Niece's first gun- recommendations

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Scott-NC

Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2012
Messages
40
Location
North Carolina
My grade school niece has just informed me that she has parental approval for her to get a gun, as long as it stays in my safe (for now) when she's not with me shooting it. She also informed me that she wants it pink!!!!! She has shot a .22 rifle, .22 pistols, and a dozen shots of some larger stuff too. I think she will use it solely for target shooting.

So what to get her?

I'm sure she will remember it, and hopefully really value it as I do my first gun. My most prized gun is from my grandfather (a deer rifle) when I was a little older than she is now.

She has been shooting 3 or 4 times with me. I'm leaning towards a semi-auto .22 rifle, so that she continues to have good experiences with regard to recoil and noise.

I'm thinking something like a Ruger 10/22, with a hot pink stock- see this:

http://www.revolutionstocks.com/rugerstocks/ruger10-22stocks.php


But I really don't know anything about changing the stock, and what it does for the overall quality of the gun, if anything positive.

So here is what I'd like to hear from you:

If you had a budget of $400 to $600 for such a gun, what would you get?
A quality entry-level 22? The same but with a cool looking stock like above? Maybe a fancy stock with some kind of personalized inlay? A nice plain wood or laminate stock with an inlay of some sort? No inlay? What would you inlay? A name? a saying? what kind of inlay?

Of course this is not a lot of money but for a 22 I ought to be able to get something pretty nice for her first gun.

Thanks
 
Buy a nice bolt action .22 rifle. Get a standard gun and wrap pink headbands around the stock to make it pink. Get something good but not too expensive, it doesn't need to cost a lot.
 
A basic bolt action with iron sights. Buy a second stock, cut that one short to fit properly. Don't forget "eyes & ears". Large, safe steel reactive targets close enough to guarantee first time success; keep it fun and safe. Do all that, and you will have become the greatest uncle ever!
 
Buy a good quality bolt action .22 with a synthetic stock. Pull the action and Krylon the stock pink for her. I like Marlin and Savage rifles, but of course there are others.
 
Build up your own version of a "pink kitty" rifle. Personally I would go with the Ruger 10/22 in a pink stock. Then dress it up a little and personalize it just for her.

A bolt gun is also just fine but it is easier to dress out a 10/22 than a bolt gun. You only need a screwdriver with a 10/22 with pink stocks available off the shelf.

How about one of these,,, Just kidding. :)

Ron
 
a Mosin? :evil:

found this:
http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Crickett-22-Synthetic-Rimfire-Rifle&i=GM416108&aID=510B1&merchID=4006


details.cgi


only 120.-, pink ... what else does she need?

GM416108_L1
 
I'm another fan of a bolt action .22LR for new shooters. I bought a new old stock Remington Model 5 a couple years back for my daughter. It's a bit heavy compared to a Cricket, but it did come with a 5 shot magazine and a single shot magazine plug. If you can find a bolt gun with the option of being a repeater with a box magazine, it offers more fun down the road once all the safety and shooting lessons are learned.
 
Last edited:
I'm not following why a bolt action keeps getting pushed. She will almost certainly enjoy a semi more. Remember, its what the girl will enjoy, not what we would enjoy.
 
I'd say a 10/22 myself. My first firearm was a Marlin Model 60 and, while I really do love the Model 60 and still recommend it to damn near anybody, the Ruger 10/22 is easier to customize (magazines, scopes and sights, stocks, etc.) and, of course, it's a Ruger product. That and, from what I remember, a 10/22 is about a pound or so lighter. And accurate. So very, very accurate. I still remember not understanding all the huff and hype until I got my hands on one and flipped the iron sights up. Boy, do I hate owning 3 .22s already! I have 0 justification for buying a new one! =D

But anyhow, yeah. A Ruger 10/22 works. I don't much understand the bolt action deal, either; I can understand the 'accuracy' and 'safety' parts to an extent, but from what you've said about your niece that should be a problem (especially if she's under your supervision!) Get her a nice 10/22, maybe the compact (3 inches shorter overall and much lighter) and get a pink stock, a brick of ammo, and maybe one of the Do-All Impact Sealing ground targets. You get a nice, bright target to place up wherever you like that won't wear and tear like paper and reacts to shots. I actually got one that looked like a gopher and had a counter-weight so it would swing and bob when you hit it (doesn't let you see where you're hitting but it lets you know you're hitting.)
 
The bolt action because most have much better triggers than any factory 10-22, and starting off with a semi tends to convey a "spray & pray" message to youth; I have taught a good number of youth, and by far the kids who started with bolt guns were better shooters for it.
 
You can always redo the stock in a color she wants. The top one is one I redid for my daughter it's a Mossberg Half pint, I do not recommend this gun. poor accuracy, catchy bolt, and stiff trigger.

The bottom one I do recommend, especially if she's using irons. With a scope the cheek to stock weld is minimal. It's a CZ 452 scout and it's viciously accurate. CZ's can be had in pink but it's a painted on pink, ugly!

I've had a 10/22. Mine was a jamomatic, inaccurate and I didn't want to dump $ in it to change that, so I sold it.

Picture001.jpg
 
A 10-22 is a compact gun.
It is not a "kid-sized" gun.

The "reach" from web of the thumb to tip of trigger finger is usually too far on a 10-22 until a kid gets to pretty good size.

True "kid-sized" guns generally take this issue better into account.
 
Kids outgrow kid-size guns before the new wears off.
BTDT twice, and got both T-Shirts.

I learned to shoot my first real rifle, a Winchester Model 47 single-shot with a 25" barrel when I was about 7 years old.
I was 10 or 11 before I could actually hold the stock against my shoulder instead of under it to hold it up.

Still, it didn't seem to hurt my shooting any.

I was shooting with an Army AMU team in national competition when I was 20 something.
And that old first rifle still shoots better then I do.

rc
 
Some companies don't want the liability of a "youth" gun so they claim them as "compacts" Ruger is such a company that's afraid of lawyers. That being said WEG is right it's one of the longer length of pulls at 12 3/4". CZ scout claims 12" as does the Mossberg Half Pint. Oddly the Cricket claims 12" LOP but in comparison it's shorter than the Scout.
 
JustinJ said:
I'm not following why a bolt action keeps getting pushed. She will almost certainly enjoy a semi more. Remember, its what the girl will enjoy, not what we would enjoy.
Click to expand...

True, to a large extent it is about what the girl will enjoy. If she is the one that wants a 10/22 that is a good rifle.

In my case, my daughter didn't care what the rifle's action was. She just wanted pink because it was cute. That left the rest up to me, as if it wasn't up to me in the first place since she was 11 at the time.

One benefit of the bolt action is at controlled fire shooting ranges that have 1 shot per 1 or 2 second rules. When my daughter runs that bolt fast and aims again, she would have to work hard to shoot faster than the rules. Yep, an autoloader can fire slowly too but kids like to pull that trigger. Discipline or parental intervention be damned. ;)

Another benefit of the bolt action for people with a small patch of property is ammo other than .22LR can be fired. .22 short, .22 long, or reduced power .22LR like the newly released CCI .22LR Quiet. Versatility is an awesome thing sometimes. :)

For fun shooting, I can throw on a red dot for my daughter. Kids like red dots. :cool:
 
Youth .223, something she can target shoot with, has little to non existent recoil, and can be hunted with.

I'm of a different school of thought: I started my boys off with my Interarms in .223 at young ages. Rather than the .22lr, I wanted to be with them and let them shoot a center fire cartridge to get an idea what a hunting round is (that's their purpose) and whether or not they should even pursue shooting. Well, they did, and they do, quite well. Neither was scared, only invigorated by the concept of having fired a "real" rifle. I make them practice and hone their skills with .22 rifles, but at the end of the day the .223 gets fired and the oldest is only eight years old tomorrow. They like to shoot, but I have no misconceptions about their safety. I will be with the oldest when he kills his first deer this year.

.22lr is a good choice to start a child with, i just skipped a couple steps and found my boys liking big boy toys off the bat.

My niece, bless her heart, her first gun was a 91/30. She learned to load, chamber, and fire a rifle as long almost as she was tall. I do not, however, recommend 7.62x54R as a starter cartridge.:rolleyes:
 
Or if not a bolt, how about a henry lever action? That would make a nice gift.
 
I like your thinking mrmustard. No reason kids should be shackled to long dead thinking like they must learn on a single shot .22 with iron sights. Though I laugh at the single shot and iron sights notion. I gave no consideration to the .22 part.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
11 year-old niece--CZ Scout? Recommendations?
Replies
6
Views
765
dc.fireman
dc.fireman
P
  • Locked
Recommendations on a .22lr for 7yo girl
Replies
12
Views
469
budney
B
A
  • Locked
Took my niece shooting last weekend.
Replies
3
Views
559
Dave R
D
Eb1
  • Locked
Daughter's first riflle
Replies
8
Views
431
Eb1
Eb1
T
  • Locked
Help me pick out a rifle for my girlfriend!
2
Replies
25
Views
984
dfaugh
D
Back
Top