First gun for kids?

[R1100R]

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This is my Daughters Cub-T from Savage. Well made and soild.

It even has Savage's Acu-Trigger. Joe @ Hero Gear got it for me.

Edited November 17, 2008 by R1100R

[Guest clownsdd]

bolt action, single shot. When my daughter was starting out hunting with me, I would carry the bolt in my pocket and put it in when we got to the place we were going to hunt. She learned how to handle it without me having to worry about a shell in the chamber or an accidental firing.

[G27]

Took my boy to RangeUSA yesterday for a little training - he LOVED it. The Crickett performed flawlessly with the Remington .22LR ammo. He started off shooting a bit high, but after I worked on his stance a bit he started shooting nicely. This was only @ 10', but I'm proud of how well he handled it and how serious he was about safety...

[PackinMama]

That's awesome Crimson! Now you need to post a pic of your son shooting the rifle

My boy will be four in a couple months and I plan on teaching him to shoot this spring/summer with a Red Ryder BB gun and then hopefully by fall I'll let him shoot a .22 rifle. I've got a Browning .22 lever action for him already.....but I just might pick up one like you got since it's smaller and would be easier for him to handle.

[G27]

That's awesome Crimson! Now you need to post a pic of your son shooting the rifle

Heh, sorry - call me paranoid, but I don't post pics of my kid(s) online.

My boy will be four in a couple months and I plan on teaching him to shoot this spring/summer with a Red Ryder BB gun and then hopefully by fall I'll let him shoot a .22 rifle. I've got a Browning .22 lever action for him already.....but I just might pick up one like you got since it's smaller and would be easier for him to handle.

Yah, we spent some time over at Hero Gear letting him hold some different rifles and while he's a good sized kid for his age, the Crickett was the only one that really fit him. And they're on sale at Dick's for $129!

[PackinMama]

Heh, sorry - call me paranoid, but I don't post pics of my kid(s) online.

Can't blame you Crimson, these days you can't be too careful.

[The Average Joe]

My 8 yr old loves to shoot. He has a Red Rider BB gun that fits him perfectly. AND he can shoot it in the back yard (considering that we can't shoot firearms within city limits).

When we go to our range, I let him shoot my 2 Ruger Bearcats. They fit his hands and toy gun holster perfectly.

He's really not big enough to shoot my Marlin .22 rifle. His arms aren't long enough, yet.

I've looked at the crickets. The price is great and they come in different colored composite stock colors.

My 4 yr old daughter would love a pink one.

This would be a great pick for the kid whose younger than say, 12 yrs old.

I've heard that H&R make shotguns with youth stocks.

[Guest Guitarsnguns]

My first gun was a Savage over and under with a .22 Long Rifle on top and .410 on the bottom. Still think that is a good combo for kids.

Mine was the .22 / 20 guage. Passed that one down to my son when he was 9. He still has it. Kinda long and heavy for smaller children though. My son and I were tall kids.

[Guest cjr]

A .17 hmr would make a great 1st. I think it is light enough for a little person,safe enough in a bolt action and accurate enough to be a real confidence booster.

[G27]

Mine was the .22 / 20 guage. Passed that one down to my son when he was 9. He still has it. Kinda long and heavy for smaller children though. My son and I were tall kids.

I'm thinking of a combo for when he get s little bigger, not sure yet. Very happy with the Crickett so far, though!

[Guest Astra900]

http://www.henryrepeating.com/h005_minibolt.cfm THe Williams Fire Sight is a nice feature.

Henry makes GREAT guns. I have a Henry .22 lever action, and it is a TACK DRIVER!

[Guest trfkcop]

Rossi Youth combo. 22 / .410 barrels was what I bought my Son. I think the size is perfect for kids.

[Guest gcrookston]

my first gun was a 10-22 Ruger. I was 10. my brother also got one that year for Christmas, he was 8

[Guest deut20:16]

I bought my son a crickett for his 6th birthday last month. I was in the gun store with him and we tried Marlins,Mossberg, and Rossi youth models and the crickett was the one that fit him,thats what matters. It shoots really good and he's doing well with it.

[Guest RISC777]

When I was growing up I started with a decent pellet gun, I think you can get the basics down pretty well with that. Once I learned how to be safe I moved on to a 410 and a youth model Remington 20 guage. In my opinion a properly sized shotgun is the way to go. http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/youth/

Then again I never did much range shooting. I grew up in the country shooting birds and such. I think you will get 1000 different answers for this.

Ive still got that shotgun and it will be my sons first "real" gun as well.

Pellet guns are good to start with for the introductory safety learning, true, or any old BB gun for that matter.

A firearm that involves powder and a bullet - .22 rifle (no scope); bolt or semi (bolt action is the safest for all involved). Virtually no recoil. Can shoot a cinder block, a leaf or pine cone, a branch, a can/bottle/... any 'ole target. (Squirrels! ~GRIN~) Semi is to be watched closer than a bolt at the beginning as far as learning in-general firearm safety goes. Emphasize use of the safety. Emphasize the questions, "Where is the barrel pointing Right Now?" and, "Where is your trigger finger?" and, "Are you Sure it's not loaded?"

22 compared to a 410 due to recoil would be my decision. Though a 410 for sure is the best step into shotguns for the younger ones.

edit:

talk about not reading through the entire thread....sheesh @ me

Edited November 26, 2008 by RISC777

[tbuford]

BB/Pellet guns are great to start with..teach them to treat it as if they were your standard rifle / shotgun...we moved from those, after they showed responsibility, to pump 20 ga. This year there are 10/22's on Santa's list!

[Fadex]

Awesome! The Cricket looks almost identical to the Remington I learned to shoot with, but it's close to 80 years old now.

[Almond27]

This thread really put a smile on my face! I am 19 and just got my early Christmas present for my first hunt. But when I have children I plan on getting them a .22lr to start out with.

[ukerduker]

I bought my son a Crickett .22LR from Hero Gear. I let him talk to the guys there and find the perfect fit. He shoots great with it. When we can't make it to the range, I let him shoot a BB gun in my back yard. I make him treat both guns the same to stay consistant with safety. The hardest part was keeping him from running "down range" to see where his round/BB hit. For this, I bought him a set of binoculars. I believe Santa will be delivering a spotting scope to better his view.

I can't wait until my SBR approval. He already wants to shoot it.

[Guest Runnfree]

I bought my 15yold daughter a Walther P22. It is small enough for her to handle and very easy to shoot. Right now only dry firing to teach her how to use the gun, number 1 is safety. I plan on taking her out next weekend to shoot.