Christmas rifle for my son

[JoeE]

I'm looking for some input on a rifle for my son. He's six, will be seven in a couple months. I want to teach him to shoot and start taking him to the range. I've been looking at the Crickett 22. Does anybody have any experiance with their kids using these or recommend another 22? My boy is short and has short arms so I'm concerned about him being able to shoulder a rifle that is much bigger than the Crickett.

[wraithen]

They seem ok to cover the basics. I'm not sure how old your boy is but he may outgrow the singleshot pretty quickly and want to shoot something more like you. I would suggest a bolt action. I'm not sure how high the basic youth models are but if you shop around you'll get something similar in price. Especially this time of year. Good luck with your choice. The only other reason I didn't comment on the rifle is I have no experience with them or their parent manufacturer.

[bobcat]

I've heard good things about the CZ 452 Scout:

http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-452-scout/

[scudmaster]

I got my daughters a savage cub with a Accutrigger. Only 30 bucks more than a Crickett and twice the quality and very accurate.  That with a steel target and fun to shoot all day.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/24967-55.html

[bobcat]

Scudmaster,

I sure like the looks of that Savage, and the price is right too. The only thing I don't care for is that it's a single shot. The CZ can be used as a single shot, or you can get a 5 or 10 shot detachable magazine.

The one thing I don't like about the CZ is the backwards safety. Forward is safe, and back to fire. Of course the other downside to the CZ is it costs twice as much as the Savage.

I'll be in the market soon for 22 rifles for my daughters so I'll be following this thread closely.

[scudmaster]

Hey Bobcat,

Yeah that is my only complaint as well.  I wished they made a magazine plug that would function as a single shot option for a mag fed rifle.  But the trigger is so awesome, it off sets that limitation in IMO.  It is hard for me as their attention span at range is short so I wanted  maximize the training time.  Once the fundamentals were learned, I needed them to work on skills with their hunting rifle.  As a second rifle, I got my daughters a Savage Model 10 in .243 Win.  Makes for an easy transition with identical triggers.  I loaded a low recoil round for them and they seem to enjoy shooting that as well. 

I will go back to the .22 for off season plinking, but I have a Winchester 74 with a scope for the Semiauto fun.

[tatatumpi]

A .22 pistol is a good start.

[ckr]

Thompson Center Hot Shot.  Its a great single shot 22.  A buddy bought his 5 year old one and both of our kids love it.  Its very accurite and easy to use. 
Compact for smaller kids.  I think there about $200. http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/youth_hot_shot.php

[FALFire]

Marlin has a model 915Y or a 915YS for stainless, but they are both single shot bolt guns. Personally for teaching purposes I believe the single shot teaches fundamental basics and patience. Making that first shot count is very important and knowing how long it takes to get another shot off is critical to marksmanship and making a better hunter. 

[Jason]

Marlin has a model 915Y or a 915YS for stainless, but they are both single shot bolt guns. Personally for teaching purposes I believe the single shot teaches fundamental basics and patience. Making that first shot count is very important and knowing how long it takes to get another shot off is critical to marksmanship and making a better hunter. 

Both my boys started out with single shots, I knew that if they had one shot they would make every shot count thus making them better shots. Then when they got a little older and were shooting their 22's with good accuracy I started letting them shoot my 10/22 and my semi auto marlin 22 and their accuracy went to hell because all they wanted to do was see how fast they could shot  can't blame them really.

[h20hunter]

Rossi makes basic single sots with interchangable barrels.

[royalbull]

one thing about a single shot, box of shells seem to go alot farther

[bobcat]

I'd just like to have the option of a detachable magazine so the rifle will be more useful for hunting purposes. So I guess so far from what I've seen, I would go with the CZ Scout.

[Widgeondeke]

Rossi makes basic single sots with interchangable barrels.

there is a Rossi Trifecta in the classifieds 

[JoeE]

Thanks for the input guys. The Savage and the CZ are on my short list, now I just want to head over to Sportsmans Warehouse and see how each one feels in my hands and how I think it will fit my son.

[longashes]

I got my boys a  30-30 Winchester saddle gun when they were young really fit them well.

http://www.youtube.com/user/longashes?feature=mhee#p/a/u/2/L1vNuJ5_6tE

[lokidog]

I got a Henry mini-bolt for my daughter when she was five or six.  The only problem is that there is no ramp for the shell to ride into the chamber and little fingers can have a hard time putting it directly in.  It has a really nice short stock though with an 11 1/2" lop.  The other single shot I got my daughter when she was a little older was the Savage Model 71 (Stevens Favorite).  It is a great shooter with a lever that drops the hammer block to expose the chamber.  With the hexagonal barrel it looks cool too.  It has an lop of about 13".  Both are single shots though.

[JoeE]

Well after a lot of research and a few trips to Sportsmans Warehouse I decided to buy the Thompson/Center Hot Shot. It wasn't even one I was considering at first but I just really liked the feel and quality of the rifle over the others. I dont think I would ever hunt with a TC but I think this will be a good starter rifle to teach my boy safety and how to shoot. Thanks to everybody for the advice.

[Brownie28]

My 7 year old daughter started out with a Cricket when she was 5 and I was pretty dang impressed with it. It's super accurate and light and I like the fact that a round can be chambered bolt closed and its still not cocked. It's the pink model and I shot it more than she did. Everyone always laughs when they see it. With a 3x9 cheap Simmons it was very accurate at 100yds

[carpsniperg2]

My family all started with a good old ruger 10/22.

[JJB11B]

Any of you guys looking to adopt a 23 year old redneck from walla walla before christmas? I want a new rifle!

[C-Money]

I bought my little girl the pink Cricket .22 for Christmas 2 years ago. She loves it. My son is old enough to start shooting as well now and he like to shoot it too. Next year, my boy will get his own.
I like that the rifle is a single shot, and deadly accurate.

[724wd]

took my daughter to her first gun show when she was 6 months old.  found a walnut stocked Chipmunk - one of the older ones that seem to be a little bit better machined than the current cricketts.  she's 4 now, will be 5 this summer.  she's handled it quite a bit and we'll start shooting this summer.  we go over the safety rules while she gets to hold it, and she seems to be interested. 

when your kids outgrow it, you can through it in your backpack like a survival gun!