au_prospector
Member
Hey you guys,
I had the best experience yesterday. My 8 year old daughter has grown up watching me depart the house 'to go to the range' many times. A few months ago she asked me when I was going to take her along with me. I checked with my wife to see if she had put her up to it and she had not, and then herself stated 'so when are you going to take her?'
Well yesterday was the day and it was great. We tried three different firearms and had size problems with each.
1) H&R 904 .22LR revolver. Her hand was too small and the trigger pull too long and heavy for her in double action. For safety reasons as I was trying to teach her not to touch the trigger until she was ready to shoot, I did not try this in single action. Not to worry, we can try handguns later when she is older/larger.
2) Huglu double barrel .410. This is a full size adult .410 with a length of pull a full 15 inches (Yeow!) It is much lighter than my Remington 870 so I thought it might work. She was having to wrap her arm around the stock with the butt behind her body. She only fired it 3 times and the back of the barrels were banging into her eye protection at recoil. She did hit a stationary clay on the third try at about 25 feet.
3) Remington 550-1. Full size .22LR with a standard LOP of 13.5 inches. This by far was her favorite firearm, but the LOP is still too long and her cheek was closer to the receiver than resting properly on the stock. This was throwing her shot off by about 8-10 inches at 25 yards. She was shooting high and right I believe because of the sizing problem.
So now I have an itch to purchase a size appropriate .410 shotgun and a .22 rifle. I did some homework and came up with the following modern firearms. I would also consider gently used older firearms if you guys want to give me some recommendations. I dont know what to look for in an older firearm but would buy a quality one if the size/price was right.
1) Mossberg 510 Mini Super Bantam in .410. I like the idea that the LOP is adjustable. I also think my wife could use this. My 870 20GA is too much gun for her small frame, it is awkwardly long and heavy for her. I think this shotgun may be the answer for both my ladies. LOP 10.5 - 11.5 inches, but pricey.
2) New England H&R Pardner Youth/Compact .410. Light weight, but still .5 pound heavier than the Mossberg Pump. LOP 12.5 inches which may be too long, but @ half the cost of the Mossy, I have to consider it. This was the first shotgun that came to mind until I found the Mossberg 510 which looks better on paper.
3) Mossberg .22LR 702 Plinkster Bantam. LOP 12.25 inches
4) Ruger 10/22 compact LOP 12.75 inches
5) Henry Lever Action Youth .22 LOP 13 inches Not sure she could safely handle the lever action.
All the .22 seem a bit long on the LOP and I really not sure I want to buy a 'Cricket' or a single shot rifle.
When she gets home from school, I will take time to measure her actual LOP but I suspect it is in the 10-11 inch range. If there are some older 'classic' firearms out there I should look for let me know...
Thanks!
~GP
I had the best experience yesterday. My 8 year old daughter has grown up watching me depart the house 'to go to the range' many times. A few months ago she asked me when I was going to take her along with me. I checked with my wife to see if she had put her up to it and she had not, and then herself stated 'so when are you going to take her?'
Well yesterday was the day and it was great. We tried three different firearms and had size problems with each.
1) H&R 904 .22LR revolver. Her hand was too small and the trigger pull too long and heavy for her in double action. For safety reasons as I was trying to teach her not to touch the trigger until she was ready to shoot, I did not try this in single action. Not to worry, we can try handguns later when she is older/larger.
2) Huglu double barrel .410. This is a full size adult .410 with a length of pull a full 15 inches (Yeow!) It is much lighter than my Remington 870 so I thought it might work. She was having to wrap her arm around the stock with the butt behind her body. She only fired it 3 times and the back of the barrels were banging into her eye protection at recoil. She did hit a stationary clay on the third try at about 25 feet.
3) Remington 550-1. Full size .22LR with a standard LOP of 13.5 inches. This by far was her favorite firearm, but the LOP is still too long and her cheek was closer to the receiver than resting properly on the stock. This was throwing her shot off by about 8-10 inches at 25 yards. She was shooting high and right I believe because of the sizing problem.
So now I have an itch to purchase a size appropriate .410 shotgun and a .22 rifle. I did some homework and came up with the following modern firearms. I would also consider gently used older firearms if you guys want to give me some recommendations. I dont know what to look for in an older firearm but would buy a quality one if the size/price was right.
1) Mossberg 510 Mini Super Bantam in .410. I like the idea that the LOP is adjustable. I also think my wife could use this. My 870 20GA is too much gun for her small frame, it is awkwardly long and heavy for her. I think this shotgun may be the answer for both my ladies. LOP 10.5 - 11.5 inches, but pricey.
2) New England H&R Pardner Youth/Compact .410. Light weight, but still .5 pound heavier than the Mossberg Pump. LOP 12.5 inches which may be too long, but @ half the cost of the Mossy, I have to consider it. This was the first shotgun that came to mind until I found the Mossberg 510 which looks better on paper.
3) Mossberg .22LR 702 Plinkster Bantam. LOP 12.25 inches
4) Ruger 10/22 compact LOP 12.75 inches
5) Henry Lever Action Youth .22 LOP 13 inches Not sure she could safely handle the lever action.
All the .22 seem a bit long on the LOP and I really not sure I want to buy a 'Cricket' or a single shot rifle.
When she gets home from school, I will take time to measure her actual LOP but I suspect it is in the 10-11 inch range. If there are some older 'classic' firearms out there I should look for let me know...
Thanks!
~GP