What bolt action .22lr for kids and at what age?

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

hartzpad

Member
Joined
May 12, 2004
Messages
445
Location
Utah
I've got one that is 2 and one on the way, I would like to buy a bolt action .22lr for a first rifle for my kids. What is out on the market? Are there any with collapsible stocks to allow for adjustments as they grow instead of buying new stocks? Any suggestions on models to look for? Out of curiosity, Are there any that take 10/22 mags, that would make it much easier to keep the kid loaded up and still be safe w/o a semi-auto.

Also, what age do you start your kids shooting? I was thinking around age 5 or 6 would be appropriate for a bolt action .22lr to go to the range with dad and shoot some cans or steel targets.
 
Depends on the child. The oldest nephew started at 5 but the others started at 4.

Length of pull is critical. Without hesitation I recommend the following:

Savage Cub: http://www.savagearms.com/cub.htm

CZ 452 Scout: http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=5

Marlin 15YS: http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/BoltAction22/915ys.aspx

I have other recommendations if you are looking for other action types. If you want a gun he can grow into I would get the CZ 452 Scout. It comes as a single shot but you can buy 5 and 10 round magazines. The Scout needs a sling and an action job (it is very stiff when new, but shooting it a bunch will break it in too).
 
We recently bought our 8yo a Crickett rifle and are very happy with it.

It is sturdy, simple to operate, and we like the fact that its a single-shot because that reduces the potential for careless accidents due to over-excitement.

The peep sites are easy to use and its accurate enough that, even though I'm not too good with a rifle yet, I was able to get shots in the black at 100 yards and he can get 1/2 of his shots in the black at 25 yards standing after practicing once a week for about 6 weeks.
 
I forgot to say, for this particular child we probably got it at the right age. He's a good, obedient kid, but he tend to stop listening and get ahead. He had to learn to focus.

The oldest, who is 16, probably would have been ready at 5 or 6 and DD, who is both a rules-tester and one of those disconcerting kids who has no sense of personal danger, might not have been ready until 10 or so (she's 14 now and has gained mental maturity along with her physical growth).

The 2yo will inherit the Crickett when he's old enough to listen, pay attention, and obey rules without having to break them on purpose from time to time to make sure we're still in charge.
 
both my girls started w/ a break action 22 at the age of 3.

2 or 3 shots per range session and you've got their attention span maxed out, and it is time to go home. work up slowly over time.

always leave while it is still fun, and they will want to come back.

yesterday i had my girls on the range for about 2 hours shooting the ar-15 and the m-1 carbine. they are 5 and 8 now, and had a ball.

that's the way i did it for them, and my son isn't even 2, yet, so it will be awhile for him.

each child is an individual, so you will have to measure the child's ability to be absolutely obedient, and have something of an attention span.
 
my daughter got a cricket for her 5th birthday. it was exactly what she needed.

she got a volquartsen 10/22 at b-day #8 and that kept her quite busy.

she got a walther p22 and suppressor (YHM Mite) for her 10th b-day.

i'm thinking she'll get an AR15 like Michaela's when she turns 13. Hopefully, I won't have to escalate to full-autos in order to distract her attention from boys until she's 16 or so.
 
I like the Henry youth rifle. My dad bought one for my boys, and it seems to be well made and perfect for those just starting out.

When they get a little older (bigger), they'll move up to my Ruger 77/22. It was a gift from my dad when I turned 16 some 20+ years ago.

Yes, my dad is awesome.
 
I picked up a Savage cub when my son turned 5. Its a very high quality rifle.

I ended up getting a rimfire scope mounted on it as he doesn't quite uderstandthe concept of iron sights yet.
 
Man... you guys start 'em early... I'm 17 and didn't get my first gun until I was 10... and then, it was a Daisy Grizzly. My dad bought a 10/22 when I was 11, and that's when I started to get into shooting. I think I've made up for lost time with a Saiga as of now, and an AR-15 in the rather near future, though... :D

Probably a Cricket bolt action. That'd be more their size. Another thing you could do, if your basement is long enough, is make a pellet rifle range. It's pretty simple; all you do is get a cardboard box, fill it with phone books or fiberglass insulation, and put targets on the front of it. Ammo is cheap, and you don't have to travel. It's a good way to make things a little less serious, and have more interaction with the kids.
 
I bought my little boy a Ruger 10/22 (from a family member -read cheap-)for his fifth birthday late last year. I sit it up on sandbags, and let him shoot it at the range, so the length of pull isnt as much of an issue. I let him help me clean the guns when we return home, and emphasize gun safety while we're cleaning them.

If I had to buy a gun from a store I probably would have bought the little youth model CZ.
 
We recently inherited a rem 511, which is a nice 6 shot bolt action.

Both my boys 6 and 8 have some trouble with the weight.

My youngest seems to enjoy it the most, though i'm not sure he's got the idea of aim through iron sites down just yet (he will go through a 10 mag on his aunts 10/22 pretty quick and you can tell he's not aiming). But it amazes me he can open the bolt on his own and close it all by himself.

My oldest, I don't think he enjoys it as much, but he does enjoy a pistol a lot more (it'll be cheaper when I get a p22, vs my 9mm mill pro).

age is a hard one to say, my boys both started early on that 511 and 10/22 and if I had to give an exact age I think they were both 4 when they first got to shoot.
 
I started with a BB gun when I was 4. A .22 Springfield SS bolt action when I was 5. That was over 50 years ago.
I started my boys at age 4 and 5. So you are in the right age range.
But start with a BB gun and then a .22 single shot.
 
I don't think you need to start them on guns until they are in about 1st or 2nd grade and should be a BB gun at that point.

The 22's can come a bit later as their interest develops along with their body size. Shooting is still supervised. I'd go with a youth model 22 rifle at point unless you can't afford buying another later. In which case, get a full sized 22 rifle. If you get a youth model, the younger ones can shoot the youth model however as the oldest matures.
 
Do NOT get A Crickett

I feel that the way the Crickett / Chipmunk rifles are designed to operate is unsafe.

In order to use the gun you open the bolt, place in a round, & close the bolt. Then to cock the gun you pull back on the plunger on the back of the bolt in order to compress the firing pin spring. Simple so far, right???

Now, lets say your child doesn't shoot the gun and needs to uncock the rifle, on the Crickett you have to, take the safety off, hold the plunger with one hand, then PULL THE TRIGGER ON A LIVE ROUND!!, it's not hard to do as an adult, but think about a child doing it with sweaty hands...

The reason I know about this issue is, we has some of these rifles at our Boy Scout camp and we had it happen, luckily the gun was pointed in a safe direction and there was no harm done, this is IMO a huge design problem. Needles to say, we don't have the Crickett rifles anymore...

Don't take my word for it, go find one in a store, cock the gun (on an empty chamber), and try it, then think about having a child do it, I know my kids can have attention lapses at times (and they're perfect )....:D
 
Kudos on the youth model .22s. My old man tells me tales of a single shot Springfield .22 he had when he was around 6 or so. I keep looking to find one for him now that he's 60.

I didn't procure my first firearm until I was 28, three years after I'd been shooting M4s for a living...

Of course, I was one of those kids/young adults that needed the army to finish the maturing process, and at times, I still find myself acting like I'm 15. It's a good thing my folks never let me have anything more powerful than a Red Ryder.
 
I was shooting with my grandfather, using his .22 rifle, when I was around six or seven. Got my first Daisy Red Ryder at age 7. Had my own .22 rifle to keep in my room at age 11.

I sorta worked my kid's head around, age four-ish. "When you think you're big enough to shoot that pistol, holler, and we'll go shoot. But it's not a toy." I helped him to shoot a Blackhawk revolver (light loads) about age five. Same deal. Took all the mystique and forbidden fruit out of his equation.

His first BB gun was around age six, I guess...
 
Boy, I wish I had one of these when I was a Kid...

Savage Cub T Single-Shot Bolt-Action Youth Rimfire Rifle, .22 Caliber, 16-1/8" Barrel, Adjustable Sights, Walnut Stock
http://www.commandsurplus.com/product_info.php?products_id=75203&language=en&cPath=7228
43582.jpg
 
Smitty in CT,

I understand your concern.

How is this different from the Winchester, Remington and Marlin singles shots so many of us learned to shoot on?

"Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction."

-Bob Hollingsworth
 
SO after posting this last I jumped up and went through the whole get into the safe room and safe routine (see? it does not take that long if you know were the stumps are)
and have a Chipmunk in my lap.

The rifle has a firing pin that can only go forward when the trigger is pulled AND the firing pin can not go farward to the firing position if hte trigger is not still pulled.

That is that yes you must hold back the cocking knob and pul the trigger over a loaded round, BUT it appears that releasing the trigger before te cocking knob is allowed to slide forward allows the firing pin to be blocked by the sear. The sear release cut and safety cut are two different cuts.

No doubt it is still possible to drop the firing pin past the safety notch, but this should make some people feel better.

DO not let the kid be in complete control of the weapon until you are sure he/she can safely jusggle the cpcking knob and trigger or follow Smitty's advice if you feel this is a major problem.

-Bob Hollingsworth
 
While putting away the Chipmunk I pulled a Winchester M67 from 1936 and yeah verrily it has the same firing pin/cocking knob/ sear release/safety set up.

Seems to have worked for 73 years so far.

Again let me encourage you to use what you feel to be safe and especially to use safe proceedures.

I am currently at the point where I "let" the kids make the Cricket safe by opening and inspecting the bolt/chamber area and have not let them try to shooting it yet. I will now introduce opeing a cocked bolt to their training.

-Bob Hollingsworth
 
kBob said:
Smitty in CT,

I understand your concern.

How is this different from the Winchester, Remington and Marlin singles shots so many of us learned to shoot on?

"Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction."

-Bob Hollingsworth
Click to expand...
I've had a lot of old cars that didn't have seatbelts, that didn't mean it was safe...

I'm just trying to let folks learn from my experiences and to let then know that there are much safer designs on the market, especially for kids.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Buzznrose
Bolt Action .22LR….Savage or Ruger?
2
Replies
27
Views
861
d2wing
d2wing
easyg
  • Locked
Need Bolt-action .22LR recommedations...
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
easyg
easyg
C
  • Locked
.22lr rifles. 10/22 vs. a bolt action vs. a lever action.
Replies
13
Views
5K
dagger dog
dagger dog
rbernie
  • Locked
22LR bolt gun for the family
2
Replies
43
Views
2K
d2wing
d2wing
S
  • Locked
What is the most plentiful bolt-action .22LR?
Replies
19
Views
1K
Runningman
R
Back
Top