Good .22 for a first rifle

[Cindyann]

My husband and I would like to get our nephew who is 10 a .22 rifle for Christmas this year. What kind of .22 rifle would you recommend as a starter rifle?

[Tortuga12]

Tough to beat a Savage MkII.

[dalegribble]

a bolt action 22 is what i would recommend. there are alot of good makes available, mine was a marlin. a bolt action rifle will teach him to shoot straight and not waste ammo. give a kid a semi auto and he will think he is rambo and blast away just to hear the noise. next consideration is will it be a single shot or repeater? single shots are fine but will probably be abandoned when the child is old enough to get a repeater. if you opt for a repeater i suggest one with a removable magazine rather than the tube fed magazines. reason? i believe the removable mag would be easier to check if loaded, easily removed, and ultimatly safer for a new shooter. my first rifle was a marlin mod 25 bolt action rifle with the removable magazine and i have never out grown it, i still have and use it today some 40 years later.

[thesheepdog]

Marlin Model 925M is hard to beat. It's got a little bit more powerful round reserved in it-so when he's competent with shooting, he'll be able to stretch out his shooting abilities-range wise-and not have to get another gun.

[Ledbetter]

Henry makes a small size bolt action .22 that is a good buy for the price.

[Warchild]

Sig 522

[SIGSHR]

I would recommend a Marlin. Get a spare stock, slim it down to "child" sized, keep the regular stock for when he grows into it.

[aarondhgraham]

If you give a small kid a semi they learn to shoot fast,,,
They never learn to shoot well.

One starter gun that won't break the bank is a Cricket (http://www.crickett.com/index.htm),,,
Single-shot bolt action at a very low price,,,
Wal Mart sells them for about $135.00

Henry makes a very similar rifle called the Mini-Bolt (http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-minibolt.cfm),,,
This rifle is very similar to the Cricket but is much higher quality therefore more expensive at approximately $249.00

Mossberg 802 Plinkster (http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?ID=30&section=products) is a nice magazine fed bolt action rifle,,,
They run about $130-150.00.

Savage Arms Cub (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Rimfire-Rifles/Single-Shot|/pc/104792580/c/105530580/sc/105533280/Savage-Arms-CUB-Mini-Youth-22-LR-Single-Shot-Rimfire-Rifle/706493.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fshooting-rimfire-rifles-single-shot%2F_%2FN-1102343%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105533280) is a fine single shot,,,
$190.0 at Cabela's

These are just a few of the guns available,,,
I highly recommend a single-shot for a first rifle,,,
It slows them down a bit but they can still have great fun.

Whatever brand you get for the little guy,,,
He'll probably love it until he is an old man like me.

Hope this helps,,,

.

[jmortimer]

I got my daughter the Henry Mini Bolt - official rifle of the US Junior Olympics. Very well made - better quality than the Cricket.

[overland]

CZ lux or ultra lux. Terrific quality and super accurate. Great looking rifle, not cheap looking like a lot of 22s. Worth every dime.

[Warchild]

If you give a small kid a semi they learn to shoot fast,,,
They never learn to shoot well.

Tell that to my 11 yr old who can shoot circles around most of the adults at the range using up to and including his DW CBOB .45, Glock 19 9mm, Remmy 700 youth .243, and Colt 6920 .223. It isn't about what tool you give them, it's about how they are taught to use it. He's safer than 90% of the adults at the range. He's lights out with that Sig!:D

[Jack O'Conner]

I've shot my Squire Bingham well over 2,000 times and its still a tack driver. Made in P.I. by superb craftsmen.

Check this webiste for more details: www.armscor.com.

- model M20P

Jack

[Norrick]

Savage MKII if u want to get him something that is very accurate and on a budget.

Ruger 77/22 if you want something that has a full size rifle "feel" to it (granted the 77/22 won't be as accurate as the MKII). The ruger will probably need an aftermarket trigger to make shooting it more enjoyable (very stiff).

Also CZ 452 gets very positive reviews but no personal experience. I would wager that it also feels less like a toy and more like a full size rifle.

The marlins in my experience feel a little toyish. I read people say that its very accurate but when people say accurate it could mean a pattern the size of a silver dollar at 50 yards. The savage will do one ragged hole with the right ammo and has an excellent trigger out of the box. The ruger will average about 1 inch at 50 yards with most ammo, and with the right ammo will also do 1 ragged hole, but you have to work quite a bit harder at it.

Cannot vouch for the CZ 452 but from what I've read when I researched it, the consensus seems to be that the 452 can hang in there with the competition quality rifles for a fraction of the cost.

[mrgoodwrench76]

Another vote for the Mark II. Great quality for the money spent and if properly cared for, will last a lifetime. Please consider this, the tool is far less important than the training. And to the comment about the 11 year old being more safe than 90 percent of the people at your range, dude, you need to go to a different range.

[od green]

Depending on his stature a Rossi 22/410 combo from Walmart can be had on the CHEAP, $ 119.00 !!! I have three Henry's 22's and bought the rossi for the 410 only for a light walk around gun But the 22 with a 3x9 Daisy pro line scope has become my favorite . Don't get me wrong I and my youngest son when he was 8 really liked the Henry survival which was very light but too bulky and the H001 lever was a little to big . But the rossi fit like a glove, single shot break open, easy to load and toss's empty shells with authority ( don't stand behind when he breaks it open. OUCH ). Accuracy ain't bad with open sights as they are fiber optic adjustable sights , easy to scope and is pretty accurate to at least 75 yards not target material but minute of critter that I've shot from the tractor while mowing the farm. Also has a hammer locking safety. For the price and a starter gun you can get both a rifle and shot gun to boot.

[mrgoodwrench76]

I'm suprised no one has suggested the Ruger 10/22. One of the most reliable semi auto's Ive ever owned. Pretty affordable at less than $200.

[groobash]

CZ makes a .22 for young shooters:

http://cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-452-scout/

I would look into that.

Love CZ, I have four 452s. Very strong quality vs price.

[chris in va]

A single shot or bolt action will get old...quick. I watched a father and younger son at the range last week and the kid was having to row through rounds with a rather large bolt action 22 and really didn't look like he was enjoying things.

Consider a Henry lever action. They come in 'youth' sizes that should fit him perfectly, yet still be fun for the adults.

[ryalred]

As others have recommended: DON'T GET A SEMI-AUTOMATIC. Get a bolt-action or single shot.

It would be hard to beat a Savage MKII.

[stevelyn]

I'm glad you asked that question. Please allow me to help.......

It just so happens that the folks in the enemy camp have done a lot of the foot work for you and listed many choices in one spot to make your research and shopping easier.

http://www.vpc.org/studies/22ap.htm

You may wish to send them an e-mail thanking them for this valueable service they've provided to help us pass on the values of the 2nd Amendment to the next generation. :D

[OlCrip]

I think a lot of the responders here underestimate the value of a repeater for one starting out shooting. My first rifle was a pump .22LR. That rifle taught me to shoot ... along with my Dad who ALWAYS went out with me. He taught me the value of making each shot count. A repeater just makes it so much more fun for a kid. When you lose the "fun factor" you've lost the kid. This particular rifle had a tube magazine. I quickly learned to count the shots and to religiously check the feed lips on the .22 when I reached 15 rounds fired. It's a matter of training and SUPERVISION.

I don't EVER recommend a single shot rifle. Not saying they're bad, just that they're not as much fun for a kid just starting out. I say this from experience. I've taught kids to shoot since the 70's when I got out of the NAVY. My first experience with single-shots was when I started shooting competition; used a Rem 513T then. It has it's place ... and time.

[buymore]

repeaters: My wife and I are 4-H Shooting Sports advisors in NE Ohio. We use a lot of rimfire rifles, but I have to agree about losing the fun! We experience the same factor in 4-H with air rifles. If they don't get to shoot something that goes "BANG" they will get bored very quickly. Same goes with single shots and bolt actions. You can limit the magazine to how many they can shoot at one time. If they pull the trigger too quickly.....put in one at a time for them! I've had single shots that were far more unsafe than any semi auto I've ever seen. The style where the shooter pulls the cocking peice back manually is the worst design for new shooters! If that cocking piece slips out of their fingers (which a well oiled one easily does) ....bang....there goes a bullet down range and almost always not on target! The good thing about semi autos is, they can keep the rifle on target bewteen shots and get more consistant! With any manual loading rifle....they will have to change positions somewhat between every shot! Although that may be good for repitition too!

Remember who the adult is and who is supposed to be learning. That youth should be 100% supervised 100% of the time with that firearm! No excuses! I don't care who was given a rifle when they were 10 yrs old 50 years ago and left go to go plinking by themselves! I used to jump off railroad bridges into the reservoir too! It doesn't make it safe and right. Thirty years ago we weren't the litigious society that we are today! Thirty years ago we didn't see murder on TV right in front of our eyes! Thirty years ago kids didn't walk into school and kill other kids with guns! Better yet, thirty years ago as kids, if we made a terrible decision, our parents were allowed to beat our asses and we usually didn't do it again!

There is nothing wrong with youth getting a semi auto for their first gun. It will be a rifle they can learn the right way to use and won't want to sell two yrs later to get another one! Let's face it....we all like to just run a full mag out rapidfire once in awhile! I'd say that's the big "kid" in us!

[ejhc11]

I had the same question for my 10 yo. I wanted something reasonable to shoot, safe for a child (with adult supervision), and easy for them to use. I decided on the Marlin 915Y, a youth sized .22 LR rifle, single shot (loads from the breech - easy to visually inspect if anything is loaded).

There were a lot of choices out there but I felt the Marlin 915Y met my needs and it shoots well for my 10 yo - he was hitting targets easily at 50 yds and hit 75 yds also. His first outing he shot 300 rounds of .22(single shot rifle - imagine a semi, I be broke...! :)) and still didn't want to leave the range.

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/BoltAction22/915y.asp

I didn't want a semi-auto because they'll spray before learning to shoot and I was worried about tube loaders because quick visual checks on a loaded gun was harder to inspect. A single shot gun always allowed me to ensure the gun was loaded or not with a quick inspection.

Hope that helps - good luck

[Fiv3]

Is he a righty or a lefty? As a southpaw, bolt actions can be frustrating if you want to learn to keep the gun on target and cycle the action. Just something to think about.

Single shots are OK, but I'm glad I didn't learn on one. I have my father in law's old Remington 514. It has no real aiming device on it and no scope. However, it can be fun to pump myself up, challenge my skill, and see if I can hit exactly where I want with only one shot...kinda like a free throw or the bases being loaded:p But that would have frustrated me as a child.

My uncle taught me how to shoot with my dad's Marlin 60. It's the old style that holds, I think 17 rounds. The first thing he did after teaching me all the safety procedures and how to load the gun was telling me to let loose at the target as fast as I wanted. Of course I grinned from ear to ear popopopopopopopopopopopopop.
"Let's go see"
I kept maybe 8 rounds in a 15" area.
"OK, now you see why we don't shoot fast."
He then taught me about aiming small, missing small, and controlling my shots. Before long, I was shooting tiny groups and a tube magazine was lasting me a good 3 or 4 minutes as I picked each shot carefully.

I still have the old Model 60, but I don't like that checking the ammo count cannot readily be done with a quick visual. I actually prefer a short .22 carbine as a truck gun. Just too handy to have. I switched up to a Marlin 795, and love it. I have a kid now, so I like having the rifle ready, but keeping the magazine out of the gun. But should I need it, it's pretty quick to get into action. Also, a short 10 round mag is easy to count off, and visually check.

If my daughter shows an interest in shooting in a few years, I think I'll train her on my 795. Of course, she'll get a chance to see if she likes her granddad's Model 60 or her other granddad's 514 better. The girl won't be hurting for options;)

[Warchild]

What is sooo bad about a semi auto for a first rifle? Load the mag with 1 or 2 rounds and teach them the right way. You'll save yourself of having to buy 3 or 4 rifles as their skills progress and will have taught them on the same rifle over a long period, they won't have to learn a new rifle or adapt to a different setup so frequently. Baby a kid and they're bound to adapt to being treated like a baby. I taught my son about every single aspect of his weapons, the names of the different parts and how they work, he learned how to properly clean and care for a rifle before he ever took his first shot.

[TheGoldenState]

I started with a Remington and a cheap scope. Awesome. I liked the mags over the bolt action. Get a speed loader and some extras and you can have ton of fun! He will love you forever:D

[smith357]

You might want to take a look at the TC Hot Shot, it's basically a miniaturized Encore. It comes stock with peep sights which are very easy for kids to learn proper sight picture. TC's rimfire barrels are some of the most accurate made with nice tight chambers since they are fed buy hand one round at a time. The TC is also a very safe firearm for a child as it is "safe" until you cock the hammer. They sell for under $200.

For about twice that you could get a G2 Contender youth model in .22lr. The Contender has the ability to grow with the shooter, buy adding longer stocks and center fire barrels like .22 hornet .223 Rem, .30-30 Win, or even a .45 caliber muzzle loader barrel. He will never outgrow a Contender.

[sc928porsche]

All my daughters have learned to shoot with a 22 semi-auto. In fact, my youngest (9 year old) and I set up the range today to get her into shooting. By the time we quit, she was out of ammo (1 brick) and she progressed from barely being on paper at 50 yds to 10 round groups remaing within the 8x at 100 yds. I will bet you cant guess what she wants to do tomorrow. :D

[Quentin2]

...Whatever brand you get for the little guy,,,
He'll probably love it until he is an old man like me...

Well said, aarondhgraham! That certainly used to be true for our generation and I hope still is...

I kinda lean toward a Marlin 60 (or 795 if you can still find rebates) as they're small rifles that you don't have to outgrow. The 795 is a pound lighter which might give it an advantage now.

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/selfloading/60.asp
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/selfloading/795.asp

[TCB in TN]

If you are supervising your 10yr old then why does the action type matter?

I have taught a number of kids (not just my own) to shoot and I always supervise them shooting. We practice taking safe, controlled, aimed, measured shots. Doing that ensures that they learn the proper way to shoot. BUT if you want a kid to enjoy shooting then plinking/rolling a can, blasting away is an easy way to ensure the session ends on a high note. Hard to beat a semi-auto in that regard. I have said for years that I believe a good used marlin 60 (etc) are the best bang for the buck in .22 rifles. They are cheap, but accurate, and reliable, but a boatload of fun.

[Laserlips]

JMOfartO:

If the rifle you are considering for your nephew is his "first" gun, then rather than get him a generic rifle why not bite the bullet and buy him a 22 rifle he can keep, and treasure, for a lifetime?

If you get him a bolt action, single shot rifle he will soon "out grow" it and want a semi-automatic..

If you get him a semi-automatic then I agree with the folks who say the young man will develop the "spray and pray" attitude and never gain an appreciation for having to make that "first" shot count..

If I were in your circumstances I would seriously consider the purchase of a Marlin "Original Golden" 39A, lever action 22cal. rifle.

New, or used...

After more than a century of manufacture there are still plenty of new 39A's available, and since over 2,200,000 have been made there are plenty of GOOD, slightly used ones available. (Check gunbroker)

My "slightly used" 39A was a gun show purchase, and it cost $400.00 otd... Not cheap, but quality and dependability to last MORE than a lifetime.

If you don't believe these 39A's are "heirloom quality" just google 'em and check 'em out..

I believe the majority of firearm experts, who have an opinion on rimfire rifles will agree that the Marlin 39A is one of the finest 22cal rifles EVER made..

With the lever action, you basically have a "single shot" rifle, but firing the 2nd through the 19th round is simply a matter of cocking the lever to load another round..

The 39A is gonna' be heavy, and it's gonna be a handful for a young man, but it's gonna garner instant love and it offers you the potential for giving him a "special" rifle he'll want to keep for a lifetime..

If you don't care, or simply don't want, to spend the money necessary to buy a top quality rifle for your nephew, then there are many, many other, very good, but cheaper options..

Just not in lever-action, and not of the quality of the fine Marlin Original Golden 39A's.

Just another option...

But a great one.

No offense to those who disagree.

Best Wishes & good luck with whatever choice you make.

Jesse

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a73/Laserlips/100_2221.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a73/Laserlips/100_2222.jpg

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

If you get him a bolt action, single shot rifle he will soon "out grow" it and want a semi-automatic..



Never happened with myself or my brother.. We wanted to hit the target rather than spray bullets...

[Warchild]

Never happened with myself or my brother.. We wanted to hit the target rather than spray bullets...

Is it the intent to say that a semi auto cannot hit the target or that semi's breed a Ramboesque attitude? Here's an idea, don't let him "spray bullets". Load the mag with 1 or 2 rounds to start and gradually work up, it's really not that hard of a concept to grasp. Call him down if he does spray, it's called discipline.

[jammin1237]

wow, "hyper" thread so far... as mentioned just get a marlin 795 or a marlin 60, have many thousands of rounds through mine so far and can still hit a golf ball at 75 yards - first shot... $140.00 well spent...

cheers

[edrice]

If you give a small kid a semi they learn to shoot fast,,,
They never learn to shoot well.

Tell that to my 11 yr old who can shoot circles around most of the adults at the range using up to and including his DW CBOB .45, Glock 19 9mm, Remmy 700 youth .243, and Colt 6920 .223. It isn't about what tool you give them, it's about how they are taught to use it. He's safer than 90% of the adults at the range. He's lights out with that Sig!

That kind of blew me away too. I was given a Browning Semi-Auto .22 by my father in the early 60s and that's what I learned on. There was nothing I couldn't hit with that rifle. A miss is a miss no matter what it comes out of and the idea is to hit. But the single greatest advantage of a semi-auto over anything else is that I could keep a can dancing across a field like you wouldn't believe till you couldn't see it anymore. That's something no bolt or lever is capable of, and that fact alone made it more fun and more challenging and it's why I'd recommend the semi-auto over anything else. Anything else is missed opportunities.

And there is no sweeter shooting rifle than that light, slim Browning. I still have one today and wish I still had my Belgian original. http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/family.asp?webflag_=022B&catalog_=B

I'd rethink this slow-shot mentality and give the kid a chance to get really good with his first rifle.

Ed

PS and I do like levers. Have one of those in .22 also.

[edrice]

BTW, just to echo what some others have said, I learned on the aforementioned Browning Semi-Auto, but each summer was sent off to camp where we had to shoot single-shots. In a word, all I can say is... "B-O-R-I-N-G!" If I hadn't originally learned on that Browning I might not have the interest in firearms that I do today. That rifle had fun-factor that no single shot is capable of.

Another factor I might add as to why I got good with that rifle is that rather than breaking concentration stopping to reload and then have to re-aim, I could uninterruptedly focus on the target and this makes a great deal of difference in learning quickly. Learning slowly is no advantage.

I'd say some have it exactly backwards. Do the kid a favor and get a semi-auto starter rifle and then move to single or lever later on, if you like (that's actually what I did), but I'm betting he'll stick with the semi-auto for a long, long time.

Ed

[m&p45acp10+1]

I am in the same camp as the ones sugesting the semiauto. True I learned with a single shot for the first few times shooting while on my granmpa's lap. I was barely out of diapers then. It was small, and light enough for a very tiny youngster to handle. At the age of 5 grampa bought me a 10-22 Ruger. I have fired more rounds than a warehouse can hold out of that rifle in the 29 years since. Teaching discipline as to not just shooting fast and missing kids can be taught to slowfire shoot with a semiauto if there is an adult to set an example. Besides grampa was a trickshooter with a wild west show when he was growing up. He taught me how to shoot fast and hit what I was shooting at.
It was a whole lot more fun that way. When I am teaching new shooters that are of size to be able to hold and shoot a 10-22 I teach them with mine. If they are small and tiny they start with the Cricket. Not for the fact that it is a single shot. It is small and is easier for the tiny young uns to shoot. As soon as they are big enough and strong enough they move to the 10-22.
Also some reactive targets are worth thier weight in gold for little ones to have the fun factor. 10 in the bull's eye may be fun to us. Remeber when you were a kid think how boring that would be. Now breaking some skeet clays is fun. The spnner targets are fun if they have developed enough to hit at a safe distance.

[REC510]

+ 1 for the Ruger 10 22. Can't go wrong with this gun, and with proper discipline there are simply more options with a semi-auto.