BB gun or .22 for my 6 year old daughter?

[K-Dirt]

I got my boys BB guns at about 6 years old. I thank God it was BB's instead of .22's. Even with supervision, accidents can happen. Cell phones can ring, dogs can get out, it could be anything and it only takes a second. My younger boy has a scar between the eye brows from a BB that you can only see when it's real cold or he's been swimming. I can't even think about if it had been a .22. It scared the hell out of all of us and has made them pretty careful.

 

[elmerfudd]

Get her a good CO2 rifle. A Crosman 2260 or a 2250 prepped by Mac1 airguns would be my choice, (he recrowns them, tunes the trigger and changes some of the seals out before he sells them and his prices are very reasonable). You can cut down the stock to fit her and then get a replacement for under $20 when she gets older. They're fairly accurate and can hit pennies or paintballs at 20 yards no problem.

They're also powerful enough to hunt small game with, but if a person were shot with one it would be extremely unlikely to cause a fatal wound. A kid can cock one too. A lot of BB guns are too much for a 6 year old.

 

[glockman19]

I'd say get the .22. She can shoot CB's, longs, shorts, LR and gives hare something to grow into.

 

[mickeydim468]

There sure is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom here on this site. My wife and I really appreciate your responses, because they were all very well thought out responses. Not only did you take into account that there may be an age issue, but you offered your concerns about safety for everyone, including my daughter, and those around her. I assure you, as responsible parents, we will keep safety as the utmost concern, while teaching our daughter the fundamentals, and throughout her life, in regards to marksmanship and firearms. We pride ourselves in being responsible parents who want to temper learning responsibilities with having fun.

With that in mind, we have made our decision. You have provided enough responses that we feel comfortable doing what we are about to do. We are going to get her a BB gun (Either a Red Rider or a Buck model Daisy) to learn the basics of handling and shooting a firearm, and when she gets older and more proficient, she is going to get the .22 Remington Nylon 66 that I inherited at age 16 from my dad when he died.

I can't stress to you enough how impressed we are with all of your responses. I think this would be a good thread to pass along to the anti-gun lobbyists who think we gun owners are a bunch of wild eyed terrorists in training. Maybe they would have a different view on firearms and those of us who enjoy exercising our 2nd amendment rights. Thank you again for your posts!

By the way... I was surprised that there were no women who posted. I know that there has to be some women on this site. Maybe not many but at least some. Or some of you guys could have asked your wives to post. I think that it would have had the same outcome, yet it would have made it easier for me to convince my wife, that this is a good idea. But that is OK no harm no foul! Keep up the awesome work and hopefully I can be helpful in some future way to some of you as well.

Thanks again!

Mikey!

 

[thunder173]

I voted BB gun,..and I routinely have kids around that I use them with from 6-10 year olds,...have seen some teenagers I wouldn't trust a bb gun with though. I have a couple of .22 single shots and Bolt Actions that can be used as singles that I use for teaching guns. The Cricket is a good one. I have an old 1930's ish vintage .22 Remington Cadet Single Shot Trainer that I have used with all of my kids and grandkids,...and a whole bunch more over the years. Still shoots fine.