Which for my 11 yr old daughter.

[sxs]

I had a Stevens Favorite made about 1970 for my kids to start shooting with. However, the first time they got a hold of my Browning BL-22, they never had an interest in the old single shot anymore. A Bl-22 is a bit pricey, however.

Also, a 10/22 or other such gun can probably be fitted with a youth stock (or even a collapsible stock) to make it fit better. Then it can be refurbished with an adult stock later.

 

[willy]

Rossi single shot youth, easier to load then the rascal and fiber optic sights. I bought mine for 135 a year ago.

 

[Shamr0ck]

There is a lot of good advice in this thread already (keep it fun, get kid appropriate safety gear, make sure they don't struggle with the weight of the firearm, introduce them to a jr's program), but the one thing which I haven't seen discussed is have you considered an air rifle?

you can get a decent air rifle for about what you spend on a 22 rifle, they tend to be lighter and have the added bonus of being able to be used indoors. my daughter (13 yo, 7th grade) shoots competitively and now that we have a pellet trap in the basement, she shoots far more frequently than she did when she could only shoot at the range. We live 50 mins away from the AGC and roughly an hour from where she competes with her team.

the Air Rifle has negligible recoil and the report is far less than a .22 - these things may be important to your youngster.

Ammo is also far more readily available and you can teach the fundamentals of sight picture and safe handling in a very cost effective, safe manner.

 

[ktigerJ]

Shamr0ck ... I couldn't agree more on the good advice and I hadn't really thought about it. I think getting her into a program like what Blacksmith101 was talking about is a great idea. I really like the idea about the air rifle too now that you brought it up. I am getting her something for her birthday on the 6th of May. I hope that will be getting to a local IP and getting her setup with something and then getting her out to shoot and into a young shooter program.

 

[Shamr0ck]

Shamr0ck ... I couldn't agree more on the good advice and I hadn't really thought about it. I think getting her into a program like what Blacksmith101 was talking about is a great idea. I really like the idea about the air rifle too now that you brought it up. I am getting her something for her birthday on the 6th of May. I hope that will be getting to a local IP and getting her setup with something and then getting her out to shoot and into a young shooter program.

Air rifles have several different 'engines'. Spring powered, pump, co2 and precharged pneumatics (PCP)

We chose as mine wanted to compete. Many IPs don't carry air rifles but you can check out pyramidair.com for plenty of options.

Their customer support is great and I'm sure they'd be able to help making. A decision on model.

We use an archer air pellet trap with electricians duct seal as the material to catch the pellets. Works like a champ.

Practicing in the basement.

Close up of a pellet caught by the duct seal. Her rifle shoots at roughly 600 fps and this was from 10 meters away

 

[cap6888]

Marlin 795. Currently listed at Bass Pro for $159. This is what my 11 year old daughter and 9 year old boy shoot with.

 

[El_flasko]

Marlin 795. Currently listed at Bass Pro for $159. This is what my 11 year old daughter and 9 year old boy shoot with.

Great little rifle. Cheap and accurate as hell.

 

[ADR]

Don't overlook lever guns. When my oldest was ready for her first rifle I fully expected she'd want a 10/22 or similar. To my surprise she selected a Henry large loop carbine and was running it like a champ in no time flat. She still loves that rifle.

 

[coopermania]

If I had to guess, After cocking a spring-air about 30 times in the yard, You and your child will grow weary of shooting a air rifle. Buy you child a 22,

 

[CmeN0more]

I got my 5 yr old a savage rascal for christmas (her choice). I wanted to get her started on a single shot bolt action which will cover the fundamental of marksmanship, and I think is safer for beginners, as to a semi auto which she could just pull trigger and blast away, And it came in pink. I know sooner or later i'll be introducing a semi auto but for now I want her to start with the basics. Safety is my priority.

 

[Blacksmith101]

I coach the junior air rifle club in Rising Sun MD and air rifles are a great way to introduce kids to shooting. So let me share a few points.

If you think there is a possibility of your kid getting involved in air rifle competition (it is an Olympic sport) there are restrictions on the rifles that can be used for competition so check the rules for the type of competitions before you buy.

Three position air rifle is designed to introduce new shooters to guns and competitions and has two levels of competing. The sporter class is intended specifically for new shooters and has restrictions on allowed equipment to keep costs down. The precision class is the same as the Olympic air rifle. Both are shot on a 10 meter (33 feet) range and the 10 ring of the target is the size of a period at the end of a sentence.

3-P Air is governed by a National Three-Position Air Rifle Council composed of representatives of the following organizations:
American Legion
Army Cadet Command (Army JROTC)
Boy Scouts of America Venturing
Civilian Marksmanship Program
Daisy/U. S. Jaycees Shooter Education Program
Marine Corps Training and Education Command (USMC JROTC)
National 4-H Shooting Sports
Naval Education and Training Command (Navy JROTC)
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit
USA Shooting (Olympic shooting governing body)

There are air rifle programs sponsored by The American Legion, 4-H clubs, Jaycees, CMP and other organizations. Check your local representatives of these organizations for local programs or get them to start one. I know the American Legion higher ups in Maryland are interested in getting more posts to sponsor junior air rifle programs.

Here are some links to get you started:
The CMP air rifle section, note the links in the right hand column:
http://www.odcmp.com/3p.htm

The rule book in a PDF format:
http://www.odcmp.com/3P/Rules.pdf

The Coaching Resources page with lots of good information for junior shooters, air rifle shooting, and shooting in general. Read the back issues of "On The Mark" magazine, the safety section for new shooters, and the "Building the Positions" videos are all excellent.:
http://www.odcmp.com/Training/CoachingResources.htm

 

[501st]

Marlin 795. Currently listed at Bass Pro for $159. This is what my 11 year old daughter and 9 year old boy shoot with.

Problem is, Quality Control is significantly lacking.

Cerberus/Freedom group screwed over Marlin.

 

[240 towles]

a nice single shot 410 is pretty fun for kids

 

[cap6888]

Problem is, Quality Control is significantly lacking.

Cerberus/Freedom group screwed over Marlin.

Apparently these are hit or miss. Lucky for me I got a good one.

 

[Turbo2Point4]

Mossberg Plinkster 702/802 you can get it for around $100 at Wal-mart. My wife has one with a Simmons scope ($36) on it, once it was shot in, she can pretty much hit the same spot every shot.

 

[Oldcarjunkie]

I started my son off at age 8 with a bolt action Mag fed Savage Mark II , it also has the accu trigger which is good so they can get a feel for the trigger.

 

[rico903]

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=545539

My vote for a CZ. Sorry for the log thread. Couldn't pull just the first post.

 

[Sirex]

I have a Marlin 795 and 60. I like both, but prefer the 60. Both atre accurate, reliable using decent ammo, and easy to use. The 795 is very light, but my thumbs prefer loading the tube magazine of the 60 better. You can buy a scoped 60 at Walmart in your price range. Not great scopes, but not horrible. Decent enough for .22lr. I paid a bit more and got a stainless in laminated stock, and upgraded to a silver Simmons scope. Even my wife likes the 60, and she doesn't like guns. Very nice rifle.

 

[ktigerJ]

Thank you for all the help in this. As my brother has a Ruger 10/22 we are going to have her use that one for now. I really wanted to get something for her birthday in a week but my wife decided we need to wait. Probably for the best but I wanted her to have her own and go shooting with it.

 

[Gokage]

10/22s are great but I prefer to teach new, especially younger shooters, with bolt actions. It teaches them to take their time and make every shot count. Kids tend to go nuts with semiautos The Savage MK II is a great starter. If you're going to teach someone to shoot and get them their first rifle, it might be a good idea to save up for something that will last.