Best air rifle for young child
- Thread starter bacardi
- Start date
How young, and how big is he?
The Daisy single stroke Pneumatics (753/853) are used by a lot of Cadet organizations. Not hard to load up, with the long lever, though maybe a stretch for a little kid. If he's got any coordination at all, and is interested, he'll work out a technique that is safe and effective.
The 499B is a BB gun actually made for accuracy, pretty pricey, by comparison to a basic Red Ryder, but it will not frustrate him by randomly hitting off target like a lesser gun too. Makes a pretty even playing field, when competing, as everyone is using essentially the same hardware.
Maybe a look at what the other guys are using at the shooting club is worth look.
The Daisy single stroke Pneumatics (753/853) are used by a lot of Cadet organizations. Not hard to load up, with the long lever, though maybe a stretch for a little kid. If he's got any coordination at all, and is interested, he'll work out a technique that is safe and effective.
The 499B is a BB gun actually made for accuracy, pretty pricey, by comparison to a basic Red Ryder, but it will not frustrate him by randomly hitting off target like a lesser gun too. Makes a pretty even playing field, when competing, as everyone is using essentially the same hardware.
Maybe a look at what the other guys are using at the shooting club is worth look.
Depends how serious, but Anschutz, Walther, Feinwerkbau are the main names. I was just talking about this with a family friend this past weekend whom is a fairly renowned junior rifle coach.
My daughter is only 7 but wants to shoot, funny comments from the 2x above, she actually does have a pink 'red rider', I cut the stock shorter for her and replaced the springs with 'pen springs' now she can pull the trigger without using 2x fingers and easily blasts pop cans at 7-10 yards, she should be well on her way by the time she's 10 and able to join the junior rifle program.
My daughter is only 7 but wants to shoot, funny comments from the 2x above, she actually does have a pink 'red rider', I cut the stock shorter for her and replaced the springs with 'pen springs' now she can pull the trigger without using 2x fingers and easily blasts pop cans at 7-10 yards, she should be well on her way by the time she's 10 and able to join the junior rifle program.
Honestly, without the OP coming out and giving a bit more info, it's probably premature to be suggesting several thousands of dollars worth of competition grade airguns. Sorta like suggesting a Formula race car, for Driving Lessons, eh?
Not sayin' I would not have been pretty thrilled as a kid to have the old man hand me a brand new FWB 300 to learn with, but maybe it's just a bit more than the kid may need...
How about something like a Crosman Tyro? They can be adjusted to fit the size of the kid and they're relatively inexpensive. Even if you get a year out of it then you can upgrade if the kid sticks with it. If they decide they're not into shooting you're not out of pocket much.
Got my 8yr old a red rider (and one for myself as cabelas had a sale on adult/youth combo) for Christmas. I was thinking it wouldn't have enough power but it has just enough and with the ease of use it keeps him happy for hours. It holds tons of BBs so he can just keep on shooting!
I started my son on a Gamo Delta Youth.
Inexpensive, relatively easy to load, reasonably short. I ended up putting a cheap scope on it and that made it more fun and challenging (hanging dimes in the .22 bullet trap).
I can't remember the last time it was fired as he's long onto the real deal now.
Inexpensive, relatively easy to load, reasonably short. I ended up putting a cheap scope on it and that made it more fun and challenging (hanging dimes in the .22 bullet trap).
I can't remember the last time it was fired as he's long onto the real deal now.
I still have my first, the venerable Redrider. My Dad brought it home for me around 40 or so years ago. Probably put a few hundred thousand bbs through it and it never failed. Still works to this day and has been used to train a bunch of youths shooting fundamentals over the years.
If you can find an HW30s in stock it is probably the best compact air rifle I’ve ever owned.
If you can find an HW30s in stock it is probably the best compact air rifle I’ve ever owned.
They aren't that compact except compared to other/bigger springers. They're about the size and weight of an adult-sized sporter .22. Maybe an inch or two shorter than my Savage Mk. II BTV and with a longer length of pull (Weihrauchs are infamous for that). Lovely air rifle, but maybe a few years early.
My first was air rifle was a Vostok. To this day I still enjoy it!
I might recommend a spring action break barrel. (Beeman pictured)
I agree, I think a springer is the way to go. Plenty of good options for a starter gun out there. Stoeger, Gamo, rugers, all affordable and all reasonably accurate.
I still recommend it. I had no problem shooting a model 60 rimfire when I was 11 so I doubt OP’s 11 year old would have issues with a 30s.
The HW 30S is not very big. It's an excellent rifle, especially for new and younger shooters (not bad for older ones, too). It's a yardstick plus 2.7" in length (38.7"). The barel is 15.5" and the LOP is 14". (By comparison, the HW 50 LOP is 14.5".) It has the very good Rekord trigger. It weighs in at 2.5kg or 5.5 pounds.
