So my 11-year-old is outgrowing his Keystone Cricket .22 with iron sights. Been teaching him how to shoot for last 1 1/2 yrs. Mainly 25-50 yds at paper targets (max has been 80 & 100 yds). Just taught him fundamentals of safety, body positions, sight picture, trigger pull, breath/relax/aim/squeeze, etc... and Cricket has been great but it is getting a little small for him. Was thinking of upgrading to full-size .22 this year and introducing him to optics. But then thought maybe a slightly higher caliber rifle would be more practical for the future. Just wondering y'all's thoughts on this. Do i keep him training on larger .22, or was thinking maybe .243 or similar caliber to give him more options/flexibility in the future. What are your thoughts on caliber / rifle for next steps?
The most important question is what do you see him doing with the rifle in the future. From your description above (highlighed in red), if you think he may want to continue on that path, you should find a nearby NRA Smallbore program. Based on my son's experience, it was a great way to get him started in shooting. He learned all the fundamentals, both of safety and also marksmanship. It required the discipline of weekly practices, but also gave direct feedback seeing his scores improve and earning his way to the next rank or bar.
He also got a chance to shoot in real matches, which gave him a taste of true competition. A scored target doesn't lie. It dispels the "...I can shoot MOA, all day long" BS.
JoeR