own. got a 22 tube fed rifle about 10, but had to go out of the city to shoot, when i could scrape up the 24 cents for a box of bullets. Hahahaha.

TheSwampFox · Feb 17, 2013

I have a .22 lever action Henry. I originally bought it before my daughter was born (or even a twinkle in my eye as they say

) for a cheap plinker and my inner cowboy LOVES shooting lever actions. Now I plan on it being her first gun (she's only 1 1/2 now). I saw a Red Ryder BB gun (my first BB gun and a lever action as well, coincidence?) at walmart today and will probably start with that first in a year or two. If prices ever normalize I'm planning on buying all the components for an AR that we can build together when the time is right.

But knowing my luck shes going to be a barbie doll and ponies girl and have no interest in firearms. :roll:

Tigerstripe · Feb 18, 2013

TheSwampFox said:
I have a .22 lever action Henry. I originally bought it before my daughter was born (or even a twinkle in my eye as they say ) for a cheap plinker and my inner cowboy LOVES shooting lever actions. Now I plan on it being her first gun (she's only 1 1/2 now). I saw a Red Ryder BB gun (my first BB gun and a lever action as well, coincidence?) at walmart today and will probably start with that first in a year or two. If prices ever normalize I'm planning on buying all the components for an AR that we can build together when the time is right.

But knowing my luck shes going to be a barbie doll and ponies girl and have no interest in firearms. :roll:

Haul her up into a treestand when she is about 6 and shoot a deer. instant tomboy, Daddys girl.

Morbid Angel · May 5, 2013

I got my son a cricket 22 when he was 3 but I taught him gun safety and how to shoot with a BB gun. He is 8 now and I take him the range and I don't have to worry about getting. Shot in the back . Now he is shooting a savage 22 with scope at a 100 yards and doing very well. The main thing to teach is safety. :twisted: :twisted:

MCA · May 5, 2013

After doing a bunch of research I purchased a Marlin XT-22 YR for my boy. It was not easy to find. A big thanks to 11B3XCIB for the recommendation and Upstate Armory Group for the FFL assist. The *plan* is for 11B3XCIB and I to take him to the range on his 3rd birthday just for fun. We will see if Momma lets us

He is only 26 months old but I am really happy I got it. Hell, my wife purchased a better rifle case for it than I have for my new Daniel Defense AR.

Now if I could only find some .22LR to try it out with!

Thanks again everyone for your input and opinions. It was a great thread for me personally.

Cheers....

jfeenin · Feb 27, 2014

I think you'll be happy with the Marlin. My son started with a 15YN (pretty much what is now the XT-22Y single shot) and it's a nice little rifle. He's 11 now though and I am thinking he might be due for an upgrade.

May the Marlin provide you and your son with many years of memories.

armaborealis · Mar 1, 2014

MCA said:
I can still remember learning to shoot my Dads little pump .22 rifle. It was his when he was a kid (he is 71 now), he taught me on it, and I would love to be able to do the same for my boy. I would grab it from him, along with his .22 Ruger pistol, but he is in San Diego. Heck, now that I am typing this maybe I should just ask him to send them my way.

I would absolutely get those heirlooms out of Cali ASAP. You do not want to take the risk that they somehow get taken by the state.

We have some friends who use the savage rascal for their kiddos as a starter rifle.

CMP sells Daisy air rifles for $100 too.