My son's first .22

[XDRoX]

hahaha ... My daugther is only 20 months and I am looking into "Pink" rifle builds already. My 5yr old son should be well armed by the time he gets to 1st grade !!!

[nosuchagency]

i like the previously mentioned train of thought on a rifle that requires manually cycling an action of some flavor or another. perhaps even a nice lil' pump action.

[caoboy]

Why not a Henry golden boy .22 then? He is already familiar with the red Ryder, the golden boy is a lever action, same muscle memory/mechanics. He'd be able to focus on the target and proper shooting techniques rather than concentrating on cycling a bolt.

[CSACANNONEER]

Why not a Henry golden boy .22 then? He is already familiar with the red Ryder, the golden boy is a lever action, same muscle memory/mechanics. He'd be able to focus on the target and proper shooting techniques rather than concentrating on cycling a bolt.

IMHO, he'd probably be focused more on working the action quickly than following through with his shot. That said, my first gun was a single shot Ithica lever action. I couldn't just cycle the action and shoot again. I had to handload the next round into the action. So, I took my time shooting.

[caoboy]

IMHO, he'd probably be focused more on working the action quickly than following through with his shot. That said, my first gun was a single shot Ithica lever action. I couldn't just cycle the action and shoot again. I had to handload the next round into the action. So, I took my time shooting.

That could be remedied by only allowing him to put in 1 round...Just like with a semi tube fed, he only hand loads the gun.

[rimfired]

So... my little guys asks me today if he can have a .22 or a bow an arrow from Santa. I was proud at first thought but then naturally a little skeptical. They never wrote a good book on parenting... I trust a bunch of back woods boys over the damned books anyway...

I got him a Red Ryder last year and he is damn good at it. Trying to be a good dad... advice please?

Go ahead and get him a .22, it's not like you're just going to throw it at him and say, "have fun". With the proper safety precautions I don't see a problem with it. Imo, kids that are exposed to firearms early on, won't have that dangerous curiosity when they're older.

I'm not sure if you mentioned how old he is, but I would get him a Marlin 60 for a couple reasons. He will have more fun loading a tube than cutting his little fingers on the lips of a mag. The more he can do without assistance, the more fun he'll have. Second, the Marlin 60 is a durable, accurate rifle and it's something he can cherish for many years, and eventually pass it down to his kids.

I have a feeling that on Christmas morning there will be one happy kid in your house, good luck with your decision.

[Datdarkness]

DO IT!!!
Disclaimer: im only 16 sooo parenting decissions are not good from me???? idk

i wish i had been exposed to them alot erlier than i was, it would have kept me more calm about it i guess you could say.

i finnaly got my first guns this year, and well, i guess the delayed entry made me allitle gun crazy.... Spent WAYYY more than any 16 usually even makes.... haha, i say its a good idea

[chesterthehero]

crickett is what i got for my gfs kid.. took her out the first time with my marlin 60 and after she got comfortable she was dumping ammo as fast as she could... picked her up a crickett bolt action single shot.. she slowed way down but she is one heck of a shot..

[Izzy43]

Get him a rifle, any rifle will do. You will never regret it. It will bind you and your son together in a way that few other things can. He will learn respect for the firearm, respect for you, safety skills and learn the skill of shooting along the way.

Too many parents just dump their kids at the soceer game, movie, video game place or some other venue where who knows what can go wrong. Having your son (or daughter) going to the range or out hunting with you will pay dividends that you can't imagine right now.

I have seen 5 and 6 years old kids at my range with their father or grandfather and those kids are grinning from ear to ear, minding their father/grandfather and behaving themselves. I smile every time I see one.

And it would be best to get a rifle that is simple to operate in the beginning and later one that he really wants. After all he can always give his first rifle to his son/daughter.

[Sionadi]

Do you think he would like a lever action?

[Echidin]

Buying me a BB gun and assessing my level of gun safety and responsibility is how my father determined I was ready to move up to a .22. As was mentioned already, you will be the best judge of his maturity. If he has proved to you proper gun safety and responsibility with his BB gun, then I would say he's ready to move up and handle the responsibilty of a .22. I would also recommend you get him a single shot.

[Pugster]

If you think your son is ready to step up to a .22lr, think about the CZ-452.

[dwh100]

CZ scout. My son loves his. Got it when he was 6. He was ready!

[usmcchet9296]

My sone started with a Henry at age 7 or 8

IMG_2754 by usmcchet92_96, on Flickr


IMG_1827 by usmcchet92_96, on Flickr

and now had a Ruger 10/22 and Henry Frontier


IMG_0122 by usmcchet92_96, on Flickr


Henry 22 by usmcchet92_96, on Flickr

[CSACANNONEER]

Or, you could ignore all this talk about single shot .22lrs and start him off the way I started my cousin's kids:



OK, so they also got to shoot a few other toys that day too.



Of course, that was just "playtime" at Angeles.

Although my stepson was very familar with most of my firearms by the time he was 14, I still only allowed him to compete with one of my single shot firearms. This was his first time shooting 1000 yards!