Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 22 for my kid

I am going to buy a youth model 22 for my 6 year old.

I am looking at a Marlin bolt, Savage bolt or Rascal, and a Henry lever.

Any recommendations? Get what is available?

I have a Savage Cub, I would say it is a great little rifle.

I think the savage rascal is the best thing going today. Good safety, no need to pull the plunger to cock it. It shoots shorts, longs, and long rifles. Also, and biggest in my mind is the peep sight.

If they had made them that way back when my son was in need of a rifle like that, he would have a Rascal today instead of the crickett.

Far as I'm concerned the Stevens single shots are timeless, great looking, and a fabulaous way for a youngster to learn.

The model 30 was being made, but it sure doesn't appear to be now????? *when did that happen?*

Browning makes a nice youth model BL-22 with a 12 inch pull.

We have the cricket. It's pretty rough but serves the purpose.

Whichever way you go start out with single shot for sure. I see these ghetto kids who show up with gsg junk and think WTF? If you have problems finding 22lr let me know.

I have a Marlin 15YN. My kids loved it until they grew out of it. Now it's M&P1522s and Marlin 60s and 7000s.

T/C Hot Shot.

T

My son has a Henry Mini - bolt and my oldest daughter has a Cricket. No complaints from either one so far.

Bought my older daughter a Rossi matched pair 22/.410 and I don't have anything bad to say about it. Now that the Savage Rascal is available, I'd take a hard look at it.

I recently bought a very clean Marlin Buckaroo and put it in the safe for my younder daughter when she's old enough.

My 7 year old loves the Rascal she got for her birthday.

The only way to go for a 6 year old is a single shot. You want to keep things simple so they won't make mistakes.

We have a cub as well... looks like an earlier iteration of the rascal...
we all love it, and the whole family uses it...

I bought my little cousin a mossberg a few years ago. The reason being, they had a dummy magazine to put in it so it was single shot, it also came with two 7 round magazines which stayed at my house till he was ready. Nice option I thought.

'Nother thought;

Take a Look a a CZ Scout. They come with the shorter LOP and a single-shot adapter, which can later be exchanged for a 5 or 10 round mag.

I bought one of these for the "little boy" in ME!

I did add a 1" pad to make the LOP better for this 60 year old "kid" (GRIN!)

This is one of my favorite "porch guns"

Virgil B.

If the 6yo watches much old Steve McQueen, John Wayne etc.... They'll want the Henri lever (grin) besides, they have lot of cool factor.

I too spent time looking at youth 22s for the kids. Cricketts are a waste of time. Bad triggers actions etc. The cub or rascal is a nice rifle.

I ended up buying a couple S&W M&P 15-22. They shoot extremely well. The LOP is adjustable so this is a rifle I can, and do, occasionally throw in the outfit with me and shoot it well and comfortably. It is light and works well to train the kids on an AR platform as they like to shoot the .223s as well.

Don't load up the mags and treat it as a single shot initially. Then, once they are safe, they can shoot more efficiently as there is no loss of cheek-weld when shooting.

Another option would be the Marlins. I have a couple 60s and other similar variants. These are about the best 22s out there now.

I am planning on taking at least my daughter to an Appleseed shoot and my daughter will use either a Marlin or the M&P 15-22 this year.

Good luck.

Might as well buy him an adult size rifle, by the time ammo is available again he could be all grown up.

I looked around at quite a few and ended up just putting a Tapco Adj stock on my 10/22. He'll grow out of a mini 22 before you can blink but with the Tapco-10/22 option, he can shoot that for as long as you want and then swap for a nice Hogue stock in 5-6 years when he's almost as tall as YOU!