what is the best for a 9 year old a shotgun or a rifle?

Question

all his family hunts.

Answer 1

Really a rifle. He'll have a blast with the scattergun, but for basic marksmanship he'll need to learn them with a rifle. .22 rounds are really cheap and the best choice for small game hunting. I wouldn't recommend against a shotgun though they are perfect for kids to have a lot of fun and are a sport in themselves. Hope he gets both.

Answer 2

I teach Hunter Safety for Colorado. I find that kids that age do not have the upper body strength and the muscles of the arms are not developed enough to hold a heavy gun steady. That pretty well rules out a shotgun, even a youth shotgun. However there are a few small single shots from NEF and Rossi that will fit the smaller child. The .410 has low recoil but it is almost impossible to hit anything with it. The 20 ga will take game after some practice but may be a little heavy in recoil for a small 9 yr old. I would forget about shotguns for now and just start him/her off with a nice little .22 LR single shot. Keep to the basics. Load, safety off, aim, fire, eject. One shot at a time, and take enough time to hit. The repeater .22's are just wasting your money for a small child that grew up with video games and has no concept of "hit the first time" I never got my sons repeater rifles until they had the mental disicpline to stalk, aim, take up trigger and hit with the first shot. They will always remember their 1st little gun, I know I do.
Sarge

Answer 3

Kids and .22 LR rifles were meant for each other. A Cricket, or a Chipmunk single-shot rifle would be perfect for a 9 year old, but he will outgrow it in a few years. They are sized for children and make an ideal first rifle.

I'm of the opinion that beginners, especially small children should start with single-shots or manual repeaters (bolt-action, pump or lever-action) rather than a semi-automatic rifle. For one thing it helps teach fire control, and encourages proper triger control.

If you want to get the youngster a shotgun, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT GET THE KID A .410 SHOTGUN!!!!!!!!!!!! .410 shotguns are tools for experts, not for beginners! Get the kid a 28 gauge or 20 gauge single-shot from H&R/ NEF 1871. With either of those, the kid can learn to be an effective wingshooter and a decent hunter. .410's are pretty worthless for anything other than busting claybirds or killing snakes.

Doc

Answer 4

I would start a 9 year old with a bolt action .22 rifle ( or a semi-auto if that's really what you want.)

There is little noise or recoil and you can focus on training the child safety, proper gun handling and marksmanship.

Start without a scope and let them become proficient with iron sights, then later add a scope as they become a better shot. .22s can be shot all day without cost of ammo consideration and practice does make perfect.

Also, .22s can be fun for the whole family and you can set up an improvised range in a lot more places without worrying about disturbing anyone else.

Answer 5

I gave DJ a thumbs up on this one, but if there's already a 22 he can use in the family collection, a nice little 28 or 20 bore shotgun might be a good choice. When I was his age, I could use my dad's 22 for small game, or the "family" levergun (a 38-40 that eventually got rebarrelled to 44 magnum) for deer and hogs, but didn't have a convenient shotgun.

Answer 6

a rifle well it depends what he is hunting but for a rifle i would say a .243 they are great and can take down anything! for a shotgun it depends a 20 gauge or maybe a 4 10

Answer 7

i would start him out on a .22LR rifle. everyone i know started out on one, including me. the ammo is cheap, and you can get a new one for at most $250. a used one for around $150. it will teach him how to keep steady, and it will also teach him respect for a firearm. he can use it to hunt squirrel and rabbit with, and you can also use it if you see a groundhog out in the yard. the maximum effective range on groundhog with that caliber is about 60-70 yards. for squirrel and rabbit, up to 100 yards, but he probably wont be able to see it with open sights, but tasco makes a scope specifically designed for .22's, it is a 3x7 and i have one on my pellet gun and it works good for shooting targets, and squirrel and rabbit.
get him either a bolt action single shot, that's what i started on.

don't get a shotgun, it is loud and has a lot of recoil for a 9 year old.

good luck for him!

Answer 8

I'ld get him a single shot rossi combo rifle. You get a 22 barrel and a 410 barrel, for under 200 dollars. That way you can teach him the skills to shoot both

Answer 9

My daughter is 8, and I bought her a Crickett ( a small .22 designed especially children) it has almost no recoil. I am starting her there. As far as I know the .410 is the smallest caliber shotgun, which has considerable recoil.

Answer 10

My son is 7 years old and he has a 410. It has worked well for him because he can also use slugs in it. He has the "shotgun" ammo for pheasants and can still use the slug for deer hunting.