Best .22 for a youngster

[Heck]

My boy has his first birthday on July 1st and I want to get him somthing special. Yes, I realize that he is still a baby but you only turn one once.
I want to get him a 22 of some sort. I want it blued with a wood stock.
I have been thinking of henry youth model leveraction or a CZ 452 scout.
Any other suggestions with a ceiling of $300?

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I have a cz scout. It is a very good rifle for the money. My only complaint is that the pistol grip is too thick. I just bought my sister a henry lever youth and she loves it. I don't know how it will hold up in the long run.

 

[jklinstein]

Henry Mini-bolt has a youth sized grip, and is stainless & synthetic. The stock isn't cheesy, with nice checkering in the grip. Both my kids learned to shoot a rifle with this gun, and even now I like to pick it up and see what I can hit with it.

 

[dak0ta]

Marlin 925 Youth

 

[tju1973]

Savage Mk II?

 

[Raptorq7r13]

I had a marlin .22 for my first gun. Still have it, and still love it.

 

[Uncle Mike]

All excellent suggestions so far... if you get the Cricket, he'll be able to shoot it a year or two earlier than some of the others.

I think it is the 'smallest' of the bunch, the Mini-Bolt by Henry is small also.

 

[rangerruck]

He will outgrow the lever; the cz, the savage the marlin, the annie, all the youth models, will be beauties, and when they get older, you can get an adult size stock to fit. I would go with a cz or an Annie, they are well worth saving.

You cannot adult size, the cricket, the henry, or any of the other child size single shots.

 

[TechBrute]

I really think a first gun should be be a bolt action single shot. It really teaches the fundamentals of shooting, and adds a level of safety only having one round at a time in the rifle.

 

[mm6mm6]

Marlin 15YN .22 single shot bolt action youth rifle. Go to a shopping mall store where they engrave things. I bought a brass oval and had it engraved to my Daughter from her Dad and put it on her Marlin's stock:


They're shooting better than you before ya know it! This is my daughter last month at her first Cowboy Shoot. 12 years old:

 

[mongo4567]

I got my son a Cricket when he was 5 years old I think. He couldn't shoot a full length stock till he was 7 or so and he is on the large side. Some of my younger family friends shoot the Cricket and it is still the only one that my son can shoot well freehand because of the weight. My son is 9 and now prefers the CZ 527 and the AR with a 22 conversion.

 

[proplinker]

Keystone crickett they are made just for kids $149. case, glasses, target and ear plugs they are 22rf only

 

[kludge]

Henry Mini-Bolt
Savage Cub

 

[Im283]

I always say a child's first birthday is for the parent's ego, not for the child. I guess buying a rifle in this situation proves it.

Don't take it personal, please. Of course buy him a rifle if you want to.
(I would recommend a Savage Cub Mini Youth as a first rifle, but I also recommend waiting a few years. The Savage is a single shot, does not have the goofy cocker on it, and is accurate as all get out.)

I am guessing whatever you buy will be shot by you for five years or so. So why not buy yourself a rifle to celebrate his birthday and then pass it on to him at an appropriate age. He will love having a rifle that Dad had.

 

[woof]

I agree with the Henry mini bolt. If you are buying it when he is one you will want him shooting as soon as he can and the mini bolt is smaller than most, very high quality.

 

[Sam1911]

Keystone crickett they are made just for kids $149. case, glasses, target and ear plugs they are 22rf only

This is a repost from back a few months, but still stands:

The Crickets are cheap. But even so, they aren't worth the money. There are a LOT higher quality guns available in that tiny size for not a whole lot more cash.

Consider the Henry Micro Bolt, or Marlin's (I forget the model number).

I looked at all the micro-rifle options and got my kids the Savage Cub-T. Very nice laminated thumbhole stock, Accu-Trigger, good sights (and integral scope rail), and VERY accurate for such a little thing.

After a lot of looking, I found them on sale at Gander Mt. for $169 one day! Generally they're closer to $225, but deals are out there.

I put an inexpensive scope on it and I now shoot it more than they do! It's on permanent groundhog duty, too!

Handle one and you won't consider the Cricket again...

-Sam

 

[moewadle]

Crickets are very attractive

but I do not know the difference in quality of the various brands. I recently found a Chipmunk, NIB, from the Cricket company because the Cricket company bought Chipmunk and must have had some leftovers. Anyway, this one I saw has beautiful American Walnut wood, blued barrel, stainless bolt. Very nice, on sale at Gander Mt. for $129. My nephew in another state has two little kids and bought it for them as a starter. I was impressed by the aperture sight. Of course the kids cannot grow into it but I would not worry about that. It is important for them to have a rifle of the correct size when they are little. Buy a larger one for later years. The gun will keep its value to a great degree and can be sold if it is not wanted.

 

[chriso]

I grew up on the same gun as my dad don't remember what brand it was it's my dad's and its at our grandfathers he has a coyote comming in the chicken pen problem but it is a OLD 22 it was my gradfathers then he gave it to my dad and my dad taught me on that gun it was a old t bolt kind of style the action was so hard to operate when I was a kid I had to put the barrel between my feet and yank back on the bolt to open the action it was single shot but I sure thought about everytime I pulled that damn trigger... Sorry for the lack of info but I suggest a single shot as well I bought my lady a henry lever action 22 and she loves it and so do I its a awesome rifle and very accurate...

 

[Heck]

I ended up getting the CZ 452 Scout. Seems to be a well made rifle and I like the fact it came with a single shot clip but 7 rounders can be purchased later. Unfortuneatly I fell in love with a 550 American .30-06 while I was at the gun store.

I will have to let his big sister try out the Scout for him until he is old enough for it.