.22 Rifle for my 9yrs old son?

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TX_Shooter

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Guys,

I am looking to get my son a .22 Youth size rifle to go out to the range w/ me and shoot. This will also be his Xmas present. So it's a surprise 4 him.

I like to know for the parents out there or yourself growing up as a child which the brand/model .22 you had or which you'd recommend?

My son is 9 yrs old. I been eyeing an Henry lever youth .22 and the Savage Arms , Mark IIG Y .22 cal. One guy said not to get the .22 and instead purchase the .223 cal rifle, which has some kick, but ammo seems to be pricey on those. I think the .22 will be a better fit due to overall cost.

I know there are plenty .22's out there, but to save the cat and mouse game w/ internet, I rather ask ones here. So any brand/model that you recommend?

Here is the Henry
h001y_leveryouth_lg.jpg


Action Type:
Lever action repeater

Receiver:
Grooved for scope

Caliber: .22 S/L/LR
Capacity:
12 rounds .22 LR
17 rounds .22 Short

Barrel Length: 16 1/8''
Length: 33'' Overall
Length of pull: 13"
Weight: 4.5 lbs.
Stock:
American Walnut

Sights:
Adjustable rear, hooded front sight

Finish:
Blued barrel and lever

===============================


Savage Arms MarkII

mark11g.jpg

Caliber .22 LR
Overall Length 37.75"
Barrel Length 19"
Weight 5 lbs
Magazine Capacity 10 rounds
Stock Walnut finished hardwood stock
Sights Adjustable notched rear sight, bead post front sight
Rifling Rate of Twist 1 in 16"
Features New AccuTrigger, blued steel bolt action, swivel studs, button-rifled barrel with detachable magazine
 
i love the henry's but the lever action is probably not the best for youth models. in my experience, it's hard for them to run the lever without setting it down or slinging the barrel all over the place. i.e. it's a safety issue unless they're unusually strong. you'll prob wind up helping them more than you want. go with a bolt or semi
 
I own that exact model of Henry and its an accurate sweet little shooter! I haven't mounted a scope on it yet but I would like to in the future. The lever action is actually very smooth and personally I think it would work great for a young kid. Cleaning on it is fairly simple with the removal of 3 screws to get at the action of the gun. Trigger pull is nice and short.


I honestly have nothing bad to say about the henry!
 
Speaking of the lever cock back, you mention it was pretty hard to cock for kids strength.

Now I know this is not comparing the same, but my son has an old red ryder cock back bb-gun. How much harder or less then the red ryder?

Even to me the red ryder was pretty tuff for a BB gun sake. Any comparison?
 
CZ 452 Scout is a very nice little gun, a quality bolt action. Grownups like them, too, as compact carry guns, but they have a 12" LOP, and come with a magwell blocker. This allows you to start the kid with a single-shot, then add a 5- or 10-round magazine later just by dropping out the blocker and sticking in the magazine. It's accurate enough to warrant a good scope, too, when he's ready for it.

http://www.czusa.com/product_detail.php?id=5

main005.png


Street price is just over $200, I think.

EDIT: Looks like someone beat me to it!:) Look at the kid adjusting the benchrest already! Cool stuff. Hey, how soon can I buy one for my soon-to-be-born son? I don't know if I can wait 8 years.
 
no, i'm not saying it's hard. the henry's very smooth and easy. easier than the bb gun because the bb gun is compressing a big spring, where the henry's just movign a cartridge out and another one in.

i'm just saying most 9 yr olds need two hands to hold the gun safely. if one of those hands is supporting the gun and the other is trying to operate the lever, the barrel tends to move erratically.
 
Brian,

Your son in that pic looks like a pro. I bet the way he was setting up could pop a dime @ 60 yrds :)

That is a very nice gun. I kind of glanced @ the CZs to.

Anyone fan of the Rogue Chipmunk? Seems they are pretty hard to get.
==============
Taliv, Gotcha, Sorry I just misunderstood.

==========

Outlaws, I don't think my son is into cowboy and indians, he does or use to pop cans allot w/ that 10 yrds worth of poop Red Ryder. I am sure he be big eyed w/ anything in a 22 at this point. I just reading up on customer feedback w/ Henry .22s and they seem to be proud owners of them.
 
I have seen a few Chipmunks in person, and to be honest, unless your 9 year old is not gotta grow anytime soon, I would skip that. They seem to be more for a slightly younger child. The Chipmunk is small, very small.
 
How do, TX. I've had this same conversation with THR so I'll pass along what I "know.":D

As the uncle of 5, I've been arming nephews for a couple of years now. The oldest is 7 and for his first rifle I got him a Winchester M67A. At 7.5 (Christmas '05) I got him a Savage 101 single shot revolver.

At 8, thanks to the fantastic advice of THR, I got him a CZ452 Scout, a brilliant weapon. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=186287&highlight=Gun+nephew

You need to slick the action (it's stiff at first) and install sling posts and buy more magazines, but it is wonderful! It went over really well: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=207498&highlight=THR+CZ+Scout

At 8.5 (Christmas '06) I am giving him a Ruger Compact 10/22. His 6 year old brother gets a Marling 915YS. You can see the guns (and me) here: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=229268&highlight=arming+sobrinos+VII
 
Wow that is 3 for the CZ,

It seems that I can find it for about 240.00 but out of stock @ Impact Guns.

I honestly like to see it in person.

I am leaning to the Mark IIg y, I been reading up on the AccuTrigger and seems to be a nice addition to the Savage Arms guns.

This is a hard decision.

Oh, for sure my son is growing. My beginner gun was a pumpmaster 760 bb, then @ 12, got the hand me down from my grandpa's British 303 and new later soon to come 270. So I really did not have a small cal rifle. :cuss:
 
I was gonna recommend the cz bolt action but someone beat me to it. they are sweet shooters, and the triggers are outstanding.

as a kid the first rifle i learned with was a nylon 66. great gun and my dad still has it so i will be usig that to teach my kids one day!
 
I had a thread similar to this one a couple months ago. The CZ 452 was also recommended to me by many here.

Therefore, I bought a CZ 452 Scout for my son for xmas. He's gonna love it!! He turns 9 in January.

I know he would also like a lever .22. I don't see the difficulty in cocking a lever gun... as others have mentioned. The force required is quite a bit less than required for a BB gun such as the red ryder.

Now the powerful "break barrel" pellets rifles... some of those have a cocking forces of over 30 pounds...
 
El Tejon,

McBrides phone is always busy. It seems to be a pain to get ahold of those guys. Must be that busy :(


BTW, love your sig. One of the guys I car pool w/ is mormon that used to be on missions. He told me a story that one time in FL on a mission he had some kids chasing him w/ bats and one kid w/ a pellet gun. He told me the kid w/ t he gun popped him the rear as he stood up to pedal faster. He said 15yrs later still has the mighty welt that the lord punished him with is still there. Man, I thought Texas kids were bad. Flordia had us beat ;)
 
El Tejon,

Called them, they have none in stock. Guy was so busy he could not even give me a price quote.

I called around my area, and about 40 miles out they have 2 in stock. They cost $249.00


On the downlow.... the Henry, I can swoop up for 219.00 new from a family discount. Every where else for the henry is 259.00-270.00.

So the henry be a good price for the gun.

As for the MarkIIG , RED Guns has it for $200.00
 
IMHO the best thing you can do for a kid is to help him understand how guns work. I was showing a boy how to shoot the other day, and he didn't really "get it." He could shoot okay, but he didn't understand how the gun functioned, and the results were quite dangerous. Unfortunately, he was surrounded by relatives and his father who had "already shown him", so I didn't feel it was my place to really butt in, as long as I kept him from shooting his foot off -- which he came shockingly close to doing with a semiauto pistol.

A bolt gun is a wonderful teaching device. First, you use it as a single shot. He can see how it works. Then, you add in the magazine. He can see how that works.

Once he understands how the action functions, he will understand how a lever gun and a semiauto work.

Why is this important? A lot of adults don't understand when there is a cartridge in the chamber with a semiauto. This is dangerous. The sooner he really, really understands how an action works, the less likely he is to do something stupid, or to let his friends do something stupid.
 
A CZ 452 Scout is $200 here. I'd call and see if their distributer has any in stock. I paid $179 for my son's last year form this same place.
I guess CZ.....along with every other manufacturer.....has raised it's prices.

CZ 452 Scout
 
I am somewhat reluctant to recommend the 10/22 as a training gun for a youngster but it does deserve some consideration. For a .22 with the right ammo they are very accurate out of the box, the price is right, and the rifle can be modified to no end later as the child grows older and taste and skill level change. The problem with the lower end bolt guns, or single shots is that kids can lose interst in them quickly resulting in a gun the collects dust in the corner. I have a few 10/22s and never tire of them. If you are concerned about a semi auto for a first gun just give him one round at a time (how my dad taught me). I agree with the lever action being a poor choice with the muzzle swinging about as a smaller weaker shooter attempts to chamber the next round.
 
Have you given any thought to a pump action .22? They are very suitable for kids to start out on. I have been shooting my 1906 Winchester pump .22 since I was about 7 or 8. It is really too bad there aren't more people buying pump action .22 rifles as I think they are better than lever or bolt actions especially for kids. The action is very easy to cycle and there is no need to move your hands other than to rack the slide or take the barel off target when working the action. Right now the only new ones I know of are the Taurus & Henry offerings. I happen to be prejudiced to pump action .22's but I think they are the best. When I was a teenager I used to get off 13 rounds to a friend of mines semi auto 14 rounds and the only thing that moved was my left arm cycling the pump's forearm. Never once did the barrel move off target. When I used to go shooting with a group as a teenager most of us had pump action .22's of various makes and vintages. I wish I had all of them now.
 
One more thing...

When my son shoots it, he'll clean it. Part of the deal. Another reason for a bolt gun.:)
 
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