First .22 for my daughter?

[Smith]

My 7 yr old daughter is really wanting to go shooting with me, but I don't really have a gun she can handle. I have access to a Marlin Model 60 and a Marlin 39A. The 39A is way too big and heavy for her and the 60's stock is way too long. Any other suggestions or maybe stock options that might fit her a little better. BTW - she is small for her age which makes it even tougher.

[Guest Bronker]

Nate, when my son was six, I picked up a Henry Youth model lever action .22LR. We have shot the fire out of it. A little more fun to shoot than a single-shot, but it requires more intentional action than a semi-auto.

Like this one:

[MCSCOTT]

There are several different options to choose from these days for smaller kids. Whichever way you got I would have to agree with getting something like Bronker posted. If not a lever action, look into getting something bolt action. From my experience young shooters seem to stay more interested in these actions than they do with semi-autos. Going this route is a little bit safer as well.

[Mike.357]

I wish you were closer Nate I would lend you Cameron's little Savage Cub mini youth. It is perfect for a small child. Single shot, has a stud for a bipod. It is about as safe of a beginner rifle for a kid as there is. And accurate.

You going to be around KNoxville at all?

[chadbuddy]

my vote is for the bolt action cricket. They have a pink one at most wal-marts. I agree that a bolt or lever action will be more interactive and safe than a semi-auto.

http://www.thegunsource.com/item/65220_Crickett_Rifles_Shotguns_Keystone_222_Crickett_Rif.aspx

[R1100R]

My Daughter has a Savage Cub-T in pink. She loves her little rifle.

Savage Arms > Firearms > Browse Models

[Seaslug]

my vote is for the bolt action cricket. They have a pink one at most wal-marts. I agree that a bolt or lever action will be more interactive and safe than a semi-auto.

Crickett Rifles/Shotguns crickett bolt action youth rifle - -thegunsource.com

+1 to this. I've been eyeing that little, pink rifle for a while now. Is it wrong that I started my 5-year-old out with my GSG-5?

[Mike.357]

the thing I do not like about the Cricket is the cocking piece that has to be pulled. it is just unnecessary fiddling with a rifle with a live round in it.

Closing the bolt on the round should be good enough for the child to know the weapon is ready to be fired.

The Cricket to me looks and feel like a toy, where the Savage looks and feels like a real rifle.

For the boys first shoot we used canned veggies, he was easily able to see the damage that could be done with a bullet. I believe it helped with him understanding the seriousness of gunfire.

[byrnemm]

I believe there's a youth Model 60. Gotta love those marlin 22s!

[gregintenn]

My boys both started with a Crickett. They've proved to be fine little rifles.

Edited July 8, 2010 by gregintenn

[Smith]

I wish you were closer Nate I would lend you Cameron's little Savage Cub mini youth. It is perfect for a small child. Single shot, has a stud for a bipod. It is about as safe of a beginner rifle for a kid as there is. And accurate.

You going to be around KNoxville at all?

Appreciate the offer, but with my work schedule I don't get out of Nashville hardly ever. Thanks Mike.

+1 to this. I've been eyeing that little, pink rifle for a while now. Is it wrong that I started my 5-year-old out with my GSG-5?

I actually thought about a GSG-5. I thought with the adjustability and compactness of it it, it may work plus I could enjoy it as well!

the thing I do not like about the Cricket is the cocking piece that has to be pulled. it is just unnecessary fiddling with a rifle with a live round in it.

Closing the bolt on the round should be good enough for the child to know the weapon is ready to be fired.

The Cricket to me looks and feel like a toy, where the Savage looks and feels like a real rifle.

For the boys first shoot we used canned veggies, he was easily able to see the damage that could be done with a bullet. I believe it helped with him understanding the seriousness of gunfire.

I felt the same way about the Cricket. Feels a little too much like a toy. She's handled the Cub-T pink at G&L and seems to almost fit here, but it is still a bit large for her. She's really petite. However, i think she could manage on the Cub-T. The lever action is a good call. I wondered about the safety issues with a semi-auto. I just figured I'd only load one round at a time, till she got the hang of it.

[G27]

Bought a Crickett for my oldest, who has now progressed to a Marlin 60. Now my younger child is using (and loving) the Crickett. Zero complaints about it here, highly recommended...

Edited July 8, 2010 by crimsonaudio

[I_Like_Pie]

I have a Chipmunk (predecessor to the Crickett) and must say that they are actually outstanding rifles. People, as they age, generally turn their noses up to them due to the perception of being kid guns.

Doesn't make sense as they shoot just as well as about any rimfire gun made. Their simplicity is what makes them so good. Fit and finish on mine is unbelievable. Great plinker no matter what the age. Excellent squirrel or raccoon gun because it sucks to lug around a big and heavy gun.

Now if you are wanting something to burn a lot of ammo to keep johnny entertained...you may look elsewhere. Aside from that you can't go wrong for the money.

[bigtruuck]

i got my little one the pink cricket and she loves it. and on the plus side she can bullseye chicken eggs at 25yds.

[MCSCOTT]

I actually thought about a GSG-5. I thought with the adjustability and compactness of it it, it may work plus I could enjoy it as well!

Even though I mentioned how I personally would rather go bolt action or lever action, if you're looking for something with adjustability that you can also enjoy you might want to check Dick's Sporting Goods. I picked up a 10/22 there with an Axiom Blackhawk stock a while back that I like so far. It was $100 more than a normal 10/22, which is the cost of the stock, and since it came with both and I was needing the wood stock for another project I figured I'd give it a try. It's super light, and adjustable, and the fact that it's a 10/22 means that there's tons of options for things that she (or you) can do as far as customizing the rifle as she gets older.

[Murgatroy]

I started out with an Iver Johnson Lil' Champ. Same thing as a Crickett or Chipmunk. Single shot, bolt action, manually cocked. My father bought it for me when I was around 5.

My daughter is 4 now, so she still has a year to go, but she already understands that it is hers.

A lot of folks will tell you that a single shot bolt action .22 is the best rifle to start any child on. And I agree. However, I feel that any gun you know the manual of operations on and can teach with will suit just fine.

I like the Lil' Champ/Crickett/Chipmunk because it teaches the order of operations. Load, cock, fire, eject, repeat. It stresses accuracy over quantity.

[chadbuddy]

I don't remember what models of 22 my cousins have. I could have sworn one of the two I shot with them was a cricket that didn't have the cocking device.

The second 22 rifle we shot had to be cocked and they couldn't do it by themselves. And I agree, I wouldn't reccomend one that she can't operate herself.

[Guest buttonhook]

I bought the rossi 22lr/243/20 ga. youth combo set. so he can learn with the 22 and when I take him on a youth hunt we can use the .243. 20 gauge for birds. everything he will need for awhile. it shoot good to (heavy) not alot of kick from the .243 20ga is still too much for him though. Single shot break action just like a single shot shotgun.

[Guest coldblackwind]

Another vote for a small bolt action. The cricketts seem to be pretty good guns, although I've never tried one personally. If you wanna make the drive to auburntown (about an hour), I have two that are my little girl's I'll let her shoot if you want. One is an remington model 580 that a gunsmith cut down for me when i was 5, the other is a armscor model 14y. Both of these work out pretty well for kids. The 14y is small to begin with, the model 580 was pretty small, all that was cut down on mine was the stock to fit short 5 year old arms. The 580 is a single shot, so they have to reload it each time, the 14y is magazine fed, but you can fire that one single too if you prefer.

Edited July 9, 2010 by coldblackwind
stupidity

[Good_Steward]

This may sound odd, but have you thought about a Ruger Charger? Built to be a quasi handgun / rifle. They shoot darn well, by the way, and should be easy for your girl to handle, and can attach a bipod to it as well.

Anyway, My son started with a Mossberg 702, and they are light, short rifles that are easy to handle and pretty accurate, but buying seperate mags (made by Mossberg) can be frustrating, since they sometimes require tinkering at the mag lip to feed properly. I've seen this on two of the ten extra ones I have purchased.

[Sheepdog]

How about a S&W M&P15 (or other AR-15 with an adjustable stock)?

What? Technically, it *is* a .22...

She was 7 at the time, too...

[Smith]

How about a S&W M&P15 (or other AR-15 with an adjustable stock)?

What? Technically, it *is* a .22...

She was 7 at the time, too...

Well, the AR platform is perfectly suited for little girls! (says the AK guy!)

[Oh Shoot]

This may sound odd, but have you thought about a Ruger Charger? Built to be a quasi handgun / rifle. They shoot darn well, by the way, and should be easy for your girl to handle, and can attach a bipod to it as well....

Bipod comes with it. They are a 10/22, so sure, they shoot well.

No iron sights though, and that should be a requisite part of new shooters education, IMO.

Besides, I think the Charger is a Gimmick Gun, has none of the advantages of handgun OR rifle; certainly not a good foundation for a new shooter, again just IMO.

- OS

[Good_Steward]

Bipod comes with it. They are a 10/22, so sure, they shoot well.

No iron sights though, and that should be a requisite part of new shooters education, IMO.

Besides, I think the Charger is a Gimmick Gun, has none of the advantages of handgun OR rifle; certainly not a good foundation for a new shooter, again just IMO.

- OS

Sure. I've only shot one once, but it seems like it would handle easy enough, which is why I threw it out there. Didn't realize it was not equipped with iron sights.

[whiskey]

At 7 years old, odds are that any gun she shoots will have to be supported. My daughter has had a crickett since she was 6 and it fit her very well. The little Henry is her favorite gun to shoot, but it was still too big for her when she was that young. Now at age 11 she can shoot the crickett off hand pretty well, but still prefers a rest or shooting stick. She has graduated to a 20 gauge for dove and turkey hunting and a Youth Remington 700 SPS for deer hunting.

You may know this, but these are things that I learned while teaching my daughter. She has since grown to love hunting and shooting, so long as they are on her terms.

Start them out right with a tiny little gun that fits and they will enjoy it more. Keep shooting sessions much shorter than you would normally. Even if they love shooting, they get bored sooner than you do. Keep it fun, focus on safety rather than accuracy at first. I used the large shoot-n-see targets with a little orange dot in the x ring. That way she could see how close she was getting. Keep iron sight shooting at 10-15 yards and scope shooting to 25 yards to start.

My daughter was worried about the gun kicking her, so I had her close her eyes and squeeze the first shot off in what ever position she wanted to just get the feel. Ofcourse after feeling how light it was she had no fear and never developed a flinching problem. I let her do this with each new caliber/gun. It worked for us.

Everyone of these photos brings great memories for me. I hope you have the same success with your daughter and shooting.