Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles First gun for my son?

I learned to shoot w/ a Fieldmaster. The lever gun would be a beautiful first rifle. Mine is the Marlin '39.


Another point of view is that the tubular magazine is more vulnerable to damage in inexperienced hands. And it is less EZ to be certain it is completely unloaded.

Spare magazines are usually affordable but that's a good point against having a removable mag. Then a single-shot would be simplest and EZ maintenance.

One of our local gun shops had a mossberg youth 22. Neat little gun, clip fed, came with a single shot clip and a 4or 5 rounder for later. Also had a peep mounted, right around $150.

I bought both of my kids the Cub, theirs came with a peep sight.

They shoot them well.

Just read a few negative reviews on that TC HotShot. Have you had any issues with light primer strikes in yours bruinruin?

Trying to find a stepping stone rifle if you will before I move him up to something like the BL22 or the CZ 452 scout mentioned.

I started my kids on a CZ 452 Scout when they turned 5. My son is now 16 and his 22lr rifle is a full sized CZ 452.

One reason to get a 452 Scout is that the 452's are being replaced with 455's.The Scout will likely be the last to go but I would still get one while I could.A Yo-Dave trigger kit will easily make for a great trigger as well.

My #1 granddaughter is a tall 7 year old. She is learning on the Red Ryder from last Christmas.

I just gave her great grandfather's Remington 510 (single shot) a shakedown this past weekend. It is still plenty accurate. It now gets a new blue and perhaps sights. I can handle the wood work myself.

I also took out a 10-22 that had remained NIB for several years, IMO, the magazine and the bolt hold open release are far too "tricky" for kids.

I like the magazine tube repeaters, perhaps because my first repeater was so equipped? Best

i agree with the Savage Cub/Rascal...



but i mostly prefer CCI ammo of one sort or another...

Oh, I didn't mean to use the Colibris forever. Just to get them started. They are every bit as quiet as pellet rifle, but you are starting them out with good sights, and a great trigger. After a box of Colibris, they got everything down.

I also like them because I can set up some cans around camp and they can get some practice without any noise.


Travis

Waste of time IMO. Get them racking a bolt early on. Makes your life easier when they move up to a centerfire.


Travis

My 8 year old daughter and my 5 year old son both do pretty well with the TC HotShot. It is small, light, and simple. Haven't had any problems with it. My 10 year old daughter started with a Rossi single shot (which isn't bad for the $) and she didn't have any problems moving into the Ruger Compact 223. A single shot rifle and reactive targets are the way to go in the beginning.

My #1 granddaughter is a tall 7 year old. She is learning on the Red Ryder from last Christmas.

I just gave her great grandfather's Remington 510 (single shot) a shakedown this past weekend. It is still plenty accurate. It now gets a new blue and perhaps sights. I can handle the wood work myself.

I also took out a 10-22 that had remained NIB for several years, IMO, the magazine and the bolt hold open release are far too "tricky" for kids.

I like the magazine tube repeaters, perhaps because my first repeater was so equipped? Best

For a beginner I like a manual cock single shot rifle and consider it a shame that they are mostly forgotten by the gun manufacturers. The little chipmunk is pretty nice but quickly out grown of todays rifles that are fairly avaliable I would look for one of the recent manufactured stevens favorites barring that a lever gun like you mentioned would be a good choice. Look around as I recenly purchased an old JC Higgins single shot (made by marlin) like we had when I was a kid for $90. It was in almost new condition and I am tickled to death with it a boat load of memories for $90 and they still shoot today as well as they did 50 years ago.

never met a kid i disliked quite that much....

Me either.



Travis

I started my son with a Stevens 72 single shot. That way I knew that after the shot the gun was safe. After he showed me that he was safe handling a gun, I bought him a Ruger 10-22.

My first rifle was a Stevens bolt action single shot .22, very accurate.
My dad later said he liked it because he could tell at a glance at the pull back at back of action if it was cocked or not.

I don't have the Hotshot, was only thinking of getting a couple. I have since changed my mind and will likely go with the little Rascal.

Savage Cub. Good starter and comes with a peep sight.

An auto-loader seems the least safe and encourages much wasting of ammo.