I just came across the Henry Youth Bolt Action... looks like this may be a strong contender at the size/weight around 3.25 lbs. https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/mini-bolt-youth/
What could one expect to end up with for an overall weight with a 10/22 with a lightweight youth stock? Seems to me that it would be considerably more.
I recently took my girls (8 & 11) out for their first try shooting the .22s. we took a Ruger 10/22 youth with iron sights and an M&P15-22 with a red dot. Weight was an issue with both, which led to having to shoot from a rest, which made them absolutely hate the M&P15-22. My youth model 10/22 is 10+ years old and has a wooden stock, not sure where that puts it weight-wise compared to the synthetic, but the synthetic Compact appears to be 4.4 lbs. Might weigh my wood-stocked model and see if it would be worth it to change to the synthetic compact stock.
mentioned many times before; Rim Fire Central is an excellent resource.
If the kid is only ever going to shoot off a bench, size and weight don't matter too much. But if the kid is going to learn to shoot from field positions, you can't overemphasize proper sizing.
I have used a Crickett as a first rifle for my kids. It is very small, but still a little large for the average six year old. Kids that age will probably be able to safely cock the rifle, but this would certainly be something to check on before taking them out to Appleseed with it. Unless the child is unusually large and strong for his age, a rifle like a 10-22 will be way too big and heavy, even with the stock cut down. The first time I went to Appleseed, I brought my two older boys, who would have been 9 and 13. The 9 year old was shooting a cut-down 10-22, and he did fine with it, but a couple of years before that, he would definitely not have been able to handle it.
There's no doubt that it's easier to score well on the AQT with a good autoloader than with a bolt gun. For a six year old, however, the AQT is irrelevant. Unless the kid is some kind of superhero, he's not going to be shooting the AQT in hopes of making rifleman. He's shooting because it's fun to shoot. That will work with a Crickett just as much as it works with a 10-22. A six year old at an Appleseed is unlikely to manage with getting slung up, and is probably going to wind up firing from a sandbag during the prone, and he probably won't do transitions. In other words, it's ordinarily be an adapted course of instruction for him anyway.
Anyway, I'd really encourage starting them with a very small, light, well-fitted rifle. You can buy the 10-22 in a couple of years. Do kids prefer autoloaders to single shots? You might guess yes, but that's not really my experience. My kids have all gotten a huge kick out of having their own rifle, and manipulating the rounds, working the bolt, cocking it, and so on, is all part of the fun. The autoloader takes that manipulation away and while it's fun to shoot the autoloaders, they don't pine for them.
Last edited by Moylan; 09-09-2019 at 11:50 AM.
My vote would be the youth size Ruger American rimfire. Super accurate and you can get a full size stock end with raised cheek weld for optics for around $20 when they grow. I got one for my son when they first came out and now that it is in the full size config it is MY favorite 22 to shoot(have multiple other choices including a couple 10-22s)
https://ruger.com/products/americanR...303.html?buy=1
I bought a pink one for my daughter. She loves it. The next daughter will likely want purple though.Originally Posted by jandbj
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Winchester has what might be considered a 10/22 upgrade in their new Wildcat 22.
My friend Tom has a quick look at it at his blog: NRAAM 2019 Musings.
Wildcat Uncaged
Weighs a whole 4 pounds and some ounces.
Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
Glenn Reynolds
looks pretty sporty! Any idea about shorter or adjustable stocks?
I started my girls with the Henry Youth bolt gun and Aguila Super Colibri ammo. Gun is light, small, has fiber optic sights that they took to immediately. Ammo is quieter than a pellet gun, so no need for ear pro while learning. The first one was so popular that I had to buy two of them so they didn't argue over who got to shoot next.
They later graduated to the Henry youth lever gun, which they also loved.
Highly recommended.
I am the owner of Agile/Training and Consulting
www.agiletactical.com
You do you.
Reaching? The thread is about a rifle to teach a kid with so they can shoot Appleseed.
You do you.
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