Starter Airsoft for Child

[roo_ster]

Howdy:

I am starting my child on the firearm basics and would like an air soft to get him started.

But, I am at a loss as to which one. I bought a spring-action M4gery (Crosman R-something) at Wally World, but is it too large, even with stock collapsed (OAL = 28", LOP = 10"). And it is a bit weighty, even though it is plastic.

I like hte spring action, as it forces single shots and makes re-chambering a plastic bb a deliberate act.

Any idea for a small-scale airsoft?

Thanks.

 

[RevolvingGarbage]

If you want to familiarize your son with the functional and safety aspects of a firearm, your best bet will be a gas-operated airsoft handgun or rifle. They are the most realistic in terms of the way you load them and the safty features usually function exactly as they do on the real version. You can even run them on the green coleman propane cans available for $2 at any walmart, simply by buying a $10 adapter.

I would check out the gas guns section of www.airsoftatlanta.com. Ive been buying airsoft guns from that website for years, and have always received to notch service.

I particularly like the look of this Styer TMP replica.
http://www.airsoftatlanta.com/airsoft_KSC_B_T_MP9_Gas_Gun_p/95003.htm
Should be much smaller and easier to handle than an AR type rifle

 

[PandaBearBG]

How old is he? I'd stay with the spring loaded ones. Just buy any small cheap one for him to play around and learn with, should't cost you more than $20 for the gun, bb's and eye protection. If he shows responsibility, a passion for it, upgrade to something bigger and maybe semi auto. I think you could probably ebay something.

 

[mustang_steve]

You never said how old he is. Some springers take quite a bit of work to pull the spring back.

I'd reccomend to get him a cheap electric blow-back pistol. Those tend to be around 100FPS velocity, so the biggest threat is eye injury (wear protective eyewear with airsoft, ALWAYS). They also don't require a lot of force to load. you can get an EBB pistol for about $20...sometimes less if you get them off the internet.

For an EBB, simple full-eye sunglasses will suffice.

Also invest in a "sticky" target. You can get these at Wal-Mart. They look like a dartboard covered in a thick gelatinous substance, and has a catch box under it. When shot with airsoft BBs, they tend to stick in place (at least teomporarily) to the target. This allows you to see your shots, while having the convenience of just picking the shots out of it and being able to re-use it again and again.

 

[Hk Dan]

Nothing wrong with starting them with a spring gun. I started mine with 'em! For one thing,they can't shoot wihtout ya. I had my kids shooting at a penny balanced on an eraser sitting atop an unsharpened pencil from across the room at age 5. We used a pillow for the berm. The boys are now Class "C" USPSA shooters and the girl is good enough that she'd put most adult men to shame,

Look at the P-22 airsoft guns. They're sized for kid's hands and they're cheap.www.airsoftatlanta.com is a good place to start. (not affiliated)

Dan

 

[Fred Fuller]

Moved to General, where it will likely get more visibility.

I would remind everyone however- the OP asked a specific question. If you aren't going to attempt an answer to THAT QUESTION- just don't post on this one.

K?

lpl

 

[pancakeofdoom]

i learned on a taurus pt92 springer. was only $20 and spring operated. took down relatively like the actual thing if i recall, and had a safety. that is the only spring action gun i've liked. as a step up after that i highly recommend a walther gas blow back. it is perfect for small hands, is true to the real deal, and was only bout $100 (cheap compared to others of similar quality).

i know you bought a rifle but once again i really must recommend the $20 taurus. everything you could want in a beginner springer but cheap enough to where you can upgrade quickly or won't be at a loss if you don't like it

 

[flrfh213]

i have my 9 year old on i think it is 50 cal..... paintball marker, semi-auto, will hit most targets with a hard thud (and sting a bit too) but non leatheal and fun in our back yard. round count is legit too, somthing to think bout...... easy to see if wrong target is shot at too...

 

[MarineOne]

You could look at the MP5 or P90 airsoft guns:

http://www.tacticalair.com/aeg-airsoft-rifles-mp5.html

http://www.tacticalair.com/p90airsoftguns.html



For teaching a child gun safety I'm not sure an airsoft gun would be a good choice. I bought both my sons BB guns, a Crosman single pump for my oldest and a Red Ryder sping shooter for my youngest, when they were 10 and 7 for Christmas.

Now they are 13 and 10, are very gun safety conscious, and are into shooting my own weapons along with their BB guns. My oldest is now shooting my two pistols, my XDm 9mm and my XD 45 (5 inch tactical), and they both shoot my AR-15 A2 HBAR, SKS-D, and Ruger 10/22. The best part is my oldest has laid claim to my 10/22, so I need to buy a replacement for myself and another for my youngest.

You also need to factor in cost, both short term and long term. Most of the decent airsoft guns are going to be high double digits or low triple digits in cost (think $75 or more) and this is usually just for the gun itself, not including compressed air and/or batteries. I spent $37 for the Red Ryder, $55 for the Crosman, 2500 BB's for less than $10, and generic paper plated for 88 cents (targets). Just like the 6mm plastic BB's, I can use a BB trap and reused 100% of the .177 BB's the trap catches. With plastic BB's there are some that will break so not all of these BB's can be reused.

This also solves your problem with chambering a single round every time you want to pull the trigger. A large percentage of airsoft guns are full auto, with the obvious exception to the "sniper" rifle variants out there. With a Crosman, you have to chamber a BB every time, and then pump it.

Another drawback that I think most folks either don't realize or possibly forget about is most airsoft guns operate with batteries and/or compressed air, or some combination of both. This means you need to have compressed air, and/or charge the battery or have a charged spare onhand when you want to go shooting. With a BB gun it's grab a box of BB's and go. You can focus more on teaching the fundamentals instead of trying to find the battery/charger/compressed air can.

And if you buy a small airsoft gun, your child may end up growing out of it. The Crosman I had when I was young was passed on to my little brother and is still in use today. He's in his early 20's, and it was a hand-me-down to me from a boyfriend (at the time) of my oldest step-sister when I was about 14. I'm 36 now .... so that makes that BB gun at least 8 years older than I am.


Kris

 

[zombienerd]

I have a dirt-cheap Beretta 92FS spring gun that my daughter liked to shoot until I got the old Marksman Repeater BB gun in

The Marksman (had for $15 at most Walmarts) isn't very accurate, and requires an adult to cycle the slide, but my 4-year-old daughter loves the fact it will penetrate 2-4 pieces of cardboard (We use cardboard boxes with computer paper printed targets) She gets "sooo happy" when she hits the bullseye We shoot in the basement, always wear eye protection, and get to impress the four rules upon our child young.

She makes me so proud when she comes back to hand me the pistol, and keeps it pointing downrange the whole time

 

[hso]

Airsoft may not be sized properly for children and you may need to resort to the old Daisy Red Ryder to fit them well.

 

[gregj]

Lots of good suggestions here. Depending on the age of the child, the old Daisy BB gun is a great learning aid. My 15yr old son and I were shopping around in Wally World, saw one, and said what the heck, so I bought it. We have a blast shooting soda cans in the driveway with it. We even have competitions with it, see who can hit the can 10 times first, etc. He's also my range buddy, and shoots everything I do. The Daisy is fun way to keep the shooting skill fresh between range trips.

My kids are also into airsoft, big time!!! They started with the Wally World spring pistols, and they are fun. My 15yr old recently got a 1911 CO2 blowback airsoft pistol. It is a HOOT to shoot. The only downside is it really eats through the CO2 cartridges. Since you are starting your child out on the sport, either do the Daisy route first, or a cheap spring airsoft pistol, then go from there as they grow and skills improve.

Good luck, and have fun with your child.

 

[PandaBearBG]

The daisy sounds like a good idea, but if he's young, and i mean younger than 12, I'd worry about collateral damage and would prefer PLASTIC BB's bouncing around my house if there were any richochet. Remember the "Christmas Story?" hahahaha

 

[roo_ster]

Clarification

I should have been more explicit:

• Age 4, almost 5
• Rifle/carbine only, pistols need not apply
• Being unable to cock a spring-action by himself is a feature, not a bug
• The M4gery air soft I have is too large, even with collapsed stock. Something shorter (OLA & LOP) is needed. Less weight would be nice, too
• Airsoft is the platform I want, not BB.
• Goals with this tool are: Put Four Rules into practice, basic gun handling, basic field positions, sight alignment, trigger control