Youth rifle

[CAP Pilot]

My oldest son is 8 and I'm thinking of buying a 22 youth rifle for him to learn with. For those of you who have taught kids to shoot, is 8 too young or too old to start? Is it about the right age?

Im currently looking at the marlin XT-22 or the Henry mini-bolt. If there are any other suggestions I'd love to hear them. I have 4 boys so I will need a rifle that will last training all of them.

Thanks in advance

 

[GlockOwner]

When it comes to .22s, i've always heard that the Ruger 10/22 is top of the line, and a Marlin Model 60 is a nice second choice. I don't have kids, but my lil cousins had their very own rifle around the age of 10, and started learning to shoot a few years before that (7 or 8).

 

[scgstuff]

For smaller kids, the Cricket is really good. Single shot bolt action .22. For larger kids, the 10/22 is really nice.

 

[Blind Sniper]

@ GlockOwner: The 10/22 is great for customizing, but for a trainer, there are far better options. Marlin 60 is typically more accurate out of the box, however there aren't as many aftermarket options available.

@ OP: Personally, I'd say keep it simple and cheap. A Crickett single-shot will be great for teaching the basics of handling, control, etc etc, plus it costs about half of what the two you listed would (even with the panic, Cricketts are still around $100, maybe even less. Seen them for $80 at WalMart).


As for how early to start, I say as soon as they show an interest, or they say yes when you ask if they want to start learning, and they're big enough to hold the gun.

 

[matefrio]

It's not how old the kid is it's how responsible they are. You, as a parent need to know if they can keep a muzzle down range and finger off the trigger and keep standing behind the firing line. I know some 40 year olds I wouldn't take shooting.

Gun safety starts as young as possible. I'd say as soon as they know what a gun is.

Single shots with kid sized stocks are great for kids that age. Sell or trade up when they get older.

Don't start a kid out with a full stock rifle if the budget allows.

Check for cross eye dominance. At that age it'll be better to get a left hand rifle if he's left eye dominate and get him shooting lefty straight out of the gate.

My daughter was 8 years old here shooting a ruger 22lr. My son had to wait a bit longer before I trusted him with a handgun but caught up now.

A big secret is to use kid sized ear plugs and muffs over them early on.

 

[TKG]

Pretty much what he said. Both of my kids fired their first gun at 2, granted that was me holding the rifle and just letting them pull the trigger when I said it's OK. We've always been very open with the kids around guns. I wanted to take the mystique away from them. I know when I was a kid, and someone told me not to do something, that's first thing I wanted to do, hell I still do to some extent. It's seemed to work, anytime he wants to see a gun, he just comes and asks and promptly reminds me to check the chamber when I pull it out.


My son really started to enjoy shooting with my scoped 10/22 on a bipod. He now has a Crickett youth rifle which I really recommend. He can't really support my 10/22 or XT-22 without the bipod. The crickett is no target rifle by any means, but it's small, light and $100. There are higher end offerings out there, but for the limited amount of time he'll be using it, it's perfect. He's pretty good off my rifles, easily hitting soda cans at 60yds. I bought the crickett basically to teach him how to use open sights. He's getting better and hitting cans at about 20yds with it. The peep sights on it help. As far as ear protection goes, we just use a Tac65. It really made it easy for them to be around at first.

I'll let him shoot my .22 pistols on occasion, but still a little weary about it. Just drill the safety into them as much as possible, we shot all of kinds of stuff at first (bricks, old tv, phone books, etc) to show the damage that can be done and he related to it quite well. It really helped him distinguish the difference between a nerf gun and a real gun. Have fun shooting!

Here he is helping me sight in my XT-22.

 

[Younggun]

My daughter is 4, got her .22 for her 4th birthday. She had always like going to the range with me and had started pointing at the pink .22 at Walmart so I went with it.

As others have said, it depend on the kid and their responsibility level more than age. I wanted to start mi e you g because I don't want it to be a big deal to the. When they get older. I want guns to just be a normal part of their life.

 

[General Zod]

My 8 year old son's arms are too short for a standard rifle stock. (both of my boys are still learning on BB guns - they're not quite ready for the responsibility of actual firearms) The Cricket rifle's smaller size seems like an excellent option to counter size issues and as an added bonus, the anti-gunners are horrified that such a thing as "My First Rifle" by Cricket even exists. Makes me want to run out right now and get one.

 

[mantawolf]

My daughter start at 6 on a chipmunk that she still shoots. She has also shot my 10/22 that has an adjustable stock. Girl is good...

 

[tmann]

For smaller kids, the Cricket is really good. Single shot bolt action .22. For larger kids, the 10/22 is really nice.

Agreed!

 

[MM120]

I started teaching my daughter at 4 or 5 (13 now) on a Marlin Model 60 .22LR. She couldn't quite reach the trigger then, so she sat in my lap & "aimed" while I pulled the trigger. In actuality I was the one aiming too, but she didn't know that. My philosophy has always been to teach them how firearms in their home works, so they don't get curious & try to figure it out on their own at the wrong time. It has worked, as she has never tried messing with them without my permission, & she feels comfortable asking me. I even take her to gun shows & gun stores to counter any taboo that the world likes to indoctrinate kids with these days. As a result she actually got really high praise on a recent current events assignment she had in school, & the topic was gun control. Luckily, we're in a very conservative school district where many of the teachers & administrators are pro gun. We never bought her a gun of her own, so she just shoots what we have. I'm trying to get her to shoot the AR, but the loudness scares her right now.

 

[scgstuff]

I'm trying to get her to shoot the AR, but the loudness scares her right now.

I would just recommend making sure she is comfortable with the idea. If she does it because you want her to and she wants to impress you with the fact she is a "big girl" she may push herself outside her comfort level you have already established with her. I like my kids to try many different firearms, but only when they are comfortable. I see no need to rush it, they have years to learn. My 15 year old son will shoot anything he is offered, my 13 year old daughter is not as comfortable with the noise and has fired .308s with silencers, but has no desire to shoot an AR. I offer every time we go to the range, and she is not ready. That is fine with me because if she isn't 100% comfortable with it, she can't be as safe with it.

Just my 2 cents......

 

[Luigimoto]

I got a savage cub for my 10 yr old. The peep sight didn't work out very well. I put a little plinker scope on it and it works great. The accutrigger allows the kids to have minimal sight picture disruption while pulling the trigger.

 

[MM120]

I would just recommend making sure she is comfortable with the idea. If she does it because you want her to and she wants to impress you with the fact she is a "big girl" she may push herself outside her comfort level you have already established with her. I like my kids to try many different firearms, but only when they are comfortable. I see no need to rush it, they have years to learn. My 15 year old son will shoot anything he is offered, my 13 year old daughter is not as comfortable with the noise and has fired .308s with silencers, but has no desire to shoot an AR. I offer every time we go to the range, and she is not ready. That is fine with me because if she isn't 100% comfortable with it, she can't be as safe with it.

Just my 2 cents......

Absolutely agree with you. I don't want her shooting it if she's not fully comfy with it.

 

[CAP Pilot]

Thanks for all the info. I think I'll be getting a cricket. I think the Henry youth bolt had a smoother action and defiantly has better sights but its twice the price.

 

[scgstuff]

Thanks for all the info. I think I'll be getting a cricket. I think the Henry youth bolt had a smoother action and defiantly has better sights but its twice the price.

And gives them something to look forward to graduating to.

 

[Dullandtasteless]

My father gave me his savage .22 over 410 under when I was 7, and told me he was 7 when he got it. My son was not big enough or responsible enough at 7, but he has come a long way and will get daddy's 1st gun for his 9th birthday. Savage is making it again, but I haven't had a chance to shoot it. My boss just got his son a Rossi trifecta.

 

[CAP Pilot]

A cricket came home with me today. Now to teach the older boys how to clean, care and safely handle it so they can earn their first trip to the range. I live in NE Houston, are there any ranges that are kid friendly?

 

[Sugar Land]

A cricket came home with me today. Now to teach the older boys how to clean, care and safely handle it so they can earn their first trip to the range. I live in NE Houston, are there any ranges that are kid friendly?

American Shooting Center is kid friendly.