.22LR for teaching 4yr old how to shoot safely

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as the title says, i have seen several small compact 22lr designed for small people but have no experience with them. i currently have a ruger 10/22 that needs a trigger job, but was considering one of the micro 22's for a starter. i would also like to put a cheap red dot on top to make things easy.

i have a 2yr old son that will hopefully use the same one, so a wood color would be preferred.

budget: $200 or less for rifle.

I would prefer bolt action for now. start them with the simple ones right

thanks
 
at 4 years old , I do not know maybe a bb gun or nerf gun ? they might work to teach
the basic safety and firearm handling / operation. I started my kids a bit older then yours

 
With all due respect, I also think 4 years old is a bit young to be teaching the use of a lethal tool. As suggested above, there are other teaching tools available that are a bit more forgiving of mistakes.
I know that I would quickly leave a range where a kid that young was shooting, no matter how well supervised.
 
You have to be kidding, right?

A four year old can hardly throw or even catch a ball with hardly any coordination. Have you ever watched them play tball at that age.

That might just be a little young to place a gun in their hands. They have no concentration and no ability to safely handle a weapon over a nurf gun.

I would seriously thank about it a little more.


steve
 
It's never too early. Sheltering kids from firearms accomplishes nothing. When I was a child my Dads gun cabinet was in my bedroom. By the time I was 12 we lived in the country and I came and went as I pleased with any firearm that was within reach.
I bought one of the little Savage Rascals when the oldest grandkid was about 4 and the next was 3. Screwed the aperture out and let them shoot it that way. I let them shoot Super Colibri's. So now firearms are no big deal to them any more than a screwdriver, knife or any other tool.

35W
 
I fully agree with the idea that kids shouldn't be sheltered from guns. Ignorance kills!

However: 4 years old is too young to be wielding a fully functioning rifle.

My boy is 4, and he's an awesome and smart, relatively well behaved kid. But, there's no way, no how that he is capable of fully understanding the consequences of potentially fatal mistakes. Not yet.

He has toy rifles and pistols that he trots around with; and those are the "training wheels" I'm using to develop his habits. Trigger/muzzle discipline, etc.

He's not sheltered... He's seen them plenty, has been around them in practice, and has seen what happens to soda bottles, assorted melons, and even rodents when shot.
But still, education must be meted out, as the pupil becomes ready to learn it.
 
My brother started teaching my nephew to shoot at less than 4. He pulled the trigger on his first deer at 3 years, 11 months. The gun was a Ruger #1 in 6mm. The kid is 11 now. He killed 5 deer last fall.
 
Ok....back on topic....my brother started my nephew with a Crickett. He bought the gun as soon as he found out he was having a boy.
 
My son was remarkably mature (and tall) for his age. He was 4 or 5 when he shot his first rifle, his Crickett .22. It is a single-shot, bolt action. It takes small fingers to load it, but my son is content with me sitting beside him, and him loading shells one at a time from a box beside him. It is rewarding to watch your son knock down 15 shotgun shells at 15 yards with 16 rounds of .22. Single shot rifles teach making each shot count, as well as giving you control over when he is ready to take the next shot. My oldest is now 7-1/2, has shot a 1911, a Glock 17, and a Sig .40. He has an AR15 that was built to his desires. But, his favorite gun is still that Crickett .22.

My middle child is now 5, and has yet to show the attention that shooting requires, so has not yet fired more than a BB gun. Every child is different, and the parent is in the best position to determine what level the child is at. Teach them safety and safely, when they are ready.
 
The Crickett, I just can't understand the whole cocking mechanism, I mean why train them on a system that is so different than any other rifle? I don't know, maybe it's just me.
 
Try a cheap BB gun first, is my suggestion. I have a 4 year old and for his age he is very coordinated, intelligent, and fairly well behaved but I can't trust a 4 year old. He knows the difference between ammo and components, how to shoulder a rifle, and shows a very strong interest in shooting.

I have purchased him a few rifles already for when he is older and a BB gun for now. He loses interest fairly quickly in the bb gun because it isn't loud like dad's guns ...and because he's 4.
To him a rifle is the same thing as a firework, I think. He knows guns are used to shoot animals but it's asking a lot of most 4 year olds to comprehend the responsibility. When he can show me he respects firearms and their capabilities I can move him up to his 22.

All of this tells me he isn't ready but maybe yours is. Heck, my 2 year old daughter may be when she's 4.

His first 22 will be a Marlin 795 that I cut down. Cheap, reliable, accurate, and also very easy for me to verify when the gun is loaded or not. Thought about a single shot cricket but didn't like the co king mechanism and figured he would out grow it very quickly. His big boy 22 is a Henry but they are a bit more than you are looking to spend.

If you want a bolt gun I would recommend getting a Ruger American compact, savage, or Marlin xt22. It's a gun he can grow with with a simple stock swap.
 
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I'm confused by a lot of posts here. When you say you can't trust your 4 year old....are you thinking this guy is just sending the kid out in the back yard with the rifle and brick of ammo and saying "have fun Timmy!".

Under close adult supervision I cannot see how a single shot rifle with manual safety is a huge risk.
 
I see henry has a youth mini bolt action that is on buds for a notch over 2 bills. Looks like a decent starter. I would suggest a cz scout but it is right at 3. May be worth saving up a little to jump to the cz.
 
Hanzo581 said:
The Crickett, I just can't understand the whole cocking mechanism, I mean why train them on a system that is so different than any other rifle? I don't know, maybe it's just me.
Click to expand...
It's not that foreign of a concept. The Remington 33 and 41 are single shot bolt actions you have to pull a knob to cock. Many boys got them as first rifles. The pull to cock was supposed to be a safety feature for new shooters.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
It's not that foreign of a concept. The Remington 33 and 41 are single shot bolt actions you have to pull a knob to cock. Many boys got them as first rifles. The pull to cock was supposed to be a safety feature for new shooters.
Click to expand...

Are those modern models still available? I guess what I am saying is if I am training her on the fundamentals it would be easier to carry them to the next firearm. I just don't get the purpose of using such an unorthodox cocking system (even if the two models you mention are similar it still isn't common). I don't see how that is any more safe in a single shot training rifle with a manual safely.
 
I think you know those guns are no longer produced. However, they made nearly 600k of them so they are easy to find used. Obviously, someone thought the manual cock was a good idea because it has been used on rifles intended for youths...I don't take credit for the design.:D
 
Oh, no doubt, I am sure they work great and have served well. I am just saying for me it doesn't make sense to teach a system only to have to change it when she moves up.
 
He's 4 years old? Why did you wait so long? You should have brought a rifle to the hospital when he was born.
 
I think those crickets would be good. You may need to make the rifle ready at 4, but not for long. They grow FAST. My boy started at about 5 with a Henry lever. I skipped the youth model as I figured he was going to outgrow it in no time at all.
 
For clarification, she will be sitting in my lap with me helping and making sure it is safe. I will NOT let 4yr old do what she wants with a firearm, that would be dumb. I have a piece of land i visit once a year or so that would be a good quiet place to introduce her to what a gun actually is/what it actually does and to introduce her to firearms in a safe and highly controlled environment. I have no place to shoot a bb gun where we currently live, so it would be used in the same way a 22lr would be used, once a year.

Recommendations:
Cricket: odd cocking mechanism but many used with success
Henry: still odd cocking mechanism, jr Olympic rifle
Savage rascal, used with success
Cz $300 but nice

Any bad experience with any of the listed firearms?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Whatever you choose, protect her hearing. Do not neglect to protect her hearing. If her little friends come around as she grows, protect their hearing too.

You can reject that suggestion as meddlesome parenting advice, but I sure hope that you don't...
 
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