10 year old first gun opinions?

[fritzhund]

Hey guys. I am in the market for a single shot .22lr rifle for my 10 year old daughter and my sister's 12 year old son to share at the range. They have both shot before. My daughter has fired a .410 and I pissed my sister off by letting the boy fire a Mosin M44 with bayonet extended as it should be. We now have another budding milsurp collector in the ranks. He jumps 5 feet every time he fires it, but loves it!

Any opinions on a first rifle?

I know this thread could go on forever.

"Mine was given to me by my dad, uncle, grandfather, etc...." ::)

Has anyone seen or fired a Crickett? I have seen them at the shows and I am thinking about one of them. I would like to get one before the end of the summer, so any opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks, Fritzhund

[dwd]

My nine-year-old has a Rossi .22/.410 matched pair. Works for him. I got it at Dicks sporting goods for $100. They also makes one that is a triple, 243/22lr/20ga. I like it because it has a safety, I like the idea of him getting used to one.

[donnerwetter58]

I'd have to agree on a .22 for your daughter. The Crickett is very small. Maybe too small for a 10 year old. Marlin made a single shot youth model .22 (model 25 ?) that was a a bit larger.
A .22 is a great tool for learning good shooting techniques while making it easy on both her shoulder and your wallet.
My first rifle at 14 was a Winchester Model 75 .22 target rifle that I still have to this day.
As for your nephew you need to see if Rossi makes the single shot with interchangeable barrels in a 10 gauge / 50 BMG combination. I'm sure we can rig a bayonet for it.

[himmel]

I gotta plump for the ol' Savage, the youth model is a good size, even for me ( I'm finding that these days I'm a pretty small guy). I think the Cricket will be outgrown in a hurry. The Rossi matched pair sounds like a good choice to me too. My personal fave would be the old Stevens bolt-action I got at a yard sale for $45. No safety, but you have to pull out the cocking knob at the end of the bolt to shoot--working the bolt does not cock it.

[gunneyrabbit]

Savage, Stevens Favorite, simple to operate , simple to clean and inexpensive new out of the box. Light enough for him to shoot accurately and he can grow in to it for years. You can even doll it up with adjustable peep sights for little or nothing.
G.R.

[normsutton]

RB

I have one of those , got it Christmas of 1957 and still have it



NORM

[gunneyrabbit]

Norm, I should have known. LOL
Savage also makes a model called the cub, ways 3.3 lbs., comes with the Savage acutrigger and an adjustable peep. The rifle is designed to let young shooters hit what they aim at, the light weight acutrigger almost insures success with a proper training.
G.R.

[blinddog]

I got a Ranger .22 l s lr when I was 7. It belonged to my Dad first and he gave it to me ..there is alot more to the story but that is the jist of it. He had to help hold the rifle up for me when I was first learning how to shoot it. Them were the days, huh?