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Which Youth .22lr Rifle?

22lr

22lr

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I am looking to pick up a youth .22lr rifle
for the kids this Christmas. They have been using a Glenfield bolt action so far, but it is just too heavy for them to shoot comfortably and they lose interest pretty quickly.

Kiddos are in the sub 10 yo range and there seems to be a lot of options out there. At first I was leaning towards the cricket, but I think I would prefer to get something that they will not quickly grow out of. Plus I am thinking the single shot might be kind of dull.

Maybe a light semi auto with a youth stock? Maybe something I could put a red dot on?

What works for you dads and moms with little shooters?
 
gxx9sdb said:
I am looking to pick up a youth .22lr rifle
for the kids this Christmas. They have been using a Glenfield bolt action so far, but it is just too heavy for them to shoot comfortably and they lose interest pretty quickly.

Kiddos are in the sub 10 yo range and there seems to be a lot of options out there. At first I was leaning towards the cricket, but I think I would prefer to get something that they will not quickly grow out of. Plus I am thinking the single shot might be kind of dull.

Maybe a light semi auto with a youth stock? Maybe something I could put a red dot on?

What works for you dads and moms with little shooters?
Click to expand...

Cricket worked great for me, bought a used one cheap with peep sights. You can mount a scope or red dot to it and start the kids out if you want. It's also a simple gun for the kids to learn how to breakdown and clean. Find one used and $100-$125.
 
I work with BSA Narragansett council as a Troop RSO and at Norse they had a bunch of older wood stock rifles that were meh, and a few newer Savages that were pretty darn nice. So much that I went and looked up to see cost/etc. I'm pretty sure it was this one.. a bit pricey compared to the cheaper other 22s out there.

Savage Arms - MARK II FVT
 
My first kid rifles were Marlin 60's 14 shot tube, mounted cheap $20 scopes on them. Eventually moved up to Marlin 795s,10 round mags, also scoped. Now they like hi-points, AR's, my youngest has a thing for my mini 14 with irons.

I definitely agree that a single shot will get old real fast. Once they KNOW the rules, a single shot is just time consuming. I do like the idea of a bolt action though. I have a couple, and actually prefer them to the semi's, requires more focus on the fundamentals.
 
My daughter and her friends always gravitated towards the S&W 15-22, light and the controls are easy to use. The mags are a little hard to load for smaller hands if you get the long (faux 25 rnd) style.
 
Ruger 10/22 or 10/22TD "Take Down" a rifle your children will love and not out grow.



Ruger 10/22 or 10/22TD "Take Down" a rifle your children will love and not out grow.

P.S. Buy the clear magazines (so they can see and count how many rounds are in the magazine)

s-l300.jpg
 
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My 3 year old has a 10/22 in a pink Magpul stock. It's obviously a bit big and heavy for her now, but I have a lead sled that I strap it down in when we go shooting. I am just getting her warmed up to the idea of shooting, but a 10/22 is a good rifle that she will be able to keep and modify for her entire life and still be useful beyond learning to shoot, I still shoot the rodents out back with mine all the time. I didn't want to go out and buy some kind of corny "first rifle" that she would out grow in no time.

IMG_20181021_135607_140.jpg

We had a good time slaying pumpkins this weekend.
 
If you want a special serial number then Henry h001y might be an option.
Checkout Sportsmans outdoor superstore and their Heirloom option.
It is a 12 digit alpha-numeric serial number of your choosing

Rich
 
R_Wilson said:
If you want a special serial number then Henry h001y might be an option.
Checkout Sportsmans outdoor superstore and their Heirloom option.
It is a 12 digit alpha-numeric serial number of your choosing

Rich
Click to expand...

I love Henry's, but a 10 year old is not going to be gentle on it. They will scratch the hell outta it as they learn how to use it and clean it.
That's why I recommend the 10/22 & 10/22TD probably in stainless steel. You know as they learn to clean and maintain it, they will miss spots and you could get light surface rust.
The 10/22's have TONS of modification parts that can customize the appearance or shootability. No other .22LR rifle has so many accessories for it.
 
The problem with youth stocks is they just don’t fit . Also one of the biggest issue is the grip to trigger length.

I grabbed a savage rascal and it’s very accurate BUT it’s to light and the drop at comb is to much.
Just look at kids holding rifles that are generally smaller .
As far as a single shot. I find if kids like to shoot it does not matter and for the kids who actually want to learn to shoot well it’s even better.
Another issue is trying to have multiple kids on one rifle. Everyone’s zero is a bit different. So you need to start them off with bigger or more interesting targets.

I think savage is close to having a decent beginners rifle they updated the rascal a bit. They have a target version now but still lacking good sights.
If savage put out the savage target model with adjustable comb and the aperture sights from the MKII target on the rascal they would have a winner.
I ended up putting custom sights on my daughters rascal

View: https://imgur.com/a/geiwp
Now ifsavage can shorten the grip to trigger length add some LOP spacers and adjustable comb and target sights they would have something
Savage Arms - RASCAL TARGET XP


 
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for new shooters i think peep sights are key. if the idea is fun at the range and blasting away, then go with an autoloader like marlin 60 or one of the 10/22 variants. the new thompson center 10/22 clonewould be my choice over a ruger brand 10/22. the T/C also has peep sights. if they actually want to learn how to shoot then woudl go with a manual action like a Savage Mark II or Ruger American Rimfire, something bolt action. when they have to manually cycle each round they're more likely to slow down and work on skills. the autoloaders often just turn into blast session "entertainment" which is also cool but doesn't serve much purpose. normally a bolt can be tough to operate but on the 22's it's a super easy I think anyone over like 7 years old would have zero issue.
 
The key sizing points for a small child are length of pull and balance point. The problem with the Marlins and Savages is that they have adult LOP, and fairly long barrels. That's why the CZ Scout and 10/22 Compact are better choices - short LOP and short barrels bring the balance point in towards the shooter's body making them more comfortable and more controllable.

If the child is too small for those two, then look at Crickett and Savage Rascal (the better of the two).
 
Squib308 said:
for new shooters i think peep sights are key. if the idea is fun at the range and blasting away, then go with an autoloader like marlin 60 or one of the 10/22 variants. the new thompson center 10/22 clonewould be my choice over a ruger brand 10/22. the T/C also has peep sights. if they actually want to learn how to shoot then woudl go with a manual action like a Savage Mark II or Ruger American Rimfire, something bolt action. when they have to manually cycle each round they're more likely to slow down and work on skills. the autoloaders often just turn into blast session "entertainment" which is also cool but doesn't serve much purpose. normally a bolt can be tough to operate but on the 22's it's a super easy I think anyone over like 7 years old would have zero issue.
Click to expand...
Aperture sights are easy to use and if your kids have any vision problems you can center up blurry rings and holes better than trying to see rear notches and front sight posts.
My daughter has some what poor eye sight she can not see the rear notch of a rifle clearly with glasses on and can’t see the front sight clearly with glasses off.

She can peer through the rear peep and see the front aperture and just put what she wants to hit in the center of the front ring
 
Another vote for the Scout.
What a light, fun and easy to shoot rifle.
Plus being a bolt action it is easier to teach them firearm safety as they know how to make it safe without a lot of difficulty.

My son always asks to shoot it when we go to the plinking range!
 
I think any of these are pretty good for a younger kid:

1. My daughter liked the 10/22 when she was around 10 years old, and you can get much better sights, like the "ace in the hole" which has a rail, a built in aperture rear sight and fiber optic front sight. And had a bigger easier to pull bolt handle. And its easy to put on and take off a scope on that railed sight.

2 The BL-22 with youth stock

3 Browning Buck Mark 22 rifle. I had one with a scope and daughter enjoyed that rifle. It can be kind of difficult to grasp and pull back the bolt though, not the greatest design. Also loading the magazine is not as easy as the 10/22 or a tube magazine.

4. My daughter liked the Browning SA-22 I had, it is very light and well balanced and you can load it from the rear. The length of pull could be a little long for a child though, and the downward ejecting rounds also is not the best place to have hot brass flying.

5. The Henry mini bolt action was a lot of fun for the kids at one point.

6. Savage Rascal has a great trigger, and is easy to use
 
I would suggest a 10/22 since it can grow with a child. If the length of pull is too much, buy a cheap used wood stock and chop it to fit.

My friend has a 4 year old who shot a 10/22 for the first time about 6 weeks ago. It was a good experience but the stock was a little long and he couldn’t shoulder it quite right. A shorter stock and it would have been perfect.

$31 for a used stock:
Stock, Carbine, Standard, Used w/Scratches, Blemishes & Cracks, Hardwood
 
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Another vote for the CZ 455 Scout. I have a couple 10/22's including one I put a youth stock on for my niece. And imo keeping kids on the fundamentals with a bolt action longer is better. Making them slow down and not go squirrel. We found using soda cans and plastic bottles filled with water, other reactive targets works best for getting the kids to stay interested. They got bored VERY quickly just punching holes in paper early on.
 
My son is 12. Hes had a 10/22 for 4 years and still loves it. He also gets bored with paper. I made a rack with 3 steel plates and hell go through a couple hundred rounds at the 50yd range before he gets bored.
 
P.S. that 10/22 was my wife's when she was a kid. 40+ yrs old and still functions like its new. Both the gun and my wife .Before any of you wise asses go there.
 
jimnasium said:
P.S. that 10/22 was my wife's when she was a kid. 40+ yrs old and still functions like its new. Both the gun and my wife .Before any of you wise asses go there.
Click to expand...
If the wife's been shooting for anywhere near 40 years she's too dangerous for me... Plus, Lady Radtekk would shoot my foot. She's told me, "Enough to wound, and you'll still be able to work and blow snow..."
 
Yup, shes pretty good . She shot competitively all through school and Bay state games.introduced me to it. If I piss her off too much im screwed.
 

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