Need help with daughters first rifle

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TanklessPro

TanklessPro

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Hello all
I'm lookin to pickup a rifle for my daughter. She is soon to be seven, almost 5 foot tall,and pretty good with a pistol. I do not want a single shot. I have a western auto 22 bolt action that was my wife's grandfather but I really want her to have her first rifle and don't want to drill and tap it for a scope. I want to put a low power scope or red dot on the rifle.
I have been looking at several rifles. We have several AR's in the works so I would like to stay with rimfire. What do yall think of my choices? Any more opinions?
1. A Ruger American compact in .22LR
-I have a lot of 22 and the bolt action would slow her down and hopefully make better shots.
2. A Ruger American compact in 17HMR
- It would be a new caliber that "we" don't have. Don't hate me for that because she will end up with all of mine one day. It also has the benefits of a bolt action.
3. A Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversity
- I like this model because we can put a can on I in the future. The down side is the semiauto. I'm afraid she may burn through the ammo like she does on the Walther P22.
4. A Marlin model 60
- similar options to the ones above
5. A Henry in 22LR
- What's not to like about a lever action? The only thing, I have never liked scopes on them and I don't want her to get bit by the lever.
 
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I don't know which is "best" but I hope you will cut the stock to suit her.
Saddest thing I have seen is a kid with the rifle butt under his armpit and leaning so far over the stock that he is sighting with his off eye. "He'll grow into it." Crap, more likely he will get discouraged and take up golf.
 
We have a few youth 22lr rifles and the CZ scout is the favorite by far. High quality and very accurate. They make a model with a pink stock too. Others include Marlin, Henry models.
 
I have a small statured adult friend who is "almost five feet tall" and a standard rifle stock is a challenge for her.

As Jeff Cooper said, you will do as you think best.
 
The CZ Scout is a fine rifle. I think I would give a nod to the Ruger though since the stock comes with built in adjustment parts.

Not what I would suggest in most cases but the S&W MP22 is nice in that it has an adjustable stock (M4 style) which will fit just about anyone.

Need it to fit her and ideally be able to adjust as she gets older unless you want to keep buying/selling rifles.

You can put a can on almost anything, it's just an added cost if it doesn't come that way. If that is in your near future I would also look at the Savage .22 bolt guns which come threaded.

I would stick with .22 myself.
 
IMO, the Marlin 60 is heads and tails above any 10/22 (and I own both) - less expensive to buy, greater mag, and more accurate without a bazillion dollars worth of mods to the 10/22
 
I started my kids off with a Chipmunk 22, I know that you said no single shots buts that's what I did. As for your daughter I would get a 10-22 with a wood stock, if the length is too much for her cut it to a better length, save the cut off and if needed you can glue it back on latter (I did that with a 1100 20 gauge for my youngest son- after the cut off I put a slip on butt pad on it, 3 years later when he had grown a bit we just glued it back on until he grew into a 12 gauge) Or you can get one of the after market stocks real easy. Good luck, let her pick it out she will be much happier.
 
My son is 8 and I just cut down a spare stock for a Marlin 60 for him. He can now get his eye to the scope while his shoulder is behind the stock. Plenty of spare parts for them. I would look for used since Marlin quality has supposedly gone downhill since they were taken over by Remington.

This particular rifle already had a Simmons scope on it which you can get from Amazon or Natchez in the $50+ range. The scope is a little large for the lines of the rifle but is a good one.
http://www.amazon.com/Simmons-Adjus...ie=UTF8&qid=1414129819&sr=8-1&keywords=511072

I recently bought a Crickett scope for a different rifle It has a chunky reticle and it is also a mil-dot, which is pretty useless for a .22. But, it's in the mid $30 range and much smaller, so a good fit for a slim .22.
 
You cant go wrong with a henry, and they do make a youth model . I saw the no single shot,But ,if you can fins a savage /stevens, favorite model 30 it is a cool little .22 looks like a shrunken down buffaloe gun
 
The CZ Scout would be my choice. It has a smaller stock that could be replaced later. Quality and accuracy is hard to beat. Ruger is a good rifle, but the plastic ....well I'd prefer the CZ.
 
Well, the only two I have experience personally with is the 10/22 and the Marlin 60 and I think you would be hard pressed to go wrong with either. They are both fine guns that will last a lifetime with just minimal common sense care (My Marlin 60 has been given a throrough cleaning only once in the 8-9 years I've owned it. I flush the action out with Gun Scrubber about once a year and keep it lightly oiled and it just keeps on ticking).
 
Another vote for the CZ Scout. Taught a few nieces and nephews o shoot with it. More than a few 1" groups at 100 yds too. I am over 6 foot tall and not too tiny for me to use if needed.
 
Whatever you do, make the stock FIT the kid. Look into how you figure out what length of pull is appropriate for a person and make that happen for her.

Then, once she can properly shoulder the rifle, adjust the comb of the stock (a slip-on pad will work fine) so that she can appropriately achieve a cheek weld and see through the sights or scope.

Handing a kid a rifle that will fit an adult and making them torque their bodies around to try and make-do is just doing a terrible job of coaching a new shooter.
 
I love my lever action 22s(marlin though), i personally lean that direction. i would definatly cut the stock down to match the shooter though. if you dont want to do that to the origional wood you can usualy find something used on ebay or whatnot.
I also lean away from using a scope, i like using irons with a new/young shooter. good practice in my mind. best of luck.
 
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