Kids .22

FireFighterZero

Captain Zero!
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North Central Montana, bloody cold!
I find myself in the strange position of needing to buy a single shot .22 for my daughter.

Savage and Chipmunk make some nice little ones, sucks you cant buy any .22 shells though.

Do you guys think 7 is too young? I started with a BB gun at about 6, unsupervised. By 9 I had a .22 and a motorcycle.

Just seems like she is ready to start learning about shooting. I figure if I am going to supervise her anyway, might as well start her on a .22.

Whatcha think?
 
Are you saying you can't buy .22 shells anymore?
One of them compact .22 single shot survival rifles would fit a 7 year old OK.
Start her with .22 short ammo for targets, tin cans.
My first .22 at about age 8 was a semi auto Cooey with about a 10 shot clip. Now wish I had a single shot because I wasted alot of ammo and didn't learn to shot with patience for accuracy.
 
My grandfather started teaching me at 6 or 7 how to shoot, starting me out with his old .22 that his father bought him when he was young, and a Ruger Single-Six.

When my older two daughters were about 10 and 7, I bought a Marlin 15Y for them to learn to shoot with. (http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/BoltAction22/915ys.asp) I looked at the Chipmunk and the Cricket, and decided to spend a little more and get a rifle that felt like a real rifle. The Marlin had a solid wooden stock and stainless barrel, and real sights, along with the scope groove if you want to mount a scope. I did not care for the sights on the Cricket, and did not care for the bolt hammer that had to be cocked on the Chipmunk. I figure the Marlin will last throughout my grandsons' learning, and any additional grandchildren I may have, and then be passed on my oldest grandson in years to come, or may just be a family circulator for them all to learn with. I don't care for the idea of buying each child a "starter" rifle, as they will soon outgrow it, and need something else anyway. That's why I bought one starter for them all to learn with. Just my two cents...

I agree, Jim, it is sad that .22 ammo is so hard to come by. Gone are the days of just grabbing a box or two and having a Saturday morning blast. I have many fond memories of shooting with .22s when I was younger. I hope to share that same joy with my grandkids...if the ammo is still available then....
 
I inherited that Single-Six when my grandfather died. Some lowlife dog broke into our trailer back in '97 and stole it and two other guns. I finally got it back, after three years I think it was. Serial number had been filed off, but a bit of touch-up bluing and it looks almost as good as it did before. It will go to my oldest grandson when he's 16 or so.
 
I think my grandfather bought his used, so he only had the .22 LR cylinder. I consider them to be the finest single-actions ever made, unless one wants to be a purist and go for the old Colt style.
 
I know little about guns, but I must have been about seven or eight when I first started shooting 22 shorts from a single shot rifle. Under strict supervision and I really loved it. Had a place to go ping cans in a ravine in the hills.
 
I'd go for a break barrel air rifle in .177 or .22. Partly because that's the easiest gun to get here but also because it's single shot and the pellets are cheap and easy to get.
 
Here's a pic of my grandfather's old .22, along with the Marlin I bought for my kids to learn with....

 
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  • #16
That is an excellent point Scott. I had overlooked Marlin's youth models.

The .17 is a good one, in fact that is all you can buy ammo for right now up here.

Not a bad thought about an air rifle, not a cheap BB gun. You can still buy pellets. Are you going to teach your kids to shoot Peter?

Great insight everyone.
 
For sure. I have a .177 break barrel gun, but it's probably a bit big and heavy for my daughter at 5. Maybe look at getting a kids version in a couple of years. The main problem with a full size air rifle is the trigger is very stiff, I don't think she could squeeze it.
 
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  • #18
You might be able to get that trigger worked on by a gunsmith or something. Maybe there is not much too it, you might be able to lighten the pull yourself, maybe some info on the internet about it.

Do you have to belong to a club to shoot air rifles Peter, or can you do what you want with them? Can you go shooting in the country side with a .22?
 
Anything 12 ft/lbs and up requires a permit over there. Or it did the last time I was into air rifles.
 
Anyone can have an air gun, no licence, no back ground checks, no special storage requirements, up to 12 ft pounds of muzzle velocity. You can even put a suppressor on it.

Over that power it is classified as a firearm, you need a place to use it, a reasonable reason to own it, and secure storage in order to get a firearms certificate.

Some of the modern PCP guns are immensely powerful, but wicked expensive. Probably looking at over a grand for a top quality gun, whereas a good rimfire rifle can be had for a fraction of that.
 
I'd go with a decent quality gun Jim that they can pass on down, saying it belonged to their ol' Papa Jim. I'll never forget the Marlin bolt single shot that was under the tree for me one Christmas many years ago. I actually sold that gun as a dumb young man but miraculously tracked it down and bought it back years later. As far as age goes, it's all about the individual and their training. I've got a friend who takes his grandson out every day, sets up cans and lets him shoot a box of long rifles. The boy deer hunted with him this year and shot a really good buck with a 20 gauge slug. Unbelievably, he's only five.
 
I bought my kids a henry mini bolt when they were little...when ammo was cheap. I would think about a pellet gun. My wife gave me a pretty sweet break barrel for christmas that I need to get a scope for, and sight in so I can kill the gophers that are slowly infiltrating us. It might be kind of heavy for a little kid, but I am sure there are youth models. My 15 year old pesters me about plinking with the 22's but I am too cheap.
 
What does a box of .22 go for now? I remember buying half a case of Federal Lightning at Central Tractor when I was bout 15. $0.99 a box. Still have a bunch of it. You could shoot all afternoon for a buck, and it shot well in my Ruger 77/22.
 
The bulk packs of 550 that you used to buy at Walmart for $7.97 a few years ago are going for around $30 now, when you can find them.
 
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