Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters First gun for a kid

So, my son turns 7 in May, and I'd like to get him his first gun. What do you suggest?

So far all he has shot is a Daisy BB gun. He's not a big kid, but he tends to be a bit more on the more thoughtful side vs impulsive, which is good.

Do I go with an Air rifle? A .22LR? 410ga? Something else?

Thanks,

Jeff

I suggest a Single action 22 revolver (Ruger wrangler) or bolt action rifle in 22 LR .

Savage Rascal . I'm extremely impressed with the one I got for the Mooselette.

Single shot .22 bolt action of some kind. Kids have been learning to shoot with one of those - and make each shot count - for a few generations now.

My Dad had me shooting one at 6, he'd load it and hand it to me to fire, and I was shooting in NRA Junior marksmanship programs at age 7. He kept the rifle and bolt separate but I could see it and handle it anytime I asked him so it wasn't some big forbidden fruit temptation.

Oh, I like the idea of keeping the bolt and rifle separate, thanks for that.

Any kind of a handgun is a bad idea. Much easier for a kid to cover part of their own body with a pistol.

Single shot bolt .22 LR for the win.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Savage Rascal has been a winner at my house. Have two of them.

Agree

I would give him a good quality .22. My father gave me a BL-22 when I was 10, 40 years ago. I still have it, treasure it, and hunt with it every year.

Thanks guys, really appreciate the insight. I note that no one mentioned an air rifle. That was my first gun as a kid, even though i was barely strong enough to give it 3 pumps. It was fun to plink with, but not really a hunting tool, and I graduated to a 22 when I was old enough to go for squirrels.

Anyone think 7 years old is too young for a 22? I think he can handle it mentally with good oversight and teaching, just curious what others have found.

"Good Oversight" being the key. 7 year olds tend not to have a long attention span and forget teachings quickly.

I've got a 6yr old and will be heading out soon with a Savage rascal.

I'd stick with a bolt action 22 sized appropriately for the kid.
Avoid the crickets the cocking lever is a pain. The rascal is light has decent adjustable peep sights and an accutrigger. Single shot with a load ramp size on the small side for smaller shooters. I think I picked it up for right around $110 with a rebate a year or two ago.
The other good option would be a CZ trainer rifle. Bigger size and weight but quality and would be usable significantly longer. I'll likely see about building a folding stock later to use the rascal as a pack rifle when my boys outgrow it.

I'd be jhappy with the BB gun.....but an air rifle sounds like a reasonable step up.

Double post.

I stand by comment.

I too agree with this logic. Get a good bolt action rifle. A hand gun is not a good option for a 6-7 year old kid.

I'm not familiar with the cricket, or Rascal so I can't comment on them but I would get a good Remington bolt gun not too heavy or too long. But I don't personally prefer the extra small ones because he'll grow fast and be stuck with a too small gun. If it's a little big for him he'll soon grow into it. Right now he will probably be shooting off a bench while hes learning to shoot so a gun a little bigger won't be a bad option.

As for a shot gun, don't make that big mistake and get a .410. Get him a 20 gauge or better still a 28 gauge pump or even a single shot break open. A .410 is for experienced shooters not for kids.

Yup. Especially not a Ruger Wrangler. I can't hit [bleep] with mine. And I'm usually a decent pistol shot.

This. No matter how mature a kid seems, it must always be remembered their brains and mental processing are not the same as an adult.

Around the age of 7 or so I think a rifle is best. Much harder to sweep himself and much easier for the adult to grab the barrel in the case of a momentary lapse in muzzle discipline.