What is a good starter rifle for a young boy?

Question

I am going to purchase my son a BB or Pellet rifle of some sort for Christmas - I have been teaching him for a while with an old BB gun that has lost most all of its power - and I believe he is ready. What might be a good gun to start him with? And, any opinions on how old a kid should be for this - or how young is too young?

Thanks,
G

Answer 1

The RWS model 34 would be a great choice...RWS makes high quality precision air guns...For $230 you will have, not only a great practice rifle but one that your son will use for a lifetime and then hand down to his son...

My personal favorite is the Feinwerkbau(FWB) 124D but, they are long out of production and the owners of these are very proud of them...It is possible to still find one one every now and again on http://www.gunbroker.com or http://www.gunsamerica.com if money is no object this is one heck of a rifle...Maybe the finest rifle of any type ever, almost Olympic match grade accuracy in a sporting air rifle, and it's built to last several life times, the maintenance calls for one drop of oil after the first six million rounds...

a couple of places to check air rifle prices
http://www.airgunwarehouseinc.com
http://www.pyramidair.com

for information on air guns
http://www.beeman.com

Look into the Ruger 10/22 when you feel he's ready...

Answer 2

When I was 7 years old, my dad got me a daisy BB gun. When I turned 8, he bought me a Crossman pellet/BB rifle, and then when I turned 9, he got me a Savage Model 24D, over/under .410shotgun/.22rifle. After that, I started aquiring a collection of all sorts of rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Of course, I come from a family of people who are very much into hunting and firearms, so I was well trained at a very yourng age. If your son is ready for the responsibility of a gun, then get him one and teach him to safely use it. Once he learns the importance of safety and starts honing his shooting skills, you will have given him something that he will take with him everywhere he goes for the rest of his life....nobody can ever take it away! I still love hunting and shooting and, believe it or not, I still have every gun I've ever owned including those bb and pellet rifles from when I was a kid 30 something years ago.......you see I learned to take care of my guns and found that they will last a lifetime if you treat them the way they are meant to be treated.

Answer 3

Good for you, thank you for securing a future with our young ones.

As for your question,

My first BB gun was a Daisy Red Ryder .177 caliber bb lever gun. It was easy enough to cock and had around 600 fps. You can only cock it once and it holds up to 600 bbs. They are for sale at all the common stores like Walmart and sporting good stores. At 600 fps is low, and will bounce off birds if hit in feathers but will kill things if hit in the head.

Another is the .177 break open barrel, most of these are rifled and only allow pellets, but they are cheaper and these guns are more accurate to learn how to shoot. They do take considerable effort, but this was my second one and I would put it on the floor and pull down to cock it. Mine hada peep sight on that was weird, it demagnifyed things and the aiming reticule took up most of the field of vision. But, it taught me good shooting and made all my shots like really long ones. That really helped me with my shooting.

I started at 7 with 8 -10 being my most popular bb shooting days. I would also not hesitate at 9 or earlier to have him start shooting a .22 and then work up from there, but of course have a framework of the bb gun. I think maturity and not age has to do with this. Make sure he is mature enough to listen to what you say and keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. I think shooting whether bb guns or high powered rifles and hunting or fishing is the best bonding a father and son can have. I would always look forward to weeks ahead of a hunting or shooting trip, all summer I would be in the backyard shooting targets, from different positions. Take him out often and get that interest there and you will have a young shooter or hunter for life.

Answer 4

Bound's hubby here:

It would have been helpful if you'd volunteered the age of your son. It would make answering this easier.

My grandfather gave me my first rifle and taught me how to shoot at age nine. This was a single shot .22 caliber rifle. My father started my sister with a .22 rifle at about eight. My father started my brother with a BB gun when he was five or six. Please keep in mind, we were not given guns and let loose on the world without supervision.

When you start a child with shooting depends more on your comfort level with their demonstrated behavior, demeanor, temper, and if you can call it this, their maturity level.

I would not introduce a child to a BB gun. I do not feel they are accurate enough to foster good shooting skills. I am not particularly fond of pellet guns, but if I were to start my daughter with an air rifle, it would be a Gamo break-action pneumatic rifle. When I introduce her to a .22, it will be a bolt action Remington. From there it will depend upon her skill and interests.

Good luck and enjoy the time you spend with your son at the range.

Answer 5

I'm a die hard fan of the .22. Cheap to shoot, no kick, available in shorter stock lengths, just a great all-around gun. A BB or pellet gun is just as capable of killing something (or someone) as a .22, so gun safety education would be the first step before anything else. His maturity level and grasp of the fact that he's got a killing machine in his hands is first and foremost. But no matter what, whatever you get him will be special because it's his first gun.

Answer 6

My parents started me on a Daisy red ryder at about age 12 but I quickly lost interest and looked towards the Crosman 760 hybrid air rifle series. It allows you to use either BBs or .177 caliber pellets but it requires pumping (10 pumps for a decent air pressure) so who ever is using it is not likely to waste their shot, which will contribute to their patience in target shooting. As for aesthetic, it looks decent and you can add it scope to "make it cooler" as well. My Crosman received plenty of years of use and it still compresses air and fires like new. Although I'm not a parent yet, I think I would give my child (girl or boy) their own air rifle at around age 10 if they really took a liking to it. And since you've already been helping your son along to teach him weapon responsibility, it would be a safe investment as long as you have a safe area to use it in.

Answer 7

I'd go for a break barrel 177 pellet gun. Try and make sure it has a low cocking effort and is decently accurate, otherwise he'll lose interest when he can't co ck it or can't hit a darned thing.

I started when I was 9 or 10, but it depends on his maturity.

How about a Crossman 795 shoots at 600fps and costs about $60 or a Gamo Delta at 525fps and about $65. Personaly I'd go for the Crossman, it looks less like a plastic toy.

Answer 8

how old is your son?? if is 8 or 9, i recomend a break action .177 cal. pellet rifle, used only with adult supervision for a while. here in tennessee, at 10 years old he, and you with him, can go through a hunter safety program. it isn't just about hunter safety, its also about firearm safety. its well worth the 3 hours a night for week you'll spend going through the class. after completion of this, the fun starts, buy him a.22 or a .410 shotgun.

Answer 9

You didn't list his age. I would lean toward a .22 or something that doesn't kick too bad. You don't want to turn him off of hunting/shooting at this age. If he's older, Remington makes a 20 gauge shotgun in a youth model that's pretty nice and very economical AND you can get the adult sized stock when they grow into it.......for free during certain promotions.

Answer 10

I say use a youth model of a Winchester .22
That is what I started with when I was 6.
Then when he goes deer hunting, buy him a youth model or adult Remington 710. They work GREAT