kid has outgrown his 22lr

Status
Not open for further replies.
Oohhh, great idea :)

I dunno if I'd be to hard on the AR thing... It can be touch and go with kids about what they want and what to substitute...

I remember stuff my folks got that was supposed to be "just as good" and it went in the closet, to never come out again (for 50 years, now we're cleaning out closets ...).

Maybe a cheap AR of his own (If that what he becomes set on?) and then shooting circles around it with a decent bolt gun, so he sees the difference himself... Just thinkin ...
 
Get him an AR parts kit with a .22LR upper. That dog will hunt at an Appleseed. The few I have witnessed all had ARs, especially in the last two years. (A peep sighted 10-22 is still the preferred choice, but a AR can shoot well enough.) It is not hard to assemble an decent AR for not much money these days. The experience and knowledge from him selecting parts and putting one together with his own hands is another bonus, plus it will be uniquely his.

Put a challenge to him, if he gets his badge, he gets a 5.56 upper and then must go get another one with that caliber. If he does, you have an accomplished shooter on your hands that can probably out-shoot a significant portion of the shooting population. Make it a rewarding experience for him, the knowledge base and skill set will serve him well.

Just an idea...........................



.
 
Sounds like you have it well covered. I'd consider a Savage of whatever you want to spend.

Caliber depends on what he's going to use it for. 223 is fine for most applications. 308 is better if you're going to hunt something bigger. You can take anything in North America with a 308. I would qualify that by saying if you're going after brown or polar bear you need to be good.

Staying with a military caliber makes sense. Lots of ammo and components around cheap.
 
IIRC....(too darn lazy to look it back up) but the OP has an AR...so he has access to that pretty darn easy.....I would get something different....something new, he might just be one of those 1% of people that go eh just anther plastic fantastic....but this bolt gun of iron and wood....he could fall in love. There are so many aspects to shooting and so many different flavors try something new. Try a pistol flavor lever gun, try one of the cartridges you don't load for...something new....I know you wanted to stay with what you have but having a new flavor in your boys gun and getting your boy reloading his rounds that are just for his rifle could be a good plus and time together....trust me it goes by so fast.

I like my ar.....it just does nothing for me. It is a nice one...about a 1000 yr old colt and shoots very nice....but it is like a belly button....it just did nothing for me. I had 1500 rounds of 223 sitting for about 13 years....just sitting I did not care to shoot it. Last time it was shot was about 6 years ago when my son shot it at a high power match.

I just got a Cz 527 in 223....OMG I am in love.....I am shooting about 50 rounds on average every day....just bought bullets so I can start to reload for it. It is just perfect...and wow does it shoot well.

Your boy could have that magic thing out there that has not been found yet....it could be a lever gun....he may just love the mechanics of that....who knows....but at this age he needs to see as much as he can and play with as much as he can.....I think that is what I would do....see if he is open to something new...different....even a different caliber...something that is all his....black rifles are not going anywhere for a while anyway.
 
When I went through this with my 15 year old I bought the ruger american in .243, but then later with his input we bought a howa with the varmint barrel in .223, the .243 now sits in the safe and he shoots the howa.

I load up 69 grain Boat tails and he shoots out to 300/400/500 with it. He will sit down with a couple boxes of ammo and just have a blast at the range.

We still have the 243 if he decides to hunt, but, he loves the Howa for range days
 
My experience is that the volume of practice in the first five years of owning a centerfire come down to cost and recoil for most shooters. Both tend to favor the .223 Rem. At the same level of ammo quality, the .223 Rem tends to cost 30-50% less than most larger cartridges. I've also noticed that many teen shooters who do not think they are recoil sensitive become much more accurate shooters when you put them behind a .223.
 
YES great idea 45/70 and I can teach him to start shooting a handgun with some hot 454 loads "NOT"
 
My friend was in the same dilemma,,,
His son became "bored" shooting his .22 rifle.

My friend solved it easily enough though by telling his son:
"Okay, I'll buy you a modern AR style rifle."
"You buy the ammunition for it."

Suddenly the .22 became fun again.

Go figure. :p

Aarond

.
 
Fella's;

Bored with the .22lr? That means the all the possibilities haven't been properly investigated. Just to start with, a 25 yard pistol "dueling tree" can be a hoot for two people, offhand, with bolt .22's & only enough rounds in the magazine as there are targets on your side of the tree. That 25 yard range can be extended also. Especially if one, or both, of the guns has a high-X scope on it. You wouldn't believe how much time it can take some people to just find the target!

900F
 
My dad's sporterized 03-A3 (30-06) was too much for me when I was 10. By 14 it was no problem, I'd grown into it and could handle the sore shoulder. It was "so cool" that I could then shoot accurately on the 100 yard range, even farther out in the desert.
 
So, a .22 is everyone agrees a 'first' rifle.

Seems to me, if you wanted a 'collection', it would include a .223 (center fire varmint rifle), a 'mid-range' (i.e. .25-06, 6.5 SE, or 7mm-08, etc), and a larger gun (.270W, ..280, .30-06, etc). (Not counting shotguns/pistols.) pretty much in that order.

I would help him work on that list. Then he'll have every gun needed till he gets too big for his britches and wants to buy himself a magnum.

Greg
 
I think building an AR with him migh be a great way for him to learn and both of you spending time.

He will get pride in building it himself. He will have something he can change, grow with and have for years. There are even a few although rare bolt uppers out there.
 
I would go with a .223 maybe a prairie dog rig. Very accurate and fun and cheap to shoot. Some guys use .223 for F-class.
Sorry I missed your post, great choice.
 
Nice choice Jo Jo, please let us know how he likes it. My son loves his Howa Varmint (223 with 3x9) I am lucky if I get to touch it at the range.

Next get yourself something you can have fun with if you dont already have one. My boy let me shoot his 223 so he could should my stealth last time out :) plus he and I are now having "hit the steel" at 300, 400, 500 etc competitions.

Dave
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Skylerbone
  • Locked
Youth Next Level .22LR, Advice Needed
Replies
10
Views
561
Skylerbone
Skylerbone
JO JO
  • Locked
ruger american ranch 5.56
Replies
4
Views
748
GrayKrait
GrayKrait
bender01
  • Locked
AR-10
Replies
15
Views
1K
Lloyd Smale
L
1
  • Locked
What rifle and caliber did some of you start your big kids on?
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
Legionnaire
Legionnaire
D
  • Locked
Maximum range of projectiles?
Replies
4
Views
3K
Tony Williams
T
Back
Top