Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire New 22 for a new shooter which one?

I'm gettin my youngest one of those....^^^^^^^

To the OP:
I have a Marlin Model 15YN I could make you a deal on. Shoot me a PM if interested.

I preach this as well, but after a while you figure out its like telling 16 year olds to wear a rubber... you just dont sound very fun saying it.

Started with Crickets for the twin grandsons, will move them up to the Remington #4 rolling block in the next year then maybe the Mossberg 351C in another year or so.

OC put some thought in that rotation!

7-8 year old range, not an auto loader.
Looking for a good quality gun that will be handed down to his son.

Savage makes a 22 with peep sites called the Rascal that has a way better trigger than a Chipmunk. Was definitely in the running when I purchased a 22 for my 2 children last year.

They shoot air rifles in 4H and at home so we have had a decent amount of training. So I ended up last year buying a semi-auto Marlin 795, I believe it is. Installed peeps and it is a whale of a shooter. Then I purchased a S&W AR 15/22 with peeps for them with the idea that we will all be going to an Appleseed shoot together soon. The 15/22 is nice with an expandable stock so the kids or adults can make good use of the rifle and they are both real shooters.

I agree a semi is not ideal, but I had started them on air rifles and then some bolt action 17s prior to going this route. Not saying it's right or wrong, just what we did. YMMV.

I bought my oldest nephew a little Savage / Stevens single shot that looks like and works like mini Rolling Block Rifle when he was 3. Of course he didn't get to shoot it until he was 7 years old. Told him I would get him a 10-22 when he hit a running Jack Rabbit with it. Didn't take long for him to become a very good shot with that added incentive!
Anyhow, he just turned 21 & graduated from College & that little single shot is still one of his favorites after all these years. He's a really good kid & is one of the safest hunters I know. Great times & Great Memories watching him grow up.

I think the rifle was called the "Little Sure Shot" or something like that. I don't know if they even make them anymore, but it was a great small sized & lightweight learning tool for a little fellow. He's now 6' & weighs 280 and was one heck of a High School & College Nose Gaurd / Center Football player .

I got my 5 yr. old GS started on a Chipmunk and a couple of years of learning safety and how to shoot, and after I had let him fire my 10-22, I purchased him a Browning lever action. That quickly became his favorite .22.

A little Browning BL 22 is a fine little gun for a young person. Short lever throw.

And very accurate, also.

Any thing still made in America?

My 7 year old loves her hot pink Savage Rascal.

if you aren't stuck on new a rossi 22 pump is a great little gun.
they also made a 22 mag in the trombone. have had one or the other for 45 yrs and they are still a hoot.

Really poor choice for a new shooter. Semi-autos teach the old "keep shooting until the target falls or you run out of ammo" technique, instead of making each shot count. Plus, the factory trigger is pretty crappy.

To the OP: Go with a bolt action or single shot, with open sights. Work into a scope as the shooter improves.

Cntrmass;
I believe that the Henry line is all made in the USA, at least they certainly advertise it as such.

The Savage rimfire line is made in Canada, so that's closer than some other offshore spots.

Depending upon the new shooter, some kids like the idea of getting an older firearm that's in good shape as it already has a certain panache.

Up here we still are able to find lots of Cooey, Winchester and Lakefield Arms rimfires in decent shape.

We somehow see less used Marlins in my part of the world, but some of them shoot quite well.

Anyway, good luck on your quest whichever way you decide and all the best to you in the upcoming week.

Regards,
Dwayne

If your going to be there when ever they have the gun you could treat an auto as a single shot. Just load one round at time into the magazine. You could just give him 1 round at a time and wait till he shoots to give him another.

I like the TC Classic 22. It's not expensive, and extremely well made.

9422

An old Marlin Mountie would be a top choice. Then I would find a second buttstock and cut it down to fit the young shooter.

When they grow into the original stock, swap them out.

An ACCURATE bolt action with iron sights would be my recommendation. That is a gun that can grow with the new shooter.

Regarding an auto-loader, one other consideration is that their operation is more complicated than a bolt action's. A few years ago a buddy of mine asked me for a recommendation for a .22, and I said, on a limited budget, a Savage bolt action would be my recommendation. Well, he ended up buying a Savage autoloader instead of a bolt action, I think because he thought it would be more fun to have a semi-auto, but he has had a lot of trouble with it because he has had trouble getting it adjusted properly (a bolt action would have been more fun considering the problems he's had). I know the 10/22 doesn't have that type of problem, but I would still recommend a .22 bolt action for a new shooter.

If money is no object, there are a number of good accurate bolt action .22s. Anschutz, Cooper, and Kimber get good reviews, and .22s are available from NULA too, but for a new shooter I would lean toward a CZ 452/453/455 as a great "mid-priced" .22 option or a Savage as a "budget" option.

Important - be sure to get one that has a stock that is the right length for the new shooter (or be able to make adjustments). If stock fit is an issue, a AR-style rifle with adjustable stock in .22 LR configuration would be a good option if it was used as a single shot by the new shooter.