Youth Rimfire Input Requested

[ASH556]

After spending the day in the field with my 12y/o nephew last Saturday, it put a burr in my saddle to get my boys more time in the field. To date, I've introduced the 5y/o to shooting through a suppressed M&P22 pistol and suppressed M&P15-22 rifle with red dot. He also has a Daisy "Buck" bb gun. He's not opposed to shooting, but doesn't seem to long for it. Some of that may be to lack of exposure, though. Once or twice a year isn't exactly regular exposure. He did really seem to come alive about it on our latest trip 3 weeks ago where we has able to break clays with the 15-22.

I don't want it to just be about shooting, though. I want to introduce them to the nuances of the outdoors. Walking through the woods and observing animal sign, tracks, sounds, etc as well as introduction to vegetation, etc. Doing so with a .22 rifle to have the opportunity for a shot on the odd squirrel seems it would add to the enjoyment and "tie the tool to the task."

Now, I have for both of my sons already sitting in the safe a pair of 10/22 Deluxe Walnut Sporters, a pair of Colt 6920's (sequential sn's) and a pair of Buck 110's (pair of each = one for each son).

My thought is to pick up something like a Crickett or Savage Rascal single-shot bolt .22 that would be something lighter/easier for him to tote around the woods for a couple years until he's ready for the 10/22 and then his brother can tote around the single shot.

The boys are 2 years apart and will turn 6 and 4 in December. Both are on the larger size for their age.

Thoughts?

[BN]

Reactive targets.

One of the local clubs has a youth day every year. The have set ups in each of 4 or 5 pistol bays. One may have out dated soda bottles to shoot and blow up. Plastic toy soldiers, cars, lolipops, cookies, water balloons, etc. Anything that reacts to being shot. They usually had some close targets and some out to 25 yards. They had benches with rests to shoot from. For a while they had stuffed toys with Tannerite in them.

[TAZ]

I started my son out with a Savage Rascal, or whatever their single shot 22 is called. He liked it quite a bit, but neither of us hunts, so I can’t comment on his traipsing about the woods with a rifle. The rifle was quite accurate and dead nuts reliable with anything I put into it. Only negative to the youth rifle was the he outgrew it FAST. My son it tall and lanky so the LOP became waaaay too short almost overnight. He graduated to an MO15-22 within a few months.

[willie]

See the CZ Scout rimfire on the CZ website.

[Duelist]

See the CZ Scout rimfire on the CZ website.

I feel he outgrows the Scout stock, you can put a grownup stock on the same barreled action.

[Dan_S]

http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-455-scout/

[Grouse870]

I got my 9 year old the savage rascal. It’s a nice rifle plenty accurate. My son shot his first grouse with it this year. You do have to run the bolt hard to get it to eject properly but I don’t see that as an issue.

[Palmetto]

I recently snagged a Ruger Youth 10/22 stock off of EBay. It shortened the LOP enough to fit her. Standard was too long. Also found the Ruger stock extension so I can add some length later as necessary.

For reactive targets I’ve seen drywall circles cut with a hole saw. Hang them on a string and they puff white cloud when hit. You can cut a lot of them out a single sheet of drywall.

[OlongJohnson]

Check out the Marlin 15YN. It's a youth-size, single shot, but with a "real," quality action just like their bigger rimfires. Out of production, but can be had very inexpensively with a little patience.

[rob_s]

I agree re: reactive targets. We got a BB gun for our older girl for her tenth birthday and while she sort of enjoyed shooting the paper targets, she really got interested when we started shooting cans.

Way back when I got a Ruger 10/22 youth model for my stepson when he was about 10. I still have the gun, and at whatever point the girl shows enough interest and safety with the BB gun, we’ll get out and shoot that too. The one thing I remember with the 10/22 is that it was kind of heavy for the boy and he pretty much only wanted to shoot it supported. If I didn’t already have that gun and was buying new, I’d take weight into account at least as much as LOP.

I also have an M&P 22 ar15 or whatever s&w calls it, but I believe that’s even heavier than the 10/22.

ETA:
you’ll probably get at least some “start them on a bolt action so they have to take their time” advice. I don’t necessarily disagree with this in theory, but these kids are the kids of the kids of the microwave generation. Patience tends not to be their thing. It’s like,y the rare kid that really wants to focus on the craft of shooting that much. What they want to do is blast shit that moves.