.22lr for youth suggestions and thoughts please

My 2 Cents...

To teach a young person about firearms safety, and marksmanship, I would definitely choose a single shot .22 rifle with open (iron) sights.

I recently sold a nice old Anschutz only because I wasn't using it due to personal emotional issues. Long story... V:I:

Brand is not important really. All single shots are pretty good and reliable if you research them.
There are a variety of older single shot, wood stocked rifles out there. Many of them were known as "Boys' Garden Rifle" in the old times.
A single shot rifle requires the shooter to handle the firearm more frequently and work for every satisfying POP.
More handling practice will result in a safer, more respectful and patient shooter in my opinion.

By contrast, a multiple shot semi-automatic, with a scope, will likely produce poor results in terms of training.
 
My boys started out with a Henry min bolt. It was great but I made the switch to the savage rascals. Both my boys have had their own rascal since they were 7 and 8 years old, they each got to pick which color they wanted. Over 500 rounds through each one. They are excellent rifles for kids. My boys will be teaching their kids to shoot with the same rascal's one day. I will never sell them.
 
Has anyone worked with the Marlin XT-22 Youth model? I am looking for something for my 11 year old son in the spring and my XT-22 TSR is too big for him to handle properly right now. Would like to hear your thoughts/experiences on it as a starter rifle.
 
I'd stay away from any Semi A for a youths first rifle. Single shot bolt is a good first choice.
Wood stock is a good way for a youth to learn respect and handling of their first rifle.
Synthetic not only is lighter, it will take rough handling a lot better too.
Gotta say my first choice would also be a Cooey.
Be it a 75 ranger single, a 60 which can hold like 10-11 .22LR rounds (both are bolts)
Savage Rascal or a Marlin XT are also good choices. IMO
 
blasted_saber said:
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.
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+1 to the savage as cal. Both my girls started out on one, and at a pretty young age too. They then progressed through cz 452 scouts and now enjoy tikka t1x’s as their rimfires. My youngest will start on her .243 this year, dad is pretty pumped!

Cheers,

Brobee
 
I just purchased a Remington 511 on this site for my soon to be 4 year old son. Any bolt action will do, as they grow up they may like semi autos more and more as my 4 nephews and myself have. A well built bolt action under $200 plenty around.
 
Savage rascal all the way. I got one for my daughter 2 years ago when she turned 6 and she loves it despite it getting a bit small for her. She's learned to shoot irons out to 50m, she's learned how to use it safely, and I'm confident that when she gets a bit bigger she'll easily transition to a semi or lever action. The other thing I'll throw out there is that Savage's customer service is excellent. I've dealt with them a few times trying to find small parts like sight screws which are easily lost and they have hooked me up as well as returning phone calls to answer questions. The only downside with the rascal is that it isn't easily restocked when your kid grows out of it which is too bad because they fall in love with them.

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I think a good accurate bolt action is the way to go and I would stick to prone shooting over a sand bag till they feel good about making a shot. First 22 (and rifle) I shot was a C No.7 - wasnt light but it sure helped me understand what I had to do. Next was a single shot Cooey ... In retrospect the two .22 rifles I would recommend for a youngster starting out are a CZ 452 or a Winchester 69A
 
I bought my son a Savage Rascal 5 years ago. As other folks have said, it is a fantastic rifle to learn on and as a bonus are very fun and accurate.
He has since moved up to a larger hunting rifle, but the Rascal was definitely a good rifle to start with as safety is paramount and building good habits prevents accidents.
Single shot forces kids to be repetitive, ingraining safe loading and shooting; low recoil helps them to be accurate and build confidence.
 
I started my little guy with a Savage Rascal for all the reasons above- single shot, decent sights, small LOP stock.

That being said, he's a tiny ogre and outgrew the stock in a little less than a year. I've since replaced his rascal with a CZ Scout, and he's much happier with it because it feels less like a toy to him and fits him much better.
 
AP said:
I think a good accurate bolt action is the way to go and I would stick to prone shooting over a sand bag till they feel good about making a shot. First 22 (and rifle) I shot was a C No.7 - wasnt light but it sure helped me understand what I had to do. Next was a single shot Cooey ... In retrospect the two .22 rifles I would recommend for a youngster starting out are a CZ 452 or a Winchester 69A
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Some folks have gooder taste buds...…………………………………...:p
 
Its not the gun that will teach him to shoot, its the time to think.

Once he's learned to handle the rifle safely.... Give him one bullet.

Let him go off and shoot something with it.

After he does, let him come back around and then give him another bullet.
 
Ruger Precision Rimfire 22lr.

A quality rifle, that can be adjusted to fit.

Lots of optics options.

Very accurate.

A tad heavier...but add a bipod. Less recoil even for 22lr.
 
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