Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Higher Quality Youth .22 Ideas?

I need some help on higher quality youth .22 options. My 10 year old has been saving his money and he is ready to step up. We are looking for a bolt action and a wood stock would be a plus. I'd like to keep it under $1000. I'm going to help him with the money. Ha.

Keep an eye out and you could find a Anschutz 54 for under 1000.

I'm not sure if a Ruger American compact 22 meets your "higher quality" standard but I can't think of a better youth size rifle to start a young shooter on. An inexpensive module converts that rifle to a full size stock. Save the bigger $ for a full size gun when the kid is older. He'll have many more to choose from then.

Thanks. That's actually what he is shooting right now and I agree. He's been shooting that since he was 4. He may just want something new but he really wants a wood stock. He's an old soul.

uhh, I can....CZ Scout......

+1 on The CZ Scout.

You can probably find a Kimber of Oregon 82 classic or cascade, or a Kimber of America K22 hunter, maybe an HS. Sako Finnfire if you can find one.

You can definitely find a used anschutz 54 for a grand.

Why settle for less?

A CZ American, either 452 or 455. Or an old Winchester 69A, 72, etc. As suggested a used Anschutz. With that budget there are loads of options.

He won’t outgrow any of those. The only difficulty will be convincing him to stick with it when he is 15 and wants something “better”.

Yeah, I was leaning towards a Kimber. The Anshutz is definitely a good idea. Do you think it would be a terrible idea to cut the stock down on one of those?

Not at all… there are plenty of used stocks out there for when he grows into it.

I’d not cut the stock on a $1000 .22. I’d also not spend $1000 on a youth model as he’ll outgrow it in a couple years. A full size Kimber or similar gun will serve him for a lifetime.

Edited: A CZ Scout youth gun now could be sold or traded for the adult gun in a couple years. Find a good used one for now. Or just shoot the RAR for a couple more years.

CZ's are great rifles; I have a couple 452's but don't consider them to be "youth" size guns. If a CZ452 or 455 fits the kid, it is a great choice. I gave my nephew's 12 year old son my 452 with a 16 inch threaded barrel. The rifle fit him well and he loves it. I gave his younger brother a Ruger American and heard no complaints. I am not familiar with the CZ Scout but I prefer not to buy a rifle that will be outgrown in a couple years.

I recently bought my 6 month old grandson this Winchester for $150.

He needs to handle one first. A CZ 452 scout would fit length wise but is heavier than most full sized 22's and an Annie 54 is the cats meow but as heavy as a wood stocked magnum deer rifle. Just make sure he can handle the weight. I would go ahead and get the Annie 54 and call it his but also get something light and cheap for him to use till he grew into the Annie.

This one. About $500. Same action and trigger as the full-size, just buy a factory full-size stock when he needs it. You can also make it a .22 mag or .17 HMR with an easy barrel swap when he’s ready to go a bit longer.

I wouldnt go the youth stock route, he's on the cusp of handling a full size stock no problem

Nice used cz452, maybe a 455

Winchester 320

Ruger M77/22

I'd have a cz scout if they came with walnut stocks.

They do make the ruger american with nice wood stocks. Sure is hard to beat the ruger mags.

Pretty sure a t3x stock will go on a t1x with minimal effort.

I’d get a t1x and pick up a take off walnut stock.

I'm 70 years old and I bought a CZ Scout for ME!

I added a 1" pad to make the LOP fit me.

Sure is a handy little rifle!

Virgil B.

I've had several CZ452's, and I would go with the latest model (the 457) which Huntsman has pictured above. The CZ452 (& I believe the cz455's also) has the 'Euro' safety (to the rear is fire) and the CZ452's really need trigger work, as opposed to just an adjustment. Besides the CZ457's are reputed to be quite accurate.

Boyd's (for instance) has about any grade of wood stock you want for CZ's, Ruger's, etc.



I'm not 70, but I've done the same thing... One inch pad on a CZ Scout, and they are one handy carbine.




I'd definitely consider this, My Tikka T1X is more accurate than any of my CZ452's were, and the ergo's are much better (at least for me). And Yes some guys have fit T3x wood stocks to they're T1X's. You can spend quite a bit more money, and maybe not get any better accuracy.


Jerry

My t1x will out shoot my 452 as well. The trigger is better than the 452’s, even with the yo Dave kit on it.

Huntsman,

What base are you using with that Holosun RDS?

Jerry

I've been considering this route. I need to look into take off stock availabilty.

What is it exactly you are wanting? And did you teach him to shoot with irons first? $1,000.00 is quite a leap into something, unless you think he's going to be shooting in the olympics..

Shouldnt be an issue, my 17 t1x rides in a t3x ctr stock

The t1x completely slipped my mind, heck, I have two of them. Maybe it was the wood comment.

My 10yo shooting ours...

Winchester 320

Miroku (Browning or Winchester brand) 52 Sporter

Remington 541S

Savage-Anschutz 141/1416/etc?

I understand the concern. Yes, he learned with irons first, then a red dot then a scope. Honestly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the ruger american he has now and he is quite good with a 13.7" .223 AR and he hunts deer with a 22-250 mountain rifle with a shortened McMillan stock. He just wants a nice 22 with a wood stock and I didn't think it was a terrible way to spend the money. I just asked on here to see if I missed any good ideas.

I'm not planning on any olympics.

I say get a Lithgow LA 101. He will be the cool kid since no one else would have one.

I’m with huntsman22 on the CZ 452. I have two and they are very accurate and trouble free rifles. I had one out today and was enjoying the accuracy. As for the safety, it’s a non issue. A Yo Dave kit and the trigger is excellent. It hard to beat them.

In current production I would go tikka t1. That is what I have on order for my youngest. I have a LH tikka t1x in 17 and am nothing but impressed!

If you can find a used 541-t for a good price those are really good as well. I grew up with one and gave it to my oldest daughter when she came of age to hunt squirrels.

This^^^

CZ makes some very nice, well made, and accurate rifles

Kimber K22 Classic

Sako Quad

Sako Finnfire

Savage/Anscutz 54

Remington 541s

Browning Abolt

Kimber 82c classic

Ruger 77/22

Winchester/Browning Reman 52


Probably could find any of these for 1K. All nice little rifles and known to be shooters

Kimber of Oregon.

Forgot to mention; I installed a Leupold 4X rimfire scope on my Scout.

Great little scope for a little rifle.

Virgil B.

Hmmm... Not so sure

Jerry

"I've been considering this route. I need to look into take off stock availabilty."

JWill,

Heard of folks finding them on ebay, probably hit & miss.

Jerry

Yessir the Winchester/Browning 52 rifles are definately “man sized” rifles. I have both and they just sit most of the time because of that. They do shoot pretty good after fixing up the factory triggers.

I’ve had sporter 40X, sporter 52 Win, Annie and Cooper.

The Cooper will shoot with the best of them and it’s the one still in the safe. Don’t think they make a youth model and don’t think I’d cut one down.

DF

Coopers shoot no doubt. I didnt add it to the list because im not sure you could pick one up for 1k or less. Anything is possible though

I have a couple of Cooper 57m's. I haven't seen one less than 1400 in a long time. And, I don't think I would cut one down.

Just sighted in my first Tikka T1x. Talk about easy. 5 Mini Mag HP under 3/4in at 50 yds. Burris 3-9 Rimfire scope. It would probably do better in the hands of a better shooter. I doubt any 10y/o would lust for anything nicer. Most would rather bang away with a 10-22 on reactive targets. To each his own, but we may be overthinking this. For that matter, a Ruger American and a bunch of ammo would make anyone a good father/son day.

Just got home and measured the group from the Tikka. 5 Mini Mags right at 1/2 inch at 50 yards. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.

I’ve had mine for a number of years, haven’t priced one lately.

DF

Tikka T1x is a fine 22,maybe the best bang for the buck. However the young man wants a high quality WOOD rifle and has saved his money to buy one. I admire the young fella for this especially in todays world. Its out there. Keep eye on Rimfire Central classifieds. Itl turn up. In mean time keep savin

BTW- As far as you doubting a ten year old lusting after nice rifles goes. Im glad theres still a few out there! Gives me hope

Much as I like older stuff (go figger!) I’d recommend going with something currently in production so magazines and other accessories aren’t a challenge. In addition, while I know they grow fast, a full-sized rifle is a bit of a handful for someone small in stature and might cause some unnecessary issues. I can still picture my son at 13 with a 9 1/2 pound M70 slung over his shoulder trying to unlimber it to shoot a deer. He got it done, but Dad had some anxious moments while he got lined up.

Thanks for understanding. He's a good kid. He has worked hard at saving. I was glad and just a little suprised when he wanted to spend it on a "nice" .22. Most of my guns have synthetic stocks but I have one or two shotguns and two rimfires with some decent wood and he wants to buy his own. Badly!

Good Stuff! The Search is the best part! Keep us posted

For an even $1k, about as classic as it gets-

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...-belgium-grade-2-24.cfm?gun_id=102205103

Might help narrow down options based on what he is looking use it for.

Is this a walking around gun or only for bench work?

Does he want maximum accuracy potential, single shot, repeater...etc.

I shoot a few decent 22s in all flavors but a Kimber Sporter and an Annie 54 super match are very different animals.



Mostly heavyweights here with a few sporters and classic in the mix

Walking around, sporter style. Sorry I should have made that clear.

Having owned both the Anschutz and Kimber of Oregon I will say that the fit and finish of the Anschutz was deplorable in comparison, in particular the Mickey Mouse stock inletting. Ugh! No comparison. Though they both shot lights out.

One of my friends has Kimber & CZ rimfires. Another has a Tikka T1x & a Sako Quad. I’ve shot them all & found them to be excellent rifles.

I’m a bit odd in that I’m right-handed but shoot left. So my selection can sometimes be limited. I found a couple of really nice pristine Browning LH T-Bolts at what I thought were good prices & I’ve been pleased with my purchases. I have a 22 LR in a Sporter & a .17 HMR in a Target / Varmint. The .17 HMR came in like-new condition with 5 rotary magazines, scope rings & a $250 AO scope for $799 on GunBroker. It’s extremely accurate. The Sporter is very lightweight & slender. I think it would work well for a youth. It’s easy to carry for hours. I’m sure RH versions of these rifles are even easier to find.

During deer season, I brought the Sporter along with my 6.5 Swede to do a little plinking for squirrels around the cabin. It’s a fun rifle to shoot.

There is a nice Voere bolt action .22 LR in the used gun rack at the Cabela's in LaVista, NE. 402-861-4800

I don't remember the model or price, but I think that it was around $600.