.22 for my little man: Savage Rascal or cut down the stock of my 10/22?

[wombat13]

BINGO

Either the 10/22 with original stock and no scope (iron sights at that age are perfect), or bid and work through any youth model single shot off Gunbroker. With the 10/22 I'd expect accuracy to suffer due to picking up dirt in the action and magazine, but with a bolt action many will shoot forever even without proper cleaning habits (no offense, but it happens).

As a bonus, it teaches more meticulous shot placement. With a bolt action there is no follow up shot if you miss when your target is of the "uncooperative kind".

I'm not concerned about my son's eyesight. The purpose of the red dot is to establish early success rather than early frustration. I've found that cheap scopes (which is what is on the rifle) are not very forgiving of eye misalignment. I'd like to establish shooting as "fun" and then we can increase the difficulty level. Once he's banging the steel spinners no problem with the red dot, then he can "level up" with more challenging sights.

 

[Varminterror]

Something also to consider, when teaching young folks to shoot:

A 1/16” front sight bead/blade at 32” from the shooter’s eye (measuring my son’s Savage Mark II pictured above), subtends 7moa. Given the little light around the front bead in the rear sight, we also have a bit of float somewhere on the order of 2moa. Do we really expect a 5-6, or even 8yr old shooter to hold perfect head alignment for “equal light and equal height,” to freeze that 2moa float, simultaneously centering that 1/16” bead beneath the target - without wiggling its own 7moa side to side? Especially when we force them into a stock which doesn’t have appropriate comb height for their tiny little faces to properly align with the sights… Even worse, when parents/friends/grandparents stand the kid up without support - with a buttsrock too long for their arms and too front heavy for their stature, AND ask them to pull a poor quality trigger which is overweight for their young hand/finger strength… Why would we expect them to be able to deliver shots on target? Why would we expect them to enjoy failing?

Why not stick a 2-4moa red dot on top which improves their aiming points AND reduces the criticality of consistent head position upon sight alignment, raise their comb to allow a solid cheek weld so they CAN align well, cut a stock which actually fits their body, tune a trigger to offer 2-3lb pull which suits their limited finger strength so they don’t push or pull their rifle around to struggle through the trigger, and give them supports to fire from so they aren’t fighting to hold the rifle. Then when they have developed competency, remove some support, or independently change to irons or a scope to build more and more skills from an easily attained foundation.

You know, that whole “progressive improvement learning methodology.” Like learning addition and subtraction before you take on calculus and differential equations. Like learning how to walk before learning how to do backflips…

 

[Scooter22]

Heres a tip if you cut a stock shorter. Pre drill two 1/4" or 3/8" holes about 1" deeper than your cut. Place the appropriate dowels in and cut the stock. This will keep the cut piece from shifting at the end of cut tearing the edge.(also wrap the stock with masking tape around the cut). But the main reason is in the future when you go to put that piece back on. Fit two new dowels in the holes to act as alignment guides when you glue the piece back on and leave them in. Works great to stop shifting and allows a tight, even glue joint. Good luck.
(I read this tip in a gun mag decades ago. I think G&A.)

 

[commygun]

I started my boys on a Marlin 915y that I lucked into. Nicest .22 youth single-shot that I’ve personally seen. I suppose they’re scarcer than hen’s teeth now. As someone noted, they grow up quick and I sold it. Another one I wish I’d kept just to give away to someone in the OP’s situation.

 

[chicharrones]

I'd buy the Rascal. 22lr rifles are cheap enough to the point where you don't really need to worry about a "lifetime" investment.

That's my viewpoint on a Rascal. Buy one and hand it down to the next person learning to shoot. Once the kids outgrow it, keep it for the grandkids, or give it to a good friend with kids or grandkids that could use it.

Pretty much exactly what I did with a Gamo Recon pellet rifle. I bought one to start off my kids and gave it to my shootin' buddy when he wanted to start off his grandkids.

 

[chicharrones]

From my own experience with my kids, I'm fully onboard for kids (or first time shooters) starting with a red dot. It makes shooting fun and less of a chore, which helps set the hook in 'em to want to shoot more with different guns and sighting systems in the future. Reactive targets make it more fun, too.

Sure, I started with iron sights because red dots weren't a common item when I started shooting in the 1970s. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have preferred one if they were affordable back in the day.

 

[Mn Fats]

Sure, I started with iron sights because red dots weren't a common item when I started shooting in the 1970s. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have preferred one if they were affordable back in the day.

I'll add that the Bushnell trs-25 is a nice little affordable red dot.

 

[chicharrones]

I'll add that the Bushnell trs-25 is a nice little affordable red dot.

Yessir. I have three. They're so simple and work just fine whether on a handgun or a rifle.