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Old February 17, 2013, 10:10 AM   #1
Keg
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What is a good youth 22 rifle?

I am lookin for a decent quality youth bolt action for my G-sons first....I want a bolt action...I want to mount a scope on it too....I am lookin at the Savage Rascal right now....Any other ideas?
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Old February 17, 2013, 10:21 AM   #2
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Look at CZ.
They make some that are outstanding.
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Old February 17, 2013, 10:30 AM   #3
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Crickett

Crickett
Check out the link these guys are an American owned family business and have built these guns specifically for youth shooters. They also offer a lot of great training aids.
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Old February 17, 2013, 10:49 AM   #4
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I have a CZ scout that will be his one day....He is 5....This gun is too big and heavy for him right now....

The Crickett does not seem to be as good a gun as the Rascal....IMO
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Old February 17, 2013, 10:53 AM   #5
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I got my daughter a Crickett for her first .22 when she was five. Chipmunk rifles are very similar to the Crickett and another good option. I liked the Crickett because of its simple design, my daughter liked it because I let her pick out which one she wanted. With all the different colors of laminated stocks a kid can pick out their own special color and it makes the rifle more special to them. They sell as well adult sized stocks for when the kids need them for a reasonable price. I don't recommend getting the scope for it, I feel kids need to learn to shoot with sights first.

You don't need to buy a super expensive .22 lr for kids as they will outgrow it very quickly. My daughter is now ten and I needed to buy a bigger stock for it a couple of years ago for her. The problem was when it became too small for her, she didn't quite fit the adult stock. Now that she does I asked her if she wanted to buy a new stock for it and she said she wanted to keep it like it is because it is her first rifle and special to her. She is happy to shoot my .22's now and her favorite now is a .223 Stevens 200 I gave her.
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Old February 17, 2013, 11:31 AM   #6
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I'm probably gonna go with the Savage Rascal...It cocks on pulling back the bolt...It has the accu-trigger...light weight syn stock....It also comes with a peep sight....We will wait a short while before mounting a scope....

There are many more options for kids guns now days....Thanks for the info fellas....
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Old February 19, 2013, 12:00 AM   #7
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Like the Rascal, bought the CZ Scout

It uses the same mags as my CZ-455. I don't think the extra safety features on some of the others actually do any good. I understand the Cricket's pull-to-cock knob actually makes it hard to unload if you have a cease-fire called and can't just shoot.

It's a bolt action. If not ready, don't chamber a round....it's not going to get away with a shooter like a semi-auto could. And being able to step up from the single-shot adapter to a 10-round mag when your kid is ready is a nice feature, I think.
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Old February 19, 2013, 05:42 PM   #8
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My first rifle was a Henry .22, it has served me well for more than a decade. I love it, and plan to keep it forever.

The Henry Youth .22 is a little bit smaller. It probably isn't the smallest rifle you could pick, but it would definitely be something he could grow into over the years.
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Old February 19, 2013, 05:45 PM   #9
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Marlin XT-22VR(bull barrel)
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Old February 19, 2013, 05:54 PM   #10
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^Way too heavy of a gun for a 5 year old. If a CZ scout is too big and heavy at 5lbs, The marlin is 6lbs.
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Old February 20, 2013, 09:54 AM   #11
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The Crickett is pretty much ideal for a little one.
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Old February 20, 2013, 11:40 AM   #12
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Got a Cricket for my grandson when he was about 7. It was a great little starter rifle and didn't set me back many bucks. Now that he's older her seldom shoots it. He much prefers my S&W 15-22 with the stock in a short position. Still, the Cricket was an ideal gun for him to learn on. Being a single shot that required cocking made him more aware of the gun being in a firing condition. Now I'll keep the gun for his younger sisters if they have any desire to shoot.
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Old February 20, 2013, 12:57 PM   #13
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Model 67 youth Winchester.
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Old February 20, 2013, 08:32 PM   #14
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My daughter and my son both started on a Chipmunk. It was a very safe gun for them--single shot, good safety.

I bought it for my daughter when she finished hunter safety class when she was 12. It was a special order at the gun shop. When we went in to pick it up, the shop owner placed it on the counter and opened the box. I gave her a nod to pick it up and she asked the guy where the safety was. She checked that it was on safe, then with perfect muzzle control, she picked it up, pulled the bolt all the way back, and did a visual inspection to make sure it was empty. Her finger stayed outside the trigger guard the whole time. When she was done checking it out she handed it back. The shop owner said that he wished that everyone who came in his shop would handle the guns that safe. It was a proud dad moment. The Chipmunk was a good starter gun.
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Old February 20, 2013, 08:38 PM   #15
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My daughters started on a Savage Cub. Good beginners gun. No goofy pull to cock mech.
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Old February 21, 2013, 01:34 AM   #16
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Quote:
My daughters started on a Savage Cub. Good beginners gun. No goofy pull to cock mech.
That is one of the reasons I don't want to go with the Chipmunk or Crickett....I don't care for the pull knob to cock..or the fact that it's not drilled and tapped....
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Old February 22, 2013, 10:24 AM   #17
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We bought 2 TC HotShots for Grandsons. One is fine but the other has already returned to S&W. Barrel pivot was loose and barrel moved around with action closed. I'll reserve further comment pending final resolution.
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Old February 22, 2013, 12:51 PM   #18
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Quote:
That is one of the reasons I don't want to go with the Chipmunk or Crickett....I don't care for the pull knob to cock..or the fact that it's not drilled and tapped....
Both the chipmunk and cricket are drilled and tapped for their scope mounts. For an additional $15 you can buy the base off of their web site. I don't mind the cocking piece knob, as that is what I learned on with my Dad's old single shot .22 lr when I was growing up. The knob didn't seem to bother my daughter either, and she learned to manipulate it quickly. The ascetics of the knob doesn't seem to bother as many kids as it does their parents.
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Old February 22, 2013, 01:05 PM   #19
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I think the requirement to pull and cock the Chipmunk and Cricket is a great safety feature for a beginning shooter. It makes them more aware that the gun is ready to fire IMO.
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Old February 22, 2013, 01:52 PM   #20
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Keep in mind the Crickett rifles are not designed for 12 year olds. These guns are designed for little kids who do not have the manual dexterity of a bigger kid or adult. The goofy pull to cock mech actually makes the bolt easier to operate for little hands because you don't have the camming action of a close to cock mechanism. It also keeps production cost down (you can get a Crickett for $109) which is a good thing when a Dad might be more enthusiastic about getting the kid into shooting than the child is. Kids sometimes do things to make Mom or Dad proud but loose interest fairly quickly so spending $300 or more for a youth gun is not always wise.
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Old February 22, 2013, 02:05 PM   #21
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Mossberg

I was gonna recommend that, but it is only a single shot. Savage makes other bolt actions for around 200 that aren't so ugly! Look at Mossberg's site, they make bolt actions, and they make a "bantam" version that is shorter. They are good guns going for around $200. Check out the 802 plinkster bantam. Very nice rifle, and goes for about $216 brand new. Also, check out Mossberg's Half Pint 22. Not sure if it can be scoped, but it goes for around the same price, and like the plinkster it has a detachable magazine. Hope I helped, let us know what you decide on!
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Old February 22, 2013, 02:34 PM   #22
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What is a good youth 22 rifle?

Another vote for the Cricket. My 6 year old loves hers. It's still a bit long for her but I help aim. She'll love it even more when she can do it all by herself.

Last edited by wyobohunter; February 22, 2013 at 08:55 PM.
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Old February 22, 2013, 05:03 PM   #23
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I've had a Chipmunk for the little people for a very long time. The peep sight doesn't look like much, but with it the gun is very accurate. So much so that I've carried it in a backpack on hikes during rabbit season, and have actually taken a couple of bunnies with it myself.
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Old February 22, 2013, 05:13 PM   #24
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I also like the Crickett, I will be buying one soon for my 8 hear old.
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Old February 22, 2013, 11:38 PM   #25
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The Cricket maybe an option you want to explore.
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