.22lr for youth suggestions and thoughts please

nbhms

nbhms

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Looking for any input or advise on a .22lr rifle for youth, to introduce some younger people to shooting.

I'm aware of Cricket, Savage Rascal, and Henry Mini. Haven't handled any yet, but will see what I can see on my next LGS trip.

Any thoughts on the above? Any others I should be aware of?

I personally prefer wood, but am thinking for this application synthetic might be good for keeping weight down for the smaller people (and less likely to show dings).

Any input appreciated,

nbhms
 
The Marlin 795 is an inexpensive accurate little semi auto 22 with 10 round mags. I like mine a lot and it is pretty small in size so it would be good for younger shooters as well.
 
Go to any gun show and pick up a used Cooey.

I was given an old one from an estate rusted and beaten to crap. Cleaned her up. Chopped an inch of the stock and refinished it. Best .22 shooter i ever had. I think i had more fun than my kids, who it was intended for.

Darn near impossible to shoot out a .22
 
YES ,,,,,,,,, Cooeys are a great choice. They work . For small kids the Canuck is small to fit them .A bit bigger is the M-39 & the biggest
single shot is the M-75. Of course starting is best with a single shot. Latter the M-60 repeaters & then the M-64 semi-auto. After that
there are many other makes & models to choice from .
 
Cooey single shot is the way to go or chipmunk, rascal any single shot that must be manually charged before firing.
I would not start new shooters with a semi.
 
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Savage Rascal is purpose designed as a kids gun and with all due respect to old Cooeys, its simply better for a learning gun for kids. They are inexpensive and well built right here in Canada. When it comes to kids guns think of proper safeties and the amount of force required to #### bolts, which old Cooeys can sometimes be difficult

I also have a Thompson Hot Shot, which is good too, but harder to find.
 
I would look for a CZ perhaps a scout model. They cost a little more but you get what you pay for.

Don’t underestimate the importance of getting an accurate .22lr. It doesn’t take much for a shooter to outshoot a lot of .22 rifles.Target practicing with a Ruger 10/22 is the equivalent of practicing your dice rolling.
 
Savage Rascal for the win. Small, light, safe, and easy to shoot with the accuracy Savage is known for. I forget why as it's been a couple years, but the Rascal is safer when compared to other kids guns because of the safety or how it cocks. Someone else will hopefully chime in about this.


The Rascal has been so successful that they now have multiple versions. Standard, left hand, heavy barrel, target, and hardwood stock options.
 
Having owned between my father in law and myself a Savage Rascal, Thompson Hot Shot and a Cooey Ace #1 "boys gun", my daughter found the Savage the best to learn on. She found the hammer difficult to pull back on the Thompson and was unable to #### the bolt on the Cooey. The Thompson also requies some force to open the break barrel design which she found awkward when younger.

Now that she is a little older she likes the Thompson best, especially since I have mounted a red dot on it. The Thompson also comes with a stock spacer which can grow with her (and make it useable for me).
 
I agree with coleman 1495.
A semi auto is not the best rifle to teach someone on. Once they are proficient, sure but its just too complicated for a young kid. (not the shooting part, the making sure they are clear part) Yeah 10-22's are a lot of fun and have adequate pine cone accuracy, but wait a while.
I own a cricket "my first rifle" with the scope package. It is tiny and very simple. Probably a good place to start but it is a cheapo rifle, and will be sold once it has served its purpose.
I also have the cz scout, which is twice the weight, but there is absolutely no comparison. It shoots ten rounds into pinky fingernail size groups at 25 yards with cheapo ammo. Unfortunately its so good that I need another one....this one is mine.
I have a henry youth lever action, but it is heavy for a small kid and the sights are crude, so it will stay in the box for a few more years.
Cooeys are great guns, but too heavy if your kid is really small.
Lucky for us that there are lots of choices out there in the couple hundred dollar range, and once they have suited their purpose, can be resold for almost what you paid for them.
 
Another vote for the Rascal. I had one for my boys to learn on. I ended up getting a second one so they each had “their own” gun to shoot. One with a wood stock, the other in black synthetic. The smaller stock makes it easier for kids to properly shoulder the rifle. I like the single shot, it slows them down and makes every shot count. A bonus is they are very accurate rifles with a nice peep sight. My sons were putting rounds on target at 100m with the peep sights.
 
nbhms said:
Looking for any input or advise on a .22lr rifle for youth, to introduce some younger people to shooting. I'm aware of Cricket, Savage Rascal, and Henry Mini. Haven't handled any yet, but will see what I can see on my next LGS trip. Any thoughts on the above? Any others I should be aware of? I personally prefer wood, but am thinking for this application synthetic might be good for keeping weight down for the smaller people (and less likely to show dings). Any input appreciated...
Click to expand...

One consideration might be with function. Would you like it to function like a full-size firearm, or would you prefer it to have a different manual of arms? I prefer that the training rifle work as exactly as possible to the full-size firearm. The Crickett and the Henry require the user to #### the striker as a separate step (presumably for 'safety'); the Rascal - on the other hand - works just like your rifle. The Crickett also comes with an extra, buit-in, lock-out device (presumably for 'safety'); it's easily activated - even by accident - but you need an Ace-type key to unlock it. Another consideration might be with the rifle's size, weight, trigger weight, and and length-of-pull. The Rascal, at ~10.5" LOP, fits kids who wouldn't be able to use a rifle with a longer LOP. The Rascal's Accutrigger enables a trigger pull that matches a full-size rifle, rather than being artificially heavy (presumably for 'safety'), as are the triggers on some of the other options.

With regard to the wood vs. synthetic (and blued vs, stainless) question, I'll ask you this: "When should a youth learn to care for his/her firearm?" There's no better time than the present, I think. The increased care demanded by wood and blued carbon steel will teach the youth lessons that he/she needs to learn. Having learned those lessons early, he'll/she'll take those (valuable) experiences with him/her as he/she grows.

All that said, I think that the 10.5" LOP, walnut-stocked Savage Rascal is probably the single best off-the-shelf option for the very smallest shooters.
 
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savage rascale. They are surprisingly accurate. Single shot is an advantage to teaching children to shoot. There is one round in the chamber when the gun is fired it is not loading another round automatically. A semi auto is a lot of fun for older children that have already learned to shoot and be safe at the range.
 
Marlin 795, lightweight synthetic stock that is plenty accurate. Its also cost effective.

or

Any bolt action Cooey, chances are it will be dinged up any way so one more won't make a difference. My cooey 60 is more accurate than my 795 was. Call me out if you want but I sold the 795 and kept a cooey

Those other youth guns mention will be outgrown quickly. Most kids that are old enough to shoot are big enough to shoot a cooey or 795. I don't think semi or bolt matter that much. Shooting a bolt is equivalent to driving a manual truck. Do you really have to learn it first? Not really but there are some benifits
 
You may need to clarify what you mean by ‘youth.’ Most of the ‘starter’ .22’s are for kids, not youths, if they’re over 10 they can likely handle a bit longer LOP. My daughter went through two .22’s and was hunting with a .308 (reduced loads) at 12, so if they really enjoy it they learn fast.

I have a Henry Mini in hunter orange with a simple (and cheap) red dot. Think it’s better than the Cooey’s as it’s so short and light, but the same principle. My kids were able to use it when they were 7 I think. By the time they were 10-11 they were using a 10/22 with an adjustable stock - another great setup once they can manage the weight, load a magazine, etc. I found the shorter the barrel the better, easier for them to get used to proper safety and muzzle control when they’re not fighting weight and length. You can also use .22 shorts in a bolt action, if you want to further reduce noise and have zero recoil.

Start em with a red dot, both open sights and scopes are a bit challenging for young kids. Unfortunately they grow out of the little ‘starter’ rifles in what seems like a week, if you buy a 10/22 they’ll have it the rest of their lives.
 
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I bought a Henry Single Shot Trainer to teach my daughter the basics of firearms. she is now 7 and has shot this firearm 1x (once last fathers day).
Why Did I buy this firearm
- I was also looking at the Savage Rascal and Cricket rifles, but Cabela's listed pink camo henry's for $99 and at that price I could not say no

- As a single shot it controls the number of rounds involved to 1
- the firearms is mechanically labour intensive, requires the turning and closing of the bolt action but also the pulling back of the cocking nob to arm the firearm. This multiple step process teaches discipline and intent when using a firearm
- loading requires the round to by placed in the chamber by hand making every step of the loading, arming and firing of the gun a step by step process
- the firearm is well finished, light and sized appropriately for a child
- the firearm is very accurate and thus rewards accurate shooting for the user and progressing in skill acquisition and confidence.
- while being a single shot this rifle still looks like a rifle and not a toy (even in pink camo) so rather than looking like a pink Barbie gun or blue squirt gun that isn't its a rifle that looks like one.
*I learned that for my daughter pulling back the cocking nob on the rifle takes more strength than she is able to produce, this limits her ability to use the rifle properly until she is both mentally and physically able to use it independently. This gives me peace of mind that she was able to shoot the gun with me but would have to mature further to be able to use it on her own. I guess that most kids could #### this firearm by about 8yrs old depending on size and strength of the kid.

Most important for me in teaching my daughter to shoot is the respect for the firearm as a tool that has also the potential to be dangerous if not used properly. Knowledge on safe use now I am banking will result in safe use later in life as well. I have tried the savage rascal since and still think the henry is a step ahead as a basic trainer, the rascal I think has more use potential for continued use after kids learn the basics but by that point my daughter will be getting into the 10/22's or cz512 options rather than continuing on with the single shots.
 
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