I'm thinking of getting my son, he's 13, a .22 rifle. He did shoot an "old" Sears and Roebucks Model 25 which a friend let us borrow. It seemed a little big for him, but he kept all his shots in a 6 inch group at 30 ft. and 10 inch from 50ft. I see that Dick's has the Mossi Youth Matched Pair, .22LR/410GA. or .22LR/20GA. on sale this week for $99.99 after rebate. I haven't gone there to see the size/quality of it, so I guess it may be tiny or a piece of junk. I know he's only going to get bigger and I wondering if I'd be wasting $100 and should go and get a adult size rifle for him that he will grow into. If so any recommodations.
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
-
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS May Giveaway ***Canik METE SFX***
My son's first gun
- Thread starter 705squat
- Start date
the ruger 10/22 carbine length rifle might be a good one for him
Taipan01
NES Member
Just a bare bones Ruger 10/22. I prefer a wooden stock but that's your call. You can add a scope to it but I'd go with the iron sights for a while. If he were younger, I would have suggested a crickett or papoose but the Ruger would be a better pick now. It'll run about $200 for the wooden stock version. Almost all dealers have them in inventory.
cstockwell
NES Member
My friend I and I took his daughter for her first shooting a couple of weeks ago. I brought a Rossi youth matched pair that you are looking at (I have the .22/20). I had bought it for my wife who is very tiny to learn with the single shot. I also brought an old Marlin model 100 .22 bolt action that you can often find in gun shops for $75. Guess which one she loved...the old Marlin. That things shoots as straight as you will find and is great size for beginner. She liked it so much I gave it to her. The Rossi isn't awful but I find all my really old .22's shoot so much better. Plus it is nice to have a firearm made in the 40's or 50's that outshoots the stuff put out today. If you are concerned with safety and want the single shot like the Rossi just look for a single shot bolt like the marlin or a bolt action with clip. Either way best of luck and I hope he enjoys it. BTW...some of those Sears ones and Old marlins are very long barrel rifles and you can just keep your eye out for shorter ones. My old Sears Ranger which was my first gun as a kid had a long barrel but was more accurate than my friends 10/22's. One friend offered to trade for his in HS and I turned him down.
Taipan01
NES Member
They are a good, reliable, accurate rifle for what they cost. Like most semis, it takes about a brick to break in. It'll take most 22LR but Ruger doesn't want you to use Stingers in them if you do get ammo for it. There is a metric ton of options for them from third party companies.
check out the browning bl-22's. I got mine when I was 10 and I still haven't outgrown it. It is also insanely accurate. Also, its lever action and adjustable sights so you get to learn all the basics on a gun with absolutely no kick so you can really focus on fundamentals.
It seems like a 10/22 with a youth stock would be an ideal place to start. Then, later on, you can pick up an adult sized stock, the factory ones I've seen usually go for about 30 bucks (speaking of which, I have a spare hanging around!), or go for one of the cool upgrade ones.
Be careful though, 10/22s, especially upgrading them, can be addicting as all hell.
Be careful though, 10/22s, especially upgrading them, can be addicting as all hell.
Taipan01
NES Member
I think they go for $600+ today but I may be wrong.
Taipan01
NES Member
Well it looks like we will have to make a trip to the gun shop on Thursday after school. Maybe I'll find a good deal and grab myself something too![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
Happy hunting, to both of you.
10/22 and let him customize it as he progresses. He can turn a stock 10/22 into something like what you find in this thread:
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=71058
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=71058
By the looks of some of those he'll need to get a job or me a third job![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
Nah, 10/22 is the cheapest, easiest, and most fun gun to mod in my opinion. The possibilities are endless and relatively inexpensive.
My dad had me shoot his Ruger 10/22 when I was a youngster (around 6 or 7). I didn't have the strength to hold the gun steady so I rested it on a chair while I knelt down. A 13 year old should have the strength to stand whilst holding it steady.
Great gun to shoot and the ammo is cheap as well.
Great gun to shoot and the ammo is cheap as well.
A 10/22 is a good choice for the long haul. You might want to look at a bolt action 22 as well. My son has a Marlin Model 80, which is a good anxiety-free trainer, and they can be found used for well under $100.
My son is also 13, and had shot my semi-auto Marlin 60 as his first experience. When it came time to pick out his own 22, after earning his Rifle Shooting Merit Badge, he went for a bolt action.
I guess he just likes bolts. For his birthday, he picked out a Mosin-Nagant. Now he's looking for an M44.![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
My son is also 13, and had shot my semi-auto Marlin 60 as his first experience. When it came time to pick out his own 22, after earning his Rifle Shooting Merit Badge, he went for a bolt action.
I guess he just likes bolts. For his birthday, he picked out a Mosin-Nagant. Now he's looking for an M44.
My youngest just turned 10. I bought him a Model 1969 Romanian trainer. It was made in 1985 and has been sitting in my FFL's vault all these years. $90.00 out the door. My youngest is still short, but this rifle fits him fine. The new 10/22's are plastic, be careful!
I'm gonna vote one for the matched pair. My daughter got one for her 9th b-day. Go for the 20 ga. I ended up buying a separate one to get the 20 ga barrel. Now she has a gun that will go anywhere and do most anything.
My son wanted an AR-7 for his ninth-lasted about a week before he moved up. Now he shoots a 1903 sporter I made a trade for so he doesn't shoot the barrels out of my collectibles.
My son wanted an AR-7 for his ninth-lasted about a week before he moved up. Now he shoots a 1903 sporter I made a trade for so he doesn't shoot the barrels out of my collectibles.
Last edited:
A friend of my son's brought over an M69 Trainer a while back. We had a lot of fun with it. In fact, we had no idea what it was until I posted a picture of it here:
http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=72707
The 10/22 is a great gun. I still have one which my kids used as teens. One word of caution, though, and that is that it's a semi-auto, which can be tricky for green shooters. It can be unsafe if they forget that a new round is chambered without any help from them. I would prowl the gun stores for an older bolt action .22 as was mentioned earlier. Along with the Mossbergs and Marlins mentioned above, I'd recommend the Remington 581 or similar. If any of the nearby clubs offer an NRA junior training program, it's a great investment in his future safety and enjoyment. Best of luck.
It is always possible to single-load the rifle, either by dropping a round in through the ejection port, or by putting single rounds in a couple magazines, which dad can reload in a spare second or two while junior shoots. Then, once junior has the whole oh-its-a-semiauto thing down, dad and him can start loading mags with more rounds in them.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
- Messages
- 11,727
- Likes
- 12,013
My son just turned 10 and I bought him a 10/22, I scpped it and we were shooting clays set out at 100 yards with it.....it's a blast. I got him a lightly used 20 ga youth for clays. I don't worry about the semi-auto thing....the best way to teach him how to use a semi auto is let him use it and bring up the finer points of safety with him while he's using it.
Last edited:
