Thread: Youth gun opinions

Hey guys i was looking into getting my son his first .22 this year for Christmas.

He needs a youth one and I was looking into getting him a cricket single shot .22 ($120ish), but then i was looking around and i found a Rossi youth matched pair .410 shot gun and /.22 single shot for the same price($120) as the cricket at Walmart's black Friday sale.

I cannot make up my mind so I guess I am asking your guys opinions on the matter.

thanks

JP

You can get a decent 10/22 for 125-200 just depending on brand. Mossberg, marlin and ruger all make good rifles, might want to consider going with that rather than a single shot .22. As far as the .410 a single shot is good for that, I know that Fred Meyer carries an h&r single 410, 20 and 12 gauge for around 140 and are pretty quality for the price.

Yeah i had the 10/22 but it was still to big for him to use so i ended up selling it. That's the main reason i was asking about these two youth model guns. the Rossi is on sale from about 189 on there site and the cricket is always about 120 from what i can find. cant seem to find either used though so i am assuming that once they get bought people hang on to them good sign?? i hope.

JP

There is a lot to be said in favor of teaching a youngster to shoot with a single shot. I have a grandson that will be learning in a few years and I have seriously considered the Cricket or one of the Savage/Stevens Favorites.
The single shot, switch barrel 22/410 has a lot going for it if you think you will be taking him bird hunting. Keep in mind, however, that the .410 is not nearly as inexpensive to feed as a 20 gauge.

Yeah I bird hunt i have trained labs so that's one reason why the .22/410 looked like a good option however he cannot hunt with me at this time since he is to young is int the youth supervised hunting age 12?

Also i would like the rossi better int he .22/20 but that's not the one that is on sale at Walmart, and i think that teaching him on a .410 would be a little better, so i am not to concerned about the extra cost of the .410 over the 20 gauge shells.
Thing i am worried about it he cannot use my youth Rossi pump action .22 that my father passe down to me its not small like the cricket or the Rossi youth pair so i want him to go to Walmart with me and try holding the Rossi and see if it fits him i know the cricket would since its so small, but i dont wan t to ruin the surprise of his gift lol. I also am not a big fan of Walmart when it comes to gun only gun stuff i buy from them is ammo when i am there otherwise i try and keep my gun business local.

Still in a pickle lol.

JP

Originally Posted by orygun

There is a lot to be said in favor of teaching a youngster to shoot with a single shot.

+1

I started my kids out and a Henry Mini Bolt the fiber optic sights made teaching proper sight picture a snap.

Yeah I looked at those but that a bit more than I wanted to spend on a single shot youth .22 .
That's why I was looking at he two listed above both are really good guns and are in the 120 range on sale. I really am set on the single shot though as that's how I was taught when I was growing up I did not get the semi until I was 12 or 13 (I forget which one lol its been ages) and passed hunter safety.

If your son is really young i would say go with the Cricket .22

Yeah hes younger I am leaning towards the cricket since i think it would be a better fit for him however i really like the though of the 2 for 1 gun with the rossi youth matched pair. I would really liek to get a chipmonk rifle if i could find one the ones that where made in Oregon before going outta business as my cousin had one of them when we were younger and we both liked it.

I'd buy him .22LR bolt action. That way he can focus on sighting and control, instead of spray and pray.

Originally Posted by Skang

I'd buy him .22LR bolt action. That way he can focus on sighting and control, instead of spray and pray.

I agree!

Originally Posted by jp1985

Yeah I bird hunt i have trained labs so that's one reason why the .22/410 looked like a good option however he cannot hunt with me at this time since he is to young is int the youth supervised hunting age 12?

In the state of Oregon, the Mentor Youth hunting Program applies for 9-13 year olds. In that program, the mentor (you) is the one with the tag and there is only one gun between the two of you. You "allow" the youngster to shoot and fill your tag. In that program there are many specific rules, but basically you two stick together, so the young one is under your constant supervision, and when the time comes for shootin, the youngster can fill the tag.The person being mentored does not have to have passed the Hunter Safety class.
At 12 years old the young one can have his own tag, but has to have passed the Hunter Safety class.
This year at elk camp there was 3 generations of one family. The 11 year old was the first person to fill "his" tag. (the tag was his dad's) It was cool.
If I was in your shoes, I'd probably be leaning towards the 22/410 also.
This sounds like it's going to be fun!

Find info here.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources...ortunities.asp

I vote for the Rossi!

Crickets are nice but are out grown fast. They are still a great choice.

For more money though I believe it is CZ that sells a youth style .22 bolt gun that when he grows they sell an adult style stock for it. Might be worth looking into.

I also just thought of another benefit of the Rosssi he would be able to shoot trap with us when we go do that to so that's another bonus of the Rossi.
I am going to walmart here in a few mins to look at the gun and see what I actually think since it can be so different from pictures on the internet.

Still haven't however made my mind up they both have good and bad things about them.

As for him hunting with me he has 2 year before he can do the youth mentored hunt you spoke of it it was 9 with one gun between us. I made the mistake of letting him go bird hunting with me just to watch no gun or anything just oranged him all up and let him tag along upland bird and now he really really wants to hunt with me. Is it older for big game hunter or 9 for that as well?

JP

Originally Posted by titsonritz

+1

I started my kids out and a Henry Mini Bolt the fiber optic sights made teaching proper sight picture a snap.

My son started with a Henry Mini bolt at 6 years and now he is 10 almost 11 and he still wants to shoot his single shot Henry over my Marlin Mounties. Great size and weight and better built than a few of the others that I contemplated at the time.

It's a perfect first .22. When he is done with it I'm passing it along as an easy to handle rifle to my wife. They are both about the same size at the moment. I bought it for $100 and it was money well spent.

jp 1985 you are answering your own question. Just buy the Rossi and if you need another later then get one.
Heck i wouldn't mind a 22/410 for me
I would not get a 10 22 to teach a kid shooting skills Bolt or single if you don't buy the one you want (the rossi)

Keep an eye on the used racks. Kids out grow the little rifles fast and can often be found pretty cheap. I started on a sears single shot bolt very similar to the Henry.
Everyone loves their first gun whatever you get.
Best of luck,

I bought my son , Brian, a chipmonk .22 for Christmas one year. I think he was five years old. He's now thirtyfive and still has that rifle. He'll pass it on to my grandson.
A few years ago he was in Afgahinstan. He wrote and said "Dad, do you remember teaching me to shoot that little .22 rifle?" " I feel those shooting outings we took
really has had me better prepared for this little adventure I'm on now." "Thanks Dad". True story...

I faced this issue recently, and after doing a lot of research I bought this.



CZ-USA -> CZ 452 Scout