Rifle for daughter's 5th

[Bobson]

I know these come up periodically, and I did a search, but didn't see one in the last couple years. Since options change, and build quality also changes now and then, I figured it wouldn't hurt to get fresh opinions and input.

My daughter turns five years old just after the new year. She's had an interest in shooting for a bit over a year now, when I helped her shoot an airgun at some empty aluminum cans. I've convinced the wife she'll be old enough for her first 22LR.

Everyone says start with irons for a proper foundation. That's how I started and it seems like good advice, so we're doing that. From what I've seen, our main options are a Crickett, or a Savage Rascal. I've heard the Crickett has poor sights and a very lousy trigger. The Rascal has peep sights and an accutrigger. Is this as open and shut as it seems?

Anything else we should consider, or just go with the Rascal? Budget cap is $200. If it helps, my daughter is just under 40" tall, and petite.

Her brother turns two a couple months later, so by the time he's ready to learn, she might have outgrown it anyway. Works out well.

Thanks.

 

[rcmodel]

I did it once years ago with my two sons.

And I wouldn't do it again.

The Cricket fit the kids.
For about a year each.

Then it was too small for any of us to shoot, except as a pistol.

And I really think 5 might be a little too young to start arming up with a $200 .22 rifle.

Continue training with the BB gun until your daughter is old enough to decide for herself if she wants to shoot rifles, or play princess with her friends.

Don't push them, or they will go the other way on you eventually when they get a few years older.

rc

 

[Bobson]

We don't own an airgun either, so I'm buying something either way. The one she shot belonged to my brother in law. I don't want to buy a piece of junk, but it doesn't have to be $150-200 either. What do you recommend?

Don't push them, or they will go the other way on you eventually when they get a few years older.

I appreciate this advice, and I'll try to keep it in mind consistently.

 

[aubie515]

Rascal by a mile...those Crickets and Chipmunks are crap. I wouldn't buy myself junk, so I'd never buy junk for my daughter.

Rascal has accutrigger and you can buy them for $150. I bought a yellow stock since that is my daughter's favorite color. Rascal is offered in multiple colors other than pink, so you get color choices you normally would not find in a rifle stock.

I got an EGW rail since the company is local to me...and I put a Bushnell TRS 25 on it...I feel that a red dot is much easier for young/new shooters to use instead of magnified optics. I also believe that peeps sights are more difficult to teach a young shooter.

As far as how old is old enough to start shooting, that is a personal decision. My daughter has been shooting since she was 4 and she does very well. She had her own AR15 and 22LR long before I bought her an air rifle. My daughter also has a PCP Benjamin PRod as well and she is deadly with that as well.

 

[I6turbo]

If the budget cap is flexible at all, I suggest bumping it a little bit and getting a CZ Scout. It's a gun that is on another level (or three), build-quality wise compared to the two you're considering, and it will be enjoyable to shoot for your/her whole life, not just a kids gun. There are plenty of adults with numerous full-size CZs in their collections who shoot their Scouts a lot, me included. Check out this thread:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=785893

In the hands of a 5-year old:


Also, I disagree strongly with the "need to start them with open sights" viewpoint. I had the same thought when my oldest was about 6 and started shooting. I had him shoot open sights at first. He liked shooting but it wasn't as rewarding because it was harder for a young kid to operate the gun with the open sights -- trying to learn everything, including how to align iron sights. Within a couple of days I put him on a scope he LOVED it. A year later he was a great shot with open sights or a scope. The scope is what really drew him in, and I see no downside whatsoever. The younger brother I started at about 4 or 5 years old on a scope, and he immediately loved shooting. At 7 he can shoot iron sights or scopes.

I've also seen people even recommend red dot or lasers as a starting point, and based upon my experience with scopes, I wouldn't disagree with that approach. Bottom line IMO, there's no chance that shooting at an early age using a sighting system that is more interesting for them and easier to use will ruin them for iron sights later on. The more engaging sighting systems will draw them into shooting due to the fact that they start hitting targets right away. They can and will pick up the iron sights a little later.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

CZ Scout or Rascal is the way I would go.

I would give thought to a Bronco air rifle from Pyramid air first though. Cheaper to shoot and sized smaller for young people. Also, can shoot more places than a .22 if that matter any to you.

 

[eldon519]

I'd just go pellet gun in that situation. A good functional pump can be had for around $50-75, and 5 yrs is pretty young. Mistakes with a pellet gun have a better chance of being forgiving. No hearing protection required. You can shoot it indoors pretty safely if you build a range or in the backyard if you've got a little property.

I had a .410 shotgun and a Crosman pump pneumatic. I probably shot 1000x as many rounds through the Crosman growing up.

 

[Glockula]

I got a marlin papoose around that age and both of my boys have used that as their first rifle. The kids like the fact that it screws together and is not cumbersome to carry. The irons work just fine.

 

[danez71]

Id go BB/pellet.

The guideline while I was growing up was a year with a bb/pellet before getting a 22.

During that year, not just safety, but over-all gun handling matures and interest level is better established/rooted.

(Safety isn't just at the bench-rest in that setting. It over-all gun handing too. Would you give her your wifes great great grandma' fine China to walk thru the house with? Is she mature enough to know when its time to be serious on her own?)


The break barrel can be tough to cock so you could consider a CO2 or multi-pump.

To answer your question, of the 2 you listed, the Rascal.

 

[Coyote3855]

I6turbo, I agree that starting a kid with a quality rifle is the way to go. Is your picture staged or is your child actually shooting? If actually shooting, where is the EYE PROTECTION?

I was limited to a BB gun until I was 8 when I got a Winchester Boy's Rifle single shot. I did shoot my Dad's Remington pump at a much younger age.

 

[Sam1911]

The Rascal has peep sights and an accutrigger. Is this as open and shut as it seems?

Yes. Pretty much.

I can't recommend the Cricket rifles as they're a pain to shoot (manually cocking is not a safety feature, but a design flaw -- likewise exposed mainsprings) and they're a pain to load (no loading ramp so you have to fumble-finger each round directly into the chamber which is tough with adult-sized fingers). While they do function, they're more toy-like than a real rifle.

The Savage line like our Cub or the newer Rascal are much more developed rifles, and as small as you can get. Considerably smaller than even the CZ youth rifles. I've started our kids as young as 3 y.o. with ours and by about 6 they can manipulate the gun on their own. The Accu-Triggers are pretty awesome, too. A heavy, unrefined trigger is just a frustration for a kid -- again, NOT a safety feature.

Some words of comparison with other youth rifles:

The question here really comes down to how young/small does he plan to start his kids out? I've started most of mine pulling triggers at 3-4 (sitting in my lap with my arms around them) and they were handling the rifle without assistance by 6 or so. That's not going to work with a Ruger American or Marlin youth model. Those have relatively short (for an adult) lengths of pull at 12" to 12.5", and around 6 lbs total weight, but a 6 or 7 year old needs a considerably shorter and lighter weapon still. The Rascal's length of pull is only 11-1/4" and it weighs a flyweight 2.66 lbs. That's a whole different ballgame for a little guy or gal.

Not many of the "youth" marketed rifles are really appropriate for a young person, though they are nice for teenagers and smaller adults.

When you start looking at the few actually SMALL rifles, most of the "youth" models look HUGE by comparison. If you're shopping for your 13 year old, that's fine. For a 6-year old... no.


And, our Cub (the Rascal's pappa) is so much fun, I shoot it almost more than the kids do! It's little, but with a scope I can shoot it just fine.

 

[chicharrones]

I bought my daughter a Remington model 5 youth model years ago. The downside to a gun like that is they are nearly as heavy as an adult sized rimfire rifle. That is good to grow into, but heavy for a 5 year old.

If I had to do it again, I'd start with a Rascal. Lightweight, accutrigger, aperture sights, easy to use safety, and the bolt cocks the action.

I'm not a purist on open sights for new shooters either. For my daughter, I first showed her iron sights on the Remington, but it was easier and more fun for her with an unmagnified red dot on her Gamo Recon pellet gun and on the Remington.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Hey, did anyone mention the Savage Rascal yet?

When my daughter started shooting at age 8 she got a Daisy Red Rider BB gun. A year later I got her a Rascal and it's been the perfect rifle for a child, for the reasons already discussed in this thread.

 

[vaupet]

We learned my little girl how to shoot with a walter 300 xt air rifle (pre charged pneumatic .177 pellet gun) standing with the rifle supported.
(shes the little bugger in the middle of picture 1)
The rifle has a trigger set at 250 grams and diopter sights.

That way they learn concentration, breathing, and trigger technique with little worries for safety, no hearing protection necessary and very moderate ammo cost.

We must have done something right because meanwhile she took part in the junior world championships in Granada in 2014 (aged 15).

 

[BCRider]

My club's Jr .22 program has a couple of Savage Rascals. It's great for the smaller kids and even the 5 foot tall kids in there early 'teens have no problem at all with the shortness of the stock. So I feel that such a rifle will be usable for longer than some folks may suggest.

And for sure when the tykes are under about 4 1/2 feet tall the shorter youth sizes fit SOOOOO MUCH BETTER ! ! !

As far as maturity and resposibility goes that's a tough one. Parents always want to see the positive side and ascribe better values to their kids than what they might have.

I've seen 6 year olds at our shoots where I'd trust them to handle a loaded rifle properly even if I was in front of them. I've seen others in their early teens with so many issues that I don't really want to let them anywhere near a trigger.

The thing is you just won't know until you see how she reacts to being tested at handling this sort of "grown up responsibility". She may be a natural or she may be like a butterfly on a field of flowers.

But if she does take to shooting now or in a year or two with enthusiasm then I know for sure and without a doubt that I can 110% (that's right) recommend the Savage Rascal. I've shot both of them on occasion and both are every bit as accurate as one could ever hope for. And the Accutrigger allows for a really nice trigger pull.

Another very nice youth size rifle is the Henry Mini Bolt. Some of the kids seem to do well with the fiber optic sights where they just don't seem to "get it" with plain sights. A year or two back I found one for a price that assured me I could re-sell for the same amount without issue. I bought it to take to the Jr .22 nights for the smaller kids to shoot. And as per usual on the slower nights I got to try it myself. Again it's a very capable rifle for accuracy. For an adult it means that the butt plate is up on my chin to get the sights our far enough but with a .22 that's OK.

Yes, the kids will outgrow a youth size rifle. That's a given and just something we need to live with. But for that 4 or maybe 5 years where it fits them at least it will fit them well and allow them to enjoy their shooting. It would be cruel and unusual punishment to expect them to feel comfortable with an adult size rifle as much as it would be foolish to expect them to ride an adult size bicycle.

 

[bannockburn]

Started my kids out with a Daisy air rifle then let them pick out their own .22 guns. Usually the first choice was a rifle but my daughter wanted a pistol so that's what I got her. She's a great shot with it and pretty much goes through a brick of ammo every trip to the range.

 

[dvdcrr]

Got my boy a mossberg 702 plinkster youth model I put Tech sights on it. Good little 22