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Rascal or Crickett for an 8 year old.
- Thread starter Knob Creek
- Start date
AHM
NES Member
Dude, thank you for your concern for our feelings...
...but if you had Dick's gift cards burning a hole in your pocket,
I'd give you a pass even if it was today.
Actually, especially if it was today.
Gift cards are cancer during a pandemic;
and NESers are praying 24x7 that Dick's goes out of business.
Liquidate those cards and shake the dust from your feet -
it's OK by me.
Sailboat owners wish they could get their kids to like sailing;
at least past the age when they discover the Opposite Sex.
Ditto for ham radio operators.
Guns may be a little more fun, but I feel your pain.
My very ignorant kneejerk reaction is: "plinking".
Do people best learn hand-eye coordination while they're still youts?
(They best learn languages while they're youts).
If so, there's a lot to be said for any kind of moving target
that you might find in a "shooting arcade".
More fun, and it builds skill they can never acquire as an adult.
(It's taken me 55+ years to appreciate that busting a cap on Bambi
is a whole different thing than shooting at a static target).
Don't apologize; they could probably beat me in arm wrestling.
I really think it comes down to the size of the kids. The rascal is good for smaller kids but honestly I have no problem shooting this thing out to 200 yards.
The aperture sights are much better than the notch rear sight. I went as far as installing a set of adjustable match sights. My kids are a little big for this rifle now 10 and 12 but still like to shoot it.
1. Its as accurate if not better as most sub $300 22s 2. its easy to shoot. 3. the trigger is nice My oldest daughter is 12 now and will shoot prone off the bipod and pick off the 2" steel @ 100 yards with ease.
with the match sights.
Here she is at 50 dinging a 6" plate with the factory sights. she just turned 7.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW0sDTwehR4&feature=youtu.be
I will also add if your kids where glasses a aperture sight will be better for them.
I have a tac sol AR 22 which is a blast and very accurate ....my oldest daughter likes it but only when shooting a dueling tree or clay pigeons at 100 yards. Been a while since we did that though.
if your looking for a inexpensive rear diopter style sight this works on a lot of 22s with the 3/8 rail. Depending on the front sight hieght you may not get the needed +/- elevation to zero where you need to? If it has a front dovetail you can buy a base to mount the front globes or taller/shorter sights.
rear sight
www.pyramydair.com
front sight base
www.midwayusa.com
The aperture sights are much better than the notch rear sight. I went as far as installing a set of adjustable match sights. My kids are a little big for this rifle now 10 and 12 but still like to shoot it.
1. Its as accurate if not better as most sub $300 22s 2. its easy to shoot. 3. the trigger is nice My oldest daughter is 12 now and will shoot prone off the bipod and pick off the 2" steel @ 100 yards with ease.
with the match sights.
Here she is at 50 dinging a 6" plate with the factory sights. she just turned 7.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW0sDTwehR4&feature=youtu.be
I will also add if your kids where glasses a aperture sight will be better for them.
I have a tac sol AR 22 which is a blast and very accurate ....my oldest daughter likes it but only when shooting a dueling tree or clay pigeons at 100 yards. Been a while since we did that though.
if your looking for a inexpensive rear diopter style sight this works on a lot of 22s with the 3/8 rail. Depending on the front sight hieght you may not get the needed +/- elevation to zero where you need to? If it has a front dovetail you can buy a base to mount the front globes or taller/shorter sights.
rear sight
Daisy Match Grade Avanti Precision Diopter Sight | Pyramyd AIR
We've got a great price on Daisy Match Grade Avanti Precision Diopter Sight at Pyramyd AIR. Shop where the experts do!
www.pyramydair.com
front sight base
Williams Target Globe Front Sight Attaching Base Dovetail (High) .465
For use with the William's Target Globe front sight, these steel attaching bases either fit a rifle's 3/8" dovetail or use screws to mount to the...
www.midwayusa.com
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snax
NES Member
I hadn't considered the rascal... but I was at Dicks 3? years ago, I hadn't even considered buying a gun there either...
But... it was on sale with a rebate. I think I got it for 70 bucks. How could you say no. It's turned out to be a good little gun. I would have preferred wood, but it's the black plastic stock.
Glad I did. I walked thru last week and all the gun shelves were pretty much empty. There were two rascals there, both almost $200.
That's not a $200 gun.
But... it was on sale with a rebate. I think I got it for 70 bucks. How could you say no. It's turned out to be a good little gun. I would have preferred wood, but it's the black plastic stock.
Glad I did. I walked thru last week and all the gun shelves were pretty much empty. There were two rascals there, both almost $200.
That's not a $200 gun.
the 10/22 is such a ill fitting rifle for young kids, and hacking a 1" or so off the butt end is not the answer.
Heck its even ill fitting for adults, why they end up looking like this. Titan stock and until I mounted the mount for the rear Redfield sights that cheap Daisy aperture sight lived on there for a while. I now have a 8x32x44 scope
with a little bit of mods you can even stuff A2 sights on a rifle
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AHM
NES Member
but I bet the trigger to grip length is the same ? If the comb is in the right place for the sights thats good.
almost , almost better off with this
Buy Knoxx® Axiom R/F Ruger® 10/22® Rifle Stock And More | Blackhawk
Shopping for the Knoxx® Axiom R/F Ruger® 10/22® Rifle Stock? Learn more about the latest Stocks and more at Blackhawk.
blackhawk.com
what they need is this in the rascal size...
www.savagearms.com
maybe with the rascal target stock
www.savagearms.com
MARK II FVT | RIMFIRE | SAVAGE ARMS
We know what it takes to build a truly reliable bolt gun, and we put all of it into our trusted Mark II Series.
maybe with the rascal target stock
RASCAL TARGET | RIMFIRE | SAVAGE ARMS
Sure, you’ve only got one shot, but with a Savage Rascal, it’s all you need. The Rascal rimfire rifle is perfect for new shooters learning shooting fundamentals.
bigben111435
NES Member
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2014
- Messages
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Henry Mini bolt is a good shooter, cricket is less $.
I have both, kids like to shoot both.
Both are fairly accurate and easy shooters. Both have peep sights not leaf.
TC used to make a youth rifle that was a breachloader. Hotshot maybe? my kids loved that.
I have both, kids like to shoot both.
Both are fairly accurate and easy shooters. Both have peep sights not leaf.
TC used to make a youth rifle that was a breachloader. Hotshot maybe? my kids loved that.
dcmdon
NES Member
I agree. I apologize my earlier post came off as a bit harsh.
Every kid is different. If I felt I was losing them, I'd switch to a semi-auto. With my kids, I've found that shooting cans and things like that makes shooting a single shot fun.
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2020
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There are plenty of non-lethal options in 12ga. if you just want to run it off your lawn or trap it.
Otherwise, I guess it depends on how much shot you want to pick out at the dinner table.
Knob Creek
NES Member
Decided on the Rascal. Could not find any in LGS. Having one shipped in from Gun Broker.
I had to do the same thing . 3 local shops could not get close to prices.
I finally ordered one on line , shipping and transfer was still $50 less than the LGS that did the transfer.
He said , heck I made more money on the transfer.
Knob Creek
NES Member
We never got into prices. Just nobody had any.
Yup.. I usually give the LGS the first shot... and ask them if they can come close. Lately, they've been telling me to order and they'll make money on the transfer. Sometimes, they've said they ask for the link so they can order too because it's less than their distributor.
My son uses (used) a Mossberg Model B that was/is his grandfather's. The boy is now 15 and almost 6 feet tall!
Here:
www.northeastshooters.com
Thinking about it now, how about one of these?
www.chiappafirearms.com
I always thought these were cool, and you can have it for yourself when your kid(s) move(s) on.
Here:
.22lr in a .22 short bolt action rifle?
Ok to run in a single shot .22 short squirrel gun? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
www.northeastshooters.com
Thinking about it now, how about one of these?
Firearms
www.chiappafirearms.com
I always thought these were cool, and you can have it for yourself when your kid(s) move(s) on.
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The Henry and the Chipmunk both have bolts that do not cock the striker via the normal operation of the bolt; instead, after the cartridge has been chambered, these rifles have strikers that must be 'cocked', by hand, as a separate step. In addition to that, every new-production Chipmunk that I was able to locate was equipped with an integral lock that required a Ace-type key. The Savage Rascal, on the other hand, is configured like a full-size rifle, with the same manual of arms, the same manual safety, no integral lock, and the shortest LOP (of the three).
AHM
NES Member
The Remington Model 33 that my father bought as a teenager during the Great Depression
also had to be cocked by pulling back on a knob at the back of the bolt.
Somehow he coped.
Mind you, I bought my Ruger Mk III 22/45 because it has the same grip angle
and operation of safety as a 1911. So I appreciate the concept of a first gun
working the same as mainstream models.
Jus' sayin'.
My daughter is 8 and I bought her a mini bolt (pretty sure it was on the way home from hospital the day she was born) 
!
She does really well with it and as others have mentioned it was important to me for her to learn with open sights (which are very good on the Henry, contrasting green and orange) I feel running the bolt, manually cocking and taking the safety off for each shot taught her to make each shot count...
With that being said she now wants the scoped 1022 after a few shots with the Henry. Every kid is different and you need to do what you can to keep them engaged and excited about shooting. We do enough "work" around here, between school and chores that going to the range needs to be 100% fun.
The only real lesson that needs to be pounded into a young kid is safety... for that there is no exception. Buy whichever rifle you'd like and when your child is done pass it on to another...
! She does really well with it and as others have mentioned it was important to me for her to learn with open sights (which are very good on the Henry, contrasting green and orange) I feel running the bolt, manually cocking and taking the safety off for each shot taught her to make each shot count...
With that being said she now wants the scoped 1022 after a few shots with the Henry. Every kid is different and you need to do what you can to keep them engaged and excited about shooting. We do enough "work" around here, between school and chores that going to the range needs to be 100% fun.
The only real lesson that needs to be pounded into a young kid is safety... for that there is no exception. Buy whichever rifle you'd like and when your child is done pass it on to another...
dcmdon
NES Member
My mistake thinking that you comment about using it when your kids are done was applied to the Rascal.
As did I with the Cooey 39 that my Dad bought me. The question, in my mind, is why you'd want to teach a child different manual of arms, anyway? The answer, of course, is that you don't, but the separate step required to cock the striker is somehow seen as "safer". "Safer"... like a magazine disconnect. The problem is that not every bolt action rifle requires that separate step, and not every pistol requires a magazine; don't you see the potential issue with a 'training' firearm that has a manual of arms that is distinctly different from most other firearms?
In any event, I have started many, many, children with my old Cooey 39. Most 'coped' okay, but I distinctly remember others who struggled physically with the task of cocking the striker - even to the point that they were prioritizing that task over (continuous) muzzle control - and who sometimes needed assistance to cock the striker, especially when it was very cold out. I knew that not only was the manual cocking of the Cooey 39's striker not adding any safety into the mix, it was also creating an unnecessary training scar. When I found the Savage Rascal, I was very happy to find that children can handle it on their own, easily, and they can do it while maintaining continuous muzzle control, easily, and they can do it without creating any bad habits, or any bad attitudes. So, since I found the Savage Rascal, I will choose it over the Cooey 39 for training any new shooter.
I've never handled a CZ 457 Scout, but I'd like to. It's harder to find, and people sometimes overlook the CZ, I think, because it usually costs more than the others. The 457 Scout might be even better than the Savage, I think, for training a new shooter, because of the conventional trigger and the magazine capability, but - like I said - I haven't handled one.
AHM
NES Member
Hey, I'm the one that didn't want to start with "is up or down safe or fire?" on pistol safeties...
![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
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