what is a good .22 for my 12 yr old?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I've had the Romanian training rifle for some time now and have put somewhere around 2,000 rounds of various LRN and HPs through it without any problems. It really is an accurate and fun rifle, but the bolt might be a little stiff for a 12 year old. I ordered two, one for myself, and one for a friend... both had bolts that took a bit more pressure to operate than your typical bolt action Marlin or Savage.

I'll easily cast my vote for the Marlin model 60... I'm working on my second Marlin M60 and can't think of anything bad to say about them. They're dead-on accurate, usually function 100% without any coaxing and will fit most shooters. If you choose either the Romanian trainer or the Marlin 60, both are rifles that he'll never outgrow.
 
Marlin Model 60

No matter what kind of .22 you get, test out all kinds of ammo in it.
Some firearms HATE the expensive stuff, others perform well...
Don't get upset if you pruchase a .22 & it shoots lousy...
Try different bullet brands..
My Marlin model 60 likes the remington thunderbolts.
While the top of the line CCI Stingers & Remington golden hollow points shoot lousy from it...
I suggest getting good optics as well for your firearm as well..
This will boost your childs confidence so they wont get disscouraged easily.
Who knows, maybe your next post will be.... "What kind of scope do I need?" lol
Good luck
COP Firearms & Training
http://www.copfirearms.com
 
What about a Marlin 882 22 magnum? I have one in stainless and it has amazing accuaracy, I can get 1/4" group at 100 yards using CCI .45 grain hollow points. With a rifle like this you can really teach a learning shooter to become an accurate rifleman. I have a Simmons 3-9X20 scope and it is the ultimate varmint gun with very little investment, $189.99 at Wal-Mart. I personally think you have more to gain getting a .22 magnum rather than a .22 long rifle since someone wouldn't outgrow it as quickly due to it's potential. The ONLY downside I see with .22 magnum is the price of the ammo (OUCH!) $5.99 for a box of 50.
 
Ammo Cost For .22 Versus 22 Magnum

I agree ammo cost for the 22 magnum is nasty compared to a 22 long rifle.
But still cheaper than .17,lol
My two children don't like the noise the magnum makes, they let the noise intimidate them, even with hearing protection....
Your absolutely correct, it's very hard to outgrow a 22 magnum..

And you can take alot more game with it, if thats the intentions down the road...
The other issue is accuracy.. 22 Magnums are great for reaching out & touching something...

I have 4 Marlin 22 Magums & 1 Savage 22 Magnum as well.
I learn towards the Marlin's only because they shoot alot more accurate with a wide range of loads. My Savage on the other hand can be finicky,lol

You can target practice with a 22 all day, & a brick ( 500 rounds) will cost you around $ 11.00 tops at Wal-Mart

Now try to figure out what it will cost for 500 rounds of 22 Magnum ammo.
Lots of choices here to make...

BUT, if you lean towards a 22 Magnum, you might want to think about a .17 H&R as well...

In our state you can buy a .17 H&R for between $ 110.00 - $150.00
right from a gun shop...

H&R firearms are spectacular when it comes to accuracy, but the single shot models I have found, are the most accurate ( I know someones going to reply to this,lol )
Thing is, single shots arent alot of fun to plink around with, and a child might get bored easy...

Also 22 Magnums don't hold as many rounds in the magazines as a 22 Long rifle does.

A Marlin .22 holds 14 or more rounds depending on the style.
Then there is the all time favorite, the ruger 10/22..
There are more modifications kits for this than any other .22 out there...
They can hold between 10 -50 rounds, depending on the magazine...

I'm glad someone brought up the 22 Magnum issue, we need more comments on it though :)

I know I have stressed that I own & like Marlins alot, but make sure you get more opinions before deciding on what to get..

There is another option available as well to you...
If you go to a shooting club or shooting range, talk to them when they have there meetings, & maybe they will let you try their firearms that work for them..

COP Firearms & Training
 
i got my 10 year old daughter a savage mk2 bolt action .22 at wally world for $100 with scope. she loves it, except for i'm not putting the scope on it until she can hit at 50 yards with open sights.;)
 
I've never had the opportunity to shoot a .17, although I would very much like to. The .17 is capable of even better accuracy than the .22 mag (right?) and crazy velocity. I just don't see much practical use for one except for shooting praire dogs and target shooting. The .22 mag has a little more flexibility and more overall potential, in my opinion, and I personally would probably buy one for my kid (if I had one) rather than a .22 long rifle. Don't get me wrong, I love the .22 long rifle cartridge, I just think that .22 autoloaders with tube magazines are more for blasting and having fun rather than REALLY learning to shoot a rifle. I only wish the Marlin 882 came with a better trigger, to much pull for such a light gun.
 
Well I went to the gun show with my son to get either a Romanian trainer,CZ452 Scout, Rossi, Ruger, Remington, Winchester, Mossberg, Marlin model 60 or some other .22's mentioned here. We walked the isles marveling at the guns we read about here and discussed them . Funny thing there was this one gun that was an older model with an octagonal barrel that caught both me and my sons eye. It was not mentioned . It was a Stevens. Not a newer model but an older one. I looked at some new ones and did not like the way they were built compared to this one. Quality was far better. It looks like it has a heat treated metel, octagonal barrel(I noticed the new ones have a round barrel) and I love the function and saftey of the rifle. The lever that pulls down is cool. Stocks are good but they do not match which means someone probably replaced them at one time.

My son and I walked around and looked at all the rifles reccomended here but this particular Old Stevens kept coming back to mind. From then on we compared all those other models to the Stevens and my son said he wanted the Stevens. I was surprised he did as we looked at a lot of new rifles.

Anyway he is happy as a lark as he proudly carried it around the gun show. Of course we took it shooting that afternoon. The only negative thing was it had a couple misfires but may have been due to the Winchester .22 ammo I purchased from a gun dealer at the show. The box looks old so I hope its just the ammo and not a firing pin problem.

I really wanted to post pics here of my son and his first rifle but my digital camera is out being repaired. Will post pics when my camera gets back in about a week.

Thanks to all of you for your help, advice and concern. We would not have chosen that gun without your shared knowledge! My son and I learned a few things about rifles together.
 
My son and I learned a few things about rifles together .
Click to expand...

The most important thing.

I have no experience with the rifle you bought, but you guys did it together and that's what's important.
 
Ask the Anti's

The Violence Policy Center did a real nice article talkin' about'em.

http://www.vpc.org/studies/22ap.htm

That page lists a LARGE number of commercial .22's designed just for kids, it lists weight, barrel length, capacity, and calibers.

Make sure you send'em an e-mail to let'em know how you're usin' it.

-Morgan
 
BTW I got the Stevens for $125 OTD. The dealer had a $159 price tag on it but we haggled.
 
Oh the model is a 72 Savage Arms Stevens. How did we do? Any feedback on this rifle?
 
Sorry, don't know anything about that rifle.
Just wanted to comment that it's great that you and others are taking the time to introduce shooting sports to your kids.
My 8 yr old just has a great time at the range. He shoots a Remington 513T (CMP gun) mostly, but occasionly my 10/22T.
Safety is key.
I just went through the Eddie Eagle stuff with the Cub Scout Pack recently.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

W
  • Locked
New 22 for my son
2
Replies
33
Views
1K
JSNAPS
J
S
  • Locked
whats worse?
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
Wildalaska
W
triplebike
Henry H001 22 rifle - Comments?
2
Replies
31
Views
768
doubleh
D
C
  • Locked
.22 Pistol for my 11 yr old Son.
Replies
11
Views
680
10-Ring
1
M
  • Locked
My little 15-22
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
Birdmang
B
Back
Top