What age do you think a boy should get his first rifle?

Some may find this article interesting. It just appeared in the TSRA newsletter.

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NRA Publications

APPEARS IN News How-To On The Range

4 Things You Need to Know When Picking a Kid's First Rifle

by Drema Mann - Monday, May 22, 2017


4 Things You Need to Know When Picking a Kid's First Rifle

Have your kids ever asked to hunt or shoot with you? If so, you're like a lot of other folks, and might be wondering where to start. To really feel involved, kids need their own gear-everything from hearing and eye protection to their own rifle. Choosing safety gear is straightforward enough, but when it comes to the rifle, you'll want to make the best choice to ensure their success and enjoyment.

1. Size it Correctly
The rifle should not be too big or heavy, and the key to that is to make sure to involve your child in the selection process. Many parents purchase a rifle as a first birthday present, and that is a wonderful idea. Years down the road it will be a special heirloom. But remember that predicting the arm length of a seven or eight year old is pretty difficult to do, and when the time comes, that rifle might not fit.

When my daughter, Montana, was about seven, she decided she would like to try her hand at shooting. We quickly found most youth guns were too long, and too heavy for her. Her first shots had to be taken from the bench, which was fine, but soon she wanted to shoot standing up like an adult. It took some searching before we found the right rifle. I suggest you visit a well-stocked gun store with your child to try rifles on for size. Much like their jeans, the gun must fit the child, or you could have a problem on your hands.

2. Get a Good Trigger
Trigger pull weight is crucial too. A good starting point is to try a trigger with about half the pull weight of the gun. Take into consideration the size of the child, and remember, what works for one 10-year-old might not work for another. Some youth rifles have heavy, gritty triggers, and will only lead to frustration for you and your child. Avoid them. A crisp trigger with a light-to-moderate pull weight simplifies the complexities of learning to shoot.

3. Match Their Personality
Probably the most important part to Montana was that the gun fit her personality. It was by no means one of the most important things to her daddy or me. No flat black or green camo for this girly-girl. She chose, you guessed it, a pink rifle. Maybe she gets that spark of personality from me but, for whatever reason, pink fits her perfectly.

4. Invest Some Money
And finally, don't be afraid to invest some money into this new-found interest. The Xbox you bought your child for their birthday cost just as much as a good rifle. The rifle will probably last longer and mean more in the end than any electronic gadget that could be obsolete in a month or two. If the gun doesn't fit and they don't like it, they won't stay interested for long. Involve your child in choosing their rifle. Use it as an excuse to spend some quality time together, and you just might have a hunting and shooting buddy for a long time to come.

For Montana's first rifle we settled on a Pink Platinum, Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22. It weighs only 5.5 pounds and the stock has 1.25 inches of adjustability. She's proud of her pink first rifle and proud to hunt and shoot. She's since graduated to bigger guns, but still treasures her first rifle. On crisp fall mornings, you can now find her in the woods with her daddy or me. I can only hope I'm the one lucky enough to be in the stand with her when she takes her first West Virginia whitetail!

https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2017/...ds-first-rifle/

Regards,
hm
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodog I read some of posts like this and often wonder if your getting a rifle for your children or for yourself. A few years ago, I did a custom paint job on a guys son's rifle. His son was six months old. Go figure.

I have 5 AR's... This one is for him. I think that is why I chose an AR. Once I got my first one, I pretty much never shot anything else. Also this way if I decide he needs a bit more horsepower for bigger game, I can swap my 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel upper to his lower and he will still be completely familiar with the controls and concept of operation. We can choose and make modifications to it together and I teach him a few things about working on guns, break down and cleaning. Best of all it still won't recoil enough to cause bad shooting form. I know most would say that a first center fire should be a bolt action. But he has been carrying and hunting with a single shot bolt action .22 for over 4 years, carrying the 5 bullets or so I give him in his pocket and taking careful shots. I kinda feel like he has paid his dues in that area. I also think that an AR is about the easiest gun I've ever owned to manipulate the safety. It's second nature for me to flick it on/off safe when I'm carrying and shooting it. This gun won't be in his unsupervised hands for a very long time. He loves my AR's when we go shooting and I wanted him to have one of his own he can love too. I think it will be a good fit.
 
My son got a NE arms youth handi rifle with a tasco pro point at 5, a bear cat at 7, and a 1911 at 11 AR at 16. Concealed carry permit for 21st birthday. He learned the effectiveness of a hollow point by shooting vegetables in the garden. Baby girl got a pink cricket at 4. Killed he first deer at 8. A good AR is a platform that can grow in size and calibers as he does. I think that it is a fine choice.
 
I started my girls shooting 22lrs (10/22s with the adjustable blackhawk stocks) when they were 5.

Man the looks i would get. Until people saw the targets, not a word after that.

Now those same rifles have grown with them (like your idea with the AR) They are really good with the 22s out to 100yrds.

I have been teaching them how to use an SR22 pistol for the past year almost 2. They handle it well, and are always supervised, like everyone else has said.

I think that until they are 12 i wouldn't let them out of my sight with their 22s. At age 12 I may let them wonder off to find bunnies on their own. But that is depending on their behavior, not birthdays.

My oldest is turning 12 this year and in AZ kids only need to be 10 to draw elk. She has drawn a cow tag and i have a 243 in youth, for her. She thinks it's hers, but that is semantics.

They also have an AR15 to use for coyotes, but, after thinking it over, i am thinking that getting each of them an AR for all the reason's you listed, plus an upper in 6.5 would be the best route going forward. Not just because it would be easy, but also that it makes sense to use the lower since it fits them, and will grow with them, and will also give them comfort since they are used to the trigger and configuration.


People are going to say thing, but they aren't raising your kids, you are, and sounds like your doing fine. ignore them.

For safety, i did get military ammo cans and then welded on tabs so that when you close it the tab sticks out past the lid handle and would allow me to put a lock on the ammo. I then stenciled the side and front of the can with what was in them. (for me)

Keeps it all together and in one place.
 
I bought my son a stainless laminated blue stock single shot 22lr cricket for his 4th bday. We shoot several weekends a month at the range only working on gun safety and basics.

He loves it and is always excited to go. I think 4 was fine in this circumstance. Now giving him a rifle he will be hunting with and possibly less than 110% supervision where I stand over him at the range will take time.
 
My parents got me my first 22 rifle when i was 7. I started hunting that same year and killed my first deer with a 22 hornet. I didn't get a shotgun till i was 9,then aquired a 243 around 10, but was always supervised by my dad till i was around 12 and then i started hunting and shooting on my own I'm 18 now and the gun addiction is in full swing every time i get the extra money I start looking for a new gun, but it all depends on the child and how he picks up on the gun saftey and their interest level in the world of guns. some kids mature faster then others so that plays a large role in it also.
 
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I was 12 when I got my first gun a 22. My son was 10 when he got the same 22 that was my first gun. Now my oldest grandson was 6 when I bought him a new 10-22, with my sons approval. It all depends on their upbringing, and maturity, my grandson only shoots his 22 with one of us right beside him and drilling in the safety aspect. Grandson number 2 is about to get his 10-22 in the next month and will have the same close supervision. The boys all started going along with use hunting at the age of 4, so they have an understanding of what goes on when handeling a firearm. They live in the country so it will be a natural part of growing up for them. They will have to prove their responsibility to be cut loose and carry a firearm and will complete hunter safety when they are 12. (Which I will get the pleasure of teaching there class, since I am a Hunter Safety instructor). It all depends on how the kids are taught and there maturity level, when they are allowed to carry in the field.
 
I don't think that there is any set age. I believe that the maturity and the ability to listen and follow directions should determine what age that they should be able to take on this wonderful responsibility in life.
That is my 2 cents worth..
 
I shot BB and pellet guns as far back as I can remember. My dad was pretty lax on the safety aspect. Luckily I did not do anything too stupid.

I have two daughters now and am looking to find ways for us to spend time together. Hunting does not interest them but I'm hoping shooting might. One is 11 and is mature enough to handle a rifle supervised. The 7 year old, no way. She is a sneaky one.

I will probably start them off with a Henry bolt .22. Or a 10/22 and just load one at a time.
 
Soon as he can keep both ends off the ground.
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I would get him a Ruger all weather stainess in 22RF, and immediately start looking for him one in 22 mag.

The guns are light, but stock may have to be cut. The trigger may be a tad rough, but they are easily honed.

Then, graduate him to a 223 for plinking and a 243 for a coyote/deer load.

He would have started of with some light weight quick handling guns.

From the 243 shooting 95g Partitions, he may graduate to a 6.5 creedmoor.

Keep him shooting, keep him looking at his next project.

best wishes

Keith
 
He's had a single shot .22 for almost 5 years. I really didn't want to buy a youth bolt gun as it would only fit him for a couple years. He's already pretty big for his age. The telescoping stock on the AR fits him perfectly now and will when he's 40...
 
Bought my son his first for his 5th bday. 22 cricket... He got a ruger compact in 17hmr just last month for his 9th. But it depends a lot on the child I think, my buddies boys are the same age as my son but they are now just ready to start shooting.
 
My daughter came to me with a serious look on her face when she was 6 and said, "Daddy, I want to shoot an animal and keep it's fur." We started together in the back yard with a BB gun working on firearm fundamentals. Moved up into a pellet rifle. When she turned 7 we got her into a 10-22 and spent hours in the desert on a tarp with me reloading mag after mag. We started hunting together when she could carry and handle her gun by herself. She started hunting with a Mossberg 20 gauge 500 shotgun, later turning to a 12 gauge 500.

It is entirely up to you and the kids as to when to start.
 
My son is about to turn 4. He started with a BB gun when he was 2, and started with a .22LR on his 3rd bday. I bought a Marlin 60, got a Boyd's stock for it, and cut it down. I also got him a Savage Mark II with another Boyd's stock, with a hand made single shot receiver rug. He shoots both from the bench currently, and only walks with the BB gun. He's getting strong and tall enough to carry the Savage, cut down front and back, so he's working on that this summer. When we find an opportunity target, he gets one bullet, to single load. Of course, he's never out of arms reach. I started teaching him muzzle control with vintage pony boy cap revolvers basically as soon as he could walk, and also with a Rem 700 take off synthetic stock - he proved pretty quickly he could keep his finger off of the trigger and maintain safe muzzle orientation, so he earned a chance to shoot BB guns under very specific conditions. A year of that, he was ready for the .22LR. I'm thinking about getting a Rem 700 in .223 or 243win for his 5th bday next year to give him a little more range. Shooting the Ruger Charger with a rifle scope, he has done ok with eye position, and gets shots on a 10" gong at 100yrds, but it's a challenge without a cheek weld. A rifle will make his life a lot easier than the riflescoped pistol.

He desperately wants to shoot my AR's, and my pistols, he's getting close to big enough to fit a collapsed AR stock (might try a shockblade on a pistol), and I have let him shoot a Ruger Charger and once with a Savage Striker, but no go for conventional pistols for several years still.
 
Noting you don't want to buy a youth model your boy will out grow, just pick up a standard rifle, buy an extra stock, and cut it down. I bought a spare receiver for the Marlin 60, I'm gonna cut it down to 14.5" and pin on a KVP linear compensator, and convert it to a 99M1 style magazine tube. It'll be stubby in a full size stock, but I already own both stocks, so when he grows, so can it. I can also put the original barrel and receiver back on and it'll be back to normal. I bobbed the Savage down to 16" also, and kept its stock, so it can go back to full LOP, although it will be a 16" instead of 19".

Might not be fair for a 3yr old to have 2 custom rifles, but I have under $400 in each of them, before optics.

Which might be worth pointing out - I used a red dot sight with an integral laser sight to let me see where he was aiming. He got the hang of it quickly, so now he just has a couple Bushnell First Strike red dots on top, for a little less bulk.
 
I think so. I think its good rifle for a kid to learn on. We've already had the single shot AR for almost 5 years. He has exhibited really good gun safety fundamentals. I know a semi auto is kind of odd for a first center fire rifle, but the low recoil, stock pull length adjustment and light weight make it so attractive me. I decided to wait on a high power bolt action rifle till he is able to handle a full size rifle with full power recoil.
 
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