suggestions on buying my sons 1st rifle

[*ryno*]

thanks for the replies so far.
I've read about the cricket's before, but have have heard some mixed emotions.

id like to get something decent, does not have to be the best , but i don't want some chinese piece of crap.

these are some great suggestions.

 

[Chard]

Bolt gun. They will actually learn to shoot with a single shot. Buy the Savage, when they get older you can always set them up with a nicer more expensive rig.

 

[tran]

His kid will be 11 yaers old next year. Perfect for a 243 bolt action. Why buy two diffrent guns? Buy the right one the first time and it will last him a life time.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

My first gun was a Savage Stevens model 72 "Crackshot". It is very similar to the Favorite posted above. Great little rifle; had it over 30 years, and using it to teach my kids as they get old enough.

It's only a single shot, must manually cock the hammer (good safety feature) and it's so simple, the kids understand how it works. It's incredibly accurate, and being a .22, ammo is cheap, and recoil and noise are negligible.

 

[Henry]

Remington 550 or 552. The finest shooting 22's short of Olympic quality.
Also Mossberg has the 702 refurnitured in a ar15 look called the 37202. Shoots good and sells new for 249

 

[ldp4570]

Take both of them to the gun store to see which one fits them. Age isn't the issue but their LOP(Length of Pull) on the rifle is. There are youth guns out there, and my daughter who is 10 still fits her Cricket. My son who is 12 shoots full size rifle's. Get a gun thats to long or to short, and shooting even .22lr won't be fun.

 

[UnSafe]

Aw hell, just get them each a Mosin Carbine and a case of surplus ammo from Century, J&G or wherever they're cheap. By the time they finish the case, they'll be "Flinch proof"

Or, on second thought, see if you can get a deal on two 10/22's at a pawn shop. If you can stay close to $100 per rifle, this gets each boy his OWN rifle at a price that won't make you flinch when they drop them on rocky ground. And, they can "earn" accessories/ barrels/ optics/ whatever, as they grow, which will help to foster the next generation of gun catalog junkies, like all of us.

I know that many guys stand by the adage of a .22LR bolt gun first, but firearms safety can be taught just as well with a single shot as with a repeater. And .22LR bolt guns can get a bit boring for kids as well as adults.

Don't forget to start collecting safe target material. Steel spinners, hanging plates and swinging targets will keep 2 kids busy for a 500 rd box of ammo.

 

[dwkennedy]

Rossi makes a youth gun kit that is a convertible 20 ga., 243 win, and 22LR rifle. Kind of like a thompson contender. I think there is also a 4 way kit that includes a 50 cal black powder rifle.

We have the one that is (just) a .243 rifle, seems to work pretty well. Cheap too.

 

[okiefarmer1]

Just bought youth Savage Edge .243 at Tin Star Shooting Range $275.00 out the door.

 

[mountain287]

I built an inexpensive ar-15 for my son. He shoots it with a .22 conversion kit in it. I spend a lot of time loading mags for him.

I can always put the 5.56 bolt carrier group back in it if the zombies attack.