Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Air Guns First pellet rifle for 8 yr old dude

My grandson lives in Old Metairie. His Dad is a high priced tax lawyer, has his own firm at age 40, but knows nothing about guns.

The boy was at a friend's camp across Lake Pontchartrain, and got to shoot a .22 rifle. He did really well and now he wants a rifle.

His Dad would accept a pellet rifle before a .22 and the boy could shoot it more than a .22, probably could shoot in his back yard if it was pretty quiet. I'm thinking a pellet gun would be better than a BB gun, probably safer due to bounce back.

What gun would you guy recommend in such a scenario? Probably needs a shorter LOP, like 12" or so. High end accuracy not a major issue, but quality enough to learn to shoot well.

DF

.177 would be a great choice, nice and quiet. These days they come with great little scopes as well.

When I was 9, I got my first pellet rifle, and killed so many birds primarily Starlings, squirrels, and other critters with it, as in hundreds, it made me into the shooter I am today, it taught me the dynamics of shooting. The Starlings in the trees with the wind blowing was fun, but not for the Starlings lol

If you want him to become a great shooter, open sights all the way!

I sorta like this one. What ya think?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030NZ5UE?&tag=gunmann02-2

DF

Looks sweet to me, nice and light.

If I got that when I was 8 I would promise to cut the lawn all summer for free

One thing that has changed dramatically since I was a kid, 55 years ago is the availability and wide selection of pellets. I purchased a pellet rifle 7 years ago, a .177, to get rid of a Magpie infestation. Was shocked at the selection. I had one choice, came in a tin of 500. for $1.00.

I ordered 6 different brands and types. They are NOT CREATED EQUAL, and just like our hunting rifles the barrel will prefer one type of ammo over the rest for better grouping and more accurate shooting. I would do some research on the best pellets today, order several types, and have some fun with your grandson to see which type of pellet works best in his new rifle.

If killing birds, squirrels and rabbits is the game, I have found that heavier pellets are the best.

Have fun DF!

Thanks.

Good advice.

DF

If you end up going with that Ruger try checking Walmart. The one here has that model for considerably less, $60/70 iirc.

I ended up getting my boy a Daisy 880 back in the spring as an upgrade from a BB gun for backyard plinking. I'm a fan of multipumps mostly because you don't have to worry much about hold sensitivity like you do with a lot of springers or NP guns. Being able to adjust power level to tune your noise level and load is nice, too.

He's 9, and the LOP is still a wee bit long for him, but he can still shoot it pretty well.

The Umarex rifle you found on Amazon Is what I got for my daughter.

I bought mine direct from Umarex. Zombie Green was the color when I bought..

It's a decent shooter and it's tough enough and simple enough for a kid.

I put a Bug Buster scope on this one but the sights work fine and adjust normally.

Thanks guys.

I see that direct from Umarex is cheaper than some. Bud’s is even less. Will check with Wally World.

Seems to be a simple, well made gun. And LOP is around 12”. I like the idea of pellet vs BB.

DF

I bought a used Crossman pump .22 for 25 bucks, put an 11 dollar kit in it off ebay. Worked good for the littlest grandson who did not have the strength to cock a spring gun. When he was 8 or so he could get about 3 pumps, plenty of power for Wildebeeste, now he is strong enough for 10 pumps, Cape Buffalo tremble in fear. Those old time guns have wood, steel and brass..a lot of value on the cheap.

A good old Benjamin pump would be a great start for any young shooter.

Good copy of the old Crosman. I have one and it'll kill squirrels under 15 yds.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/beeman-qb78-deluxe-co2-air-rifle?m=4120

Plus, Archer has all the parts you need: https://www.archerairguns.com/qb78-airgun-family-air-rifles-s/27.htm

Talked with my daughter, she’s not too excited about him having a pellet rifle at their home.

Agreed. I’ll buy it to have here for when they visit. They’ll be here a couple of days for Christmas. So, I ordered one from Bud’s. They had the best price. I’ll research pellets, get some from Midway. We’ll have a couple of days to play with it.

In the mean time, I’ll get it sighted in and play with it myself.

More than one way to skin a cat.

DF


Edited to add, Midway shipping high costs killed that deal for me. Shipping was about as much as the product.

Amazon Prime with free shipping and EBay with free shipping got my business.

DF

Hi DF,

As mentioned with such a selection of pellets these days, it's important to select the right ones so your grandson feels great about his shooting abilities.

When I was testing different pellets a few years ago, I took photos of all of the different pellets I shot. Without question, the best-performing pellets I shot out of my .177 were Air Arms Diabolo Field Heavy in 10.3 gr. Not only did I get great groups with them, but they also put the hurt on them poor magpies lol.

This picture is a picture of the target I shot with them at 20 yards. If you are training your grandson how to understand shooting and rifles, while you test different pellets out of his new rifle, he will learn that not all ammo works the same in a specific rifle's barrel. He will be ahead of the game with that knowledge and if he wants to be a hunter he will be killing deer and such in a few short years thanks to his grandfather.

Good luck Sir!

20 yards - 2 3/4" diameter target





Another great pellet is JSB Match Diabolo Exact .177 Cal, 8.44 Grains, Domed. Although excellent they did not have the Killing power the Diabolos's do. 2 gr's less, is my guess why.

20 yards - 2 3/4" diameter target

I even tested the retention of various pellets before I decided which pellet to use. The pictures speak for themselves.

The Diabolos stayed uniform, and flattened out as well as the others.

You guys are most likely laughing, but when it comes to killing animals or pest control, I prefer to despatch the animal as humanely and as quickly as possible. lol

Whether it's a deer, moose, elk, or a bear, I don't want to see them suffer, if you know what I mean.

Thanks, KB.

I ordered an assortment of pellets. Will have it all worked out before Grands arrive.

DF

Good luck. Fair warning, air rifles can get addicting 😉

They can be amazingly accurate, fairly inexpensive to shoot, and just a blast for backyard plinking and pest control.

My Pleasure DT, trust me on the brands and types I recommended, Air Arms Diabolo Field Heavy in 10.3 gr. are the way to go based on my testing of many different brands and types of pellets.

Some reviews from other shooters: https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=48728.0

Here is one review by another shooter, found it interesting that he came to the same conclusion, even though he shoots a much better pellet rifle:

72-yard target

The A.A.s are the top diamond and the JSBs the lower diamond. I used Hawk Optics ChairGunPro to determine the correction for distance. (Which again was really, really close!) I found that a 2 mil-dot hold over OR +30 clicks put me very close to my point of aim as I moved from my 50 yard zero out to this 72 yard distance.

This is where the extra tightness of the A.A pellets become apparent. I suspect that being tighter in the breech allowed a bit more pressure which gave a slight bump in velocity - the point of impact was just a bit higher than the JSBs.



Merry Christmas to you and your family. Since firearms make for the very best Christmas gifts, I do believe that your grandson will be elated when he sees what Santa brought him this year

KB, think you’re right, he’s gonna be thrilled to open that present. I’m getting it Tue or Wed. Will have time to check it out, try a dozen different pellets. Then I’ll wrap it for under the tree. They’re gonna be here for a couple days. He and I will shoot it and it’ll stay here. Will report.

DF

DF, was just thinking, would be nice to see a picture of your grandson holding onto his first rifle

KB, I was thinking the same.

Great minds?

I had an old Banner 4X scope I mounted in its rimfire grooves. I was having a hard time with the fiber optic sights. Hard to get my head down to see them and they were blurry.

I want to use the scope to try various pellets to see just how accurate this gun actually is. Plan that tomorrow.

DF

Just a heads up, piston guns tend to be hard on scopes. Don't be surprised if you knock the hairs loose in older glass.

I know they jar them pretty bad. This scope is no prize pig. If it disintegrates, no big loss. That's why I mounted it rather than a good scope.

I have a Daisy 880 pellet rifle. It's been on a rack for years. I took it down and when I pump it, it doesn't have any resistance, evidently not compressing air. I oiled the piston, still not working. I'm not sure it's worth fixing. Ideas?

DF

Is it cocked? The Daisy guns have to be cocked to make pressure.

If it is cocked but still not making pressure, the trigger valve is probably stuck or has some gunk in it not letting it close all the way. I've had to take those apart a couple times to clear little bits of debris out of them.

Yeah, same deal when it's cocked. I never took one down to clean the trigger valve. Maybe something on You Tube about doing that.

Thanks for the head up.

DF

Yeah, they are pretty simple to take apart. There are YT videos, because that's where I learned to take mine down 👍

Just keep track of the screws carefully, because there are several different lengths that sandwich the plastic housing around the pneumatic guts.

The trigger valves are a bit of a bugger to get apart and back together; the spring in them is really stiff.

Let's go with great minds, because if I had a grandson, I would definitely get him a pellet rifle, for Christmas as well.

My Pellet rifle is a Crossman Nitro Venom and it came with a Center Point 3-9x32 scope, never had any issues with the scope. Dam rifle is a tank and it weighs more than my 30-06 lol.

KB, at least this little Ruger isn’t that heavy. It has a 2 stage trigger, first stage is really long, second stage is very manageable.

I’m studying You Tube info on repairing the Daisy 880. It sat up so long, “O” rings probably dried up. Will figure it out.

DF

It's amazing how much you can learn on YouTube hey?

I learned a lot by watching videos about refinishing stocks before I started refinishing/working on my M1917, which has a 2-stage trigger, the first stage is really long as well. I really like that feature!

Looking forward to seeing the young man with his new rife, I will bet you $1,000.00 that his smile will be wider than the Mississippi River

No way I’d cover that bet…!

I found that my antique eyes don’t do well with the fiber optic sights, unless I hold it out at arms length like a pistol. I tried two different scopes, wasn’t too impressed with accuracy, but those aren’t premium scopes. Tried a number of pellets. Can’t say I’ve found the perfect combo.

Trigger takes some getting used to, but not that bad. Young eyes for sure are better than mine. Gun should shoot good enough for him to learn.

DF

The big piston guns are pretty hefty. I had a couple Hatsan springers that were 8-9# Sold them, they were accurate, but hold sensitive and just too heavy for my liking.

I broke a couple scopes on the 22 cal. Springers seem to be even harder on glass than NP rifles. I had to dampen the stocks on both of those because the vibration actually made my teeth hurt.

Seems this Chinese Ruger isn’t that powerful, so may not be as hard on scopes as the more potent guns.

I’m not too impressed with accuracy, but it should serve its purpose.

Gotta get my Daisy fixed and see how it stacks up against the Ruger.

DF

All of my Daisies are quite accurate. The 1977XS took some work, though. The trigger on that one was beyond terrible. It's still not even close to good, but I did get it lightened up almost a pound.

901 20 yards


1977XS 20 or 25 yards... been a while back so I can't remember which distance.


The 880 is not quite as good as the 901s, but close.

That's way mo better than the Ruger. In fact, that's pretty good.

DF

I like them a lot. They work pretty considering how cheap they are. One downside is they do not take optics well, if you're wanting them scoped. With the dovetail being two sides of fairly spongy plastic sandwiched together, scopes don't hold a zero for beans if the rifle gets bumped around much.

I just use the sights on a couple of them, and have a Williams AG peep on one.

Which pellets have you tried so far? Pellets make a HUGE difference. One of the pellet brands I tested didn't even hit paper and that was 2' x4' foot plywood board. at 30 yards.

After a year of shooting the pellet rifle, next Christmas, he gets the .22 right? hehehe.

I don't have a list, but it's about a short dozen.

DF

Edited to add, my JSB Match Diabolo have been shipped, not yet received. So, those should make the difference.

Will report.

I noticed some of the others dropped into the chamber, some had to be pushed. Some variation from the same can. So, who knows.

They can be really individual animals, too. I've got 2 identical 901s made within a few hundred of each other by SN and they prefer different pellets for optimum accuracy. I ended up putting a little blob of white out on one of them so I remember which pellets to use 😂

As mentioned I have found that Air Arms Field Heavy and Exact are the best pellets, Magpies hate them lol

This is my 10,000 lbs. Beast haha

That’s a hoss of a gun.

DF

It sure is.

I am a big game hunter, I was in a local gun store buying a .300 Win Mag, and it caught my eye, so I bought it on a whim to relive my childhood lol.

It weighs more than my favorite moose rifle.

Just depends on the gun for me. I have a pretty wide array of pellets I use for testing in new guns, then bigger stockpiles of ones I've dialed rifles in with. H&N, RWS, Norma (which are made by RWS iirc) Apolo, and even the lowly Crosman have all worked for me in some. Not a fan of the newer Crosmans, though. They changed alloy or coating a year or two ago and none of the newer dark colored ones have shot worth a hoot in anything for me.

I do stay away from Daisy pellets like they're plagued. Those things are just straight crap... inconsistent diameter/weight, terrible flash lines, and too soft.

I’m learning as I go and am amazed by the marked variation in pellet performance. I had no idea.

DF

Air guns are kinda like rimfires or slug guns in the regard that they can be really ammo finicky if you're wanting to wring accuracy from them.

The upside is there's a huge variety of pellets out there. That's also bit of a double edged sword as far as the wallet goes 😂

Told you!

And even with the best pellets on the market, the barrel on your grandson's rifle will prefer one over the other, no different than any hunting rifle.

Also, some are more lethal on birds, squirrels, cats, etc than others. As mentioned the best pellet I have found for accuracy and lethality is Air Arms Diabolo Field Heavy 10.3 g.

PS: Give your grandson the wrong pellets, he will develop a complex, rather than enjoy his new beautiful rifle lol

Hey DF and zcm82,

Isn't it a blast shooting these pellets rifles, takes me back to when I was a kid, and that was a long time ago!

Can't even imagine what being a kid without a pellet rifle would be like, just like I can not even imagine what it would have been like growing up with a dog by your side.

I swear all the shooting I did as a kid with my pellet rifle, trained me very well. I am an exceptional shot on big game and I owe that to my pellet rifle and the thousands upon thousands of shots I took with it.

When I was a kid, my father was the President of the Skeet Club, so we shot skeet and trap every weekend, and we loaded our own shotgun shells.

When I was a kid I used to go to the local garbage dump, to shoot seagulls. I would drop a few (4 or 5) #9 shot into the front of the barrel with the pellet loaded and shoot seagulls on the wing with my pellet rifle. That also turned me into an exceptional shot on ducks and geese. Talk about taking a walk down Memory Lane.

DT, in 50 years from now your grandson will be talking about his first rifle, the one his Grandfather gave him for Christmas in 2023.

KB

I'm not a hardcore airgunner by any means, I just really got back into them a few years ago when my son first started taking an interest in shooting. I only have 6 or 7 air rifles right now, but they've turned out to be a blast for backyard plinking. I've sold a few in that period, too. Set up a little airgun range with spinners from 5-35 yards out back behind the house.

I do most of my airgun shooting in the spring, between the end of ice fishing, and before the rivers warm up enough to start chasing redhorse, carp, and catfish.

When I was a kid, we lived way out in the sticks, so I actually did a lot more shooting with 22s than I ever did airguns. Now I much prefer the air guns... quieter and cheaper to plink with. I've barely touched my rimfires since I started messing with the air rifles.

Lots of good info.

Thanks.

DF

You are going to laugh but I fish for Sturgeon in a river close to my home and there are a lot of Redhorse Suckers, are they a blast to catch or what?

People say Smallmouth fight the hardest fighting fish 1lb. for lb. I think that title goes to the Redhorse! Carp aren't sloughs either.

I fish for Lake Sturgeon, way smaller they the White Sturgeon in the Snake, Columbia, and Fraser Rivers, but man are they ever fun to catch! Here ias a decent Lake Sturgeon I caught a few years ago, 54 lbs.

What is your favorite Pellet?

Nothing beats Hunting and Fishing lol

Merry Christmas

Nice fish there, KB.

So far no fav pellet. I have a few contenders. We’ll see how it plays out.

DF

Thanks buddy!

Which is your favorite thus far?

PS: DF Are you having fun "Blinking"? lol

Very cool 👍 I've never caught a sturgeon. Accidentally snagged a paddlefish once a long time ago in MN and had no idea wtf it was at the time 🤣

For me carp are the most fun fighters. Hook into one that's 15-20# and it will pull my little 12' boat around if I don't have the anchor down 😂

As for pellets, it just depends on the gun. I know one of my 901s loves the Norma Superpoints. The other one is the H&N Spitzkugel. The 880 I got for my boy likes the H&N Spikes. My Dragonfly 22 likes the H&N Silver Tips. Crosman 362 shoots the Crosman Premier pointed best. The 1977XS loves Apolo Heavy Domes.

The Beeman Chief and Hatsan Striker I sold both liked RWS Superdomes a lot.

The old Smoothbore 760 shoots Winchester HPs pretty well... for a smoothbore. Those seem to shoot ok in all of my 177s, but usually at low speed, like 4-5 pumps. They get pretty erratic with velocity. The Crosman Premier pointed 177 pellets act similarly... good at low speeds, not so great at you push them faster.

Never had much luck in any rifle with a few like the H&N Crow, Apolo Pointed, or H&N Hammers. I don't even futz around with wadcutter/target pellets since I do most of my shooting at 20-30yds.

This is all new to me; I’m learning.

Thanks for the help. You guys are great.

Hope y’all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

DF

With a low powered break barrel one thing that might come into play is the fairly slow velocity translates into longer barrel-time.

Between all the motion of the piston, and the somewhat heavy trigger, both might be adding to the challenge of getting the good consistent accuracy.

I'll bet the young lad will be excited to handle and shoot his first rifle regardless. If it's pop can accurate at 10 or 20 yards, it will be lots of fun.

MM, he and his Dad were shooting it. They both did pretty well. Even my daughter shot it.

They’ve warmed up to it, may even take it back to Old Metairie. That’s a big improvement from previous attitude of no guns at their house.

I had given my S-I-L a M-1100 20 ga. He was invited to a dove hunt by well healed client, had never shot a gun. We shot some skeet over the pond, he hit a few. He brought it this trip to shoot some more skeet. I was pleasantly surprised.

I had posted a few years ago about us returning at night from a wedding. SIL saw a coon and pointed out the tree it had climbed. Wife hates coons, they crap on her porches, they gotta go. So, I went in the house, got my 8 3/8” K-22 and a light, shined and killed that coon. Daughter and SIL were standing on the front porch, 30 yds from the tree, watching the whole thing. His comment, “Wow this is my first hunting trip”. Yeah.

So you see where we’re coming from.

Progress is gradual but positive. So, we had a very good shooting experience.

DF

Yeah I kinda got the gist of the situation from your earlier posts. But it looks like there is some measurable progress happening, so that's a good thing.

Hi DF, so is he a "Natural"?

Wishing all a great Christmas with your families and friends

God Bless

I think he has the makings.

I think naturals are made not born. But, inbred ability helps. He has promise.

DF

I did not realize you were from Rabun County, Georgia. I was under the impression you were from Louisiana 😂

"Practice Makes Perfect"!

Central Louisiana, Alexandria.

We had an eventful shoot. Gun does back with them. Both parents warmed up to the idea, GS really took to it, shot it pretty well for a beginner.

Well, my electric skeet thrower puked, we had to use a hand thrower. I let them shoot my Merkel 28 ga. They said the 28 kicked more than the M-1100 20 ga, a real testament to how well the gas gun reduces recoil.

Pictures tell the story. I adjusted the sights to the right after this target.

Dad is bought in and helping his son with the Ruger while Mom watches. And, a big thanks to Paps.

DF

Well, that led to this.

Now, I've got to figure out what went wrong with the electric skeet thrower.

Don't ya know a dude needs more projects....

BTW, pond is lower than since it was built in 1996. Drought has been pretty bad.

All in all, we had a great time. They've gone back home for Christmas with family down there.

DF

Looks like they all had a great time!!!

DF, is this isn't a Happy Face I don't know what is!



Beautiful 20 gauge you have there.

Great Job young man.

Yeah he was pretty happy. Seems his Mom and Dad bought in better than I thought. They could see how much it meant to him.

So, slow progress is still progress.

DF

Your grandson is gonna remember this Christmas for a long time! Nicely handled by you and by his folks!

I think you’re right. I was amazed how well his parents went along. And they even shot the shotguns.

Although my daughter was raised a good part of her youth on a good sized cattle farm, she was never interested in horses, tractors, cows, etc. and I never pushed her. Could you believe I could raise a daughter to adulthood with her never shooting a gun. Well it happened.

So, at age 40, she shoots a shotgun. And seemed to enjoy it. Go figure.

DF

Here's the 28 ga. Merkel I let them shoot. They didn't know much about the gun; I didn't tell them. May have made them nervous.

DF

Love the wood! Looks like English Walnut? What type of finish does it have?

Gotta tell us the history that would have scared them? lol

I think Merkel uses Turkish walnut. Not sure. Someone may want to chime in on that.

They may have been a bit squirmish shooting a gun that was worth a good chunk of change. Of course I’d never burden them with that. Just enjoy it for what it is.

SIL had shot the 1100 20 ga, definitely in a different league.

Amazingly, daughter and SIL said the 28 ga kicked more than the 20 ga 1100. The 28 isn’t that light. Just goes to show how efficiently a gas gun handles recoil compared to a fixed breech gun.

DF

Looks like a great time. I'm coming late to this discussion, but if the air rifle being used is a relatively low velocity model, say around 500-600 fps, relatively light pellets are a good match for the gun as they shoot more efficiently and are easier on the spring. The heavier pellets will work OK but they wear out the spring faster.

I use Crosman Premium wadcutters in my Beeman R7 (a low velocity rifle) and they weigh 7.4 grains. Heavy .177 pellets, like 10 grains, are better suited to a more powerful air rifle.

In my .177 Beeman R9, which is somewhat more powerful than an R7, I like RWS Meisterkugeln pellets which are an 8.2 grain wadcutter or H&N Field Target Trophy which weigh 8.66 grains and have a rounded nose.

If you don't care about spring wear or efficiency you can disregard all this.

Thanks for that info. I’m ever learning about a subject I’m not that educated about.

I doubt it’ll get enough use to make a difference.

Thanks to all for the help and support. You guys are great.

DF

You are a great man too DF!

Unfortunately when I was born both of my grandfathers had passed. If I were to have a grandfather, I would very much want one like you. In my estimation, you are a wonderful man in every conceivable way, your grandson is a very fortunate young man.

If you do order the Air Arms Diabolo Field Heavy 10.3 gr. pellets, let us know how they worked in your grandson's new rifle.

Wishing you and your family an exceptional, healthy, and joyous 2024!

Cheers ~

Thanks, KB.

And the whole crew for all the help.

DF

Great thread. Realized around Christmas that I completely skipped over pellet guns for my 11 year old. Went straight from bb’s to a 10/22. lol

Am thinking he needs something like this for his birthday.

A .22 would be better, but considering I barely got a pellet rifle slipped thru, it was the best that could be done. At least he was able to take it home and can shoot it in his Old Metairie back yard.

He had been to a bud’s camp across Lake Ponchartrain and his bud’s Dad let him shoot an AR clone .22. He hit the targets, got the bug to shoot.

Baby steps, but at least in the right direction.

DF

The beauty of the pellet rifle, he can shoot it more places which means more practice.

And the trigger isn't bad. It's two stage with a long first stage, very manageable second. My 8 yr old shot it pretty well.

I was generally pretty pleased with the little Ruger. Bud's had the best price, in the $70+ range. Of course a bit more with tax and shipping.

Let us know what you decide.

DF

Congrats to you and looks like a happy shooting family! Now that you got the foot the door this Christmas, what's planned for NEXT Christmas? 10/22? 410?

Agree with the ability to shoot more. I’ve been meaning to set up some kind of bb/pellet trap in the corner of the back yard. Oldest is responsible enough that I’d let him shoot back there with only partial supervision and would let the 7 year old shoot as long as his brother was keeping an eye on him. Hell, I could definitely use the freehand practice, need to buy something for myself. Have wanted a Beeman R7 for a while….

As far as boy #1, birthday isn’t until May so plenty of time. May order one of these once the wallet recovers from Christmas and hide it away.

Yeah, those credit cards do get pretty hot this time of year. Gotta let them cool a bit.

DF

That's a great question.

Not sure; will have to give it some thought.

DF

Edited to add, ya think a bolt gun may be better for a beginner than a 10-22? Nothing wrong with the 10-22, I have a couple. But a single shot bolt gun is what I started with, a Winchester 67, still have mine. But the stock may be a bit long and I don't want to cut it. Probably be better to just get one for him.

What do you guys recommend?

DF

Lots of people seem to think a semi auto is unsafe for kids but I disagree. My thought is make everything as fun as possible and nothing is more fun than a 10/22. Both of mine started with a single shot cricket then moved to a 10/22.

I explained to them that we don’t do mag dumps and we’re aiming carefully and making every shot count. They rarely even ask if they can “rapid fire”.

Worked great for my oldest and just got my 7yo a 10/22 compact for Christmas.

https://ruger.com/products/1022Compact/specSheets/31114.html

Plus the fact that you can modify it and build it up together as time goes by makes it really cool. My oldest got a magpul stock for his for Christmas. Well move on to trigger parts, bolt releases, etc over the spring/summer.

Add in some gongs, spinners, kyl racks, and a lot of 22 ammo and I’ll be very confident in their abilities come deer season.

Thanks for that input. Will consider all suggestions and info.

DF

Nothing wrong with either of those! He's already got the pellet gun and while not a bolt gun, will slow him down. A 10/22 is a good next step and as LSU fan stated, you can build it up together!

Ruger makes a youth 10-22 with a stock you can swap out the cheek piece and change LOP. That one looks pretty good.

DF

What I am looking forward to is seeing the both of you in a picture with his first deer

Yeah, that would be cool.

Maybe one of these days.

DF