What's he looking for? (.22 rifle for 13 year old)

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pax

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My son Jeremy turns 13 years old tomorrow.

He is in the market for a .22 rifle, good iron sights, no optics, without a detachable magazine. Preferably bolt-action. He's planning to use it to work his way through the NRA junior marksmanship program (through the Civil Air Patrol).

He doesn't have a lot of money to spend, but has been saving up for awhile. He doesn't mind getting a used gun as long as it's in good shape.

What's he looking for and what can we expect to spend on it?

pax
 
Marlin 881 tube feed bolt action should fit the bill.
If he has more to spend and you can meet the requirements, check out the Civilian Marksmanship Program.
http://www.odcmp.com
They have Kimber 82 Target rifles and on occasion some other good .22 rifles to choose from.
 
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They have Kimber 82 Target rifles and on occasion some other good .22 rifles to choose from.
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The Kimber M82 is a fine rifle, but it's not for a 13-year old. It has a standard heavy target barrel, target stock and sights. It's for formal 3- or 4- position target shooting only.

Both Henry and Cricket make fine "youth" rifles. I wouldn't worry about having a non-detatchable magazine -- in fact, I'd regard the detatchable magazine as a safety feature.
 
You didn't say how much money he has but for around $200, the CZ 452 American would be a good inexpensive choice as would the Marlin 925 or 980V. Also look at Savage and the Henry. A used rifle would be agood choice if there is something in the $100 range and that gives him more money for ammo, targets, shooting glasses, cleaning supplies and the like.

I don't think a removable magazine would be a problem, just load single rounds at a time. Pumps or semi autos don't always help as it's sometimes too easy to keep shooting without paying attention to the basics. They work great for plinking out in the wood, but target shooting needs repetition and disipline.

I would see no problems with going to a bull barrel if his goal is formal shooting matches and already has some shooting experience. Most kids at that age can easily handle the weight of heavier barrels. He could start with a used rifle and work towards a suitable rifle for competition. The CMP Kimbers would be a good deal after he becomes comfortable with shooting in a relatively informal competition shooting environment.
 
IIRC from the pics I've seen of your boys , Jeremy is not going to need a youth stock is he??

Back when the Earth was Flat...and I was shooting NRA Marksmanship , I started with Win single shot ( forget the model #) . Later I transitoned to a Mod 52.

"Gunny" supplied the guns and If knew then what I know now....I'd mowed more yards, collected more coke bottles... and begged pleaded and whatever else to have that mod 52 now. :D

I don't know his budget. I have bought up Rem 514's ( single shots ) and similar used 500 series Rems for kids to learn on. Various Win's , Savages, and Mossbergs too. I wish I'd kept a few - heck I'd give Jeremy one if I did.

The CZ 452 is a nice gun, as are the Marlins.

I'd be inclined to see what a good single shot [ like the Rem 514] could be had for and later find a great buy on a another as he developes more skill and shoots a variety of other folks guns to see what fits him and he shoots best.

I have a soft spot for old single shots....Jeremy has sibs that could learn on it too ...word is Jeremy's mom has been know to shoot a golf ball with a .22 to ...err...show the boys a girl over 18 y/o can shoot. ;) :p

Some friendly advice pax ...do NOT let him shoot a Mod 52 , a Browning Automatic .22 rifle or the Browing lever action .22.

Folks think letting someone shoot a .28 ga shotgun is bad for spoiling ....these guns rate up there with the 28 ga getting folks to wish , hope , beg , cry and all sorts of stuff ...usually ends up costing somebody money....:D
 
i bought a henry lever 22 with the large loop at wally world. (last time i ever buy a gun from there, but that's another story)

until i save up for that g.e. minigun, it'll be the most fun toy i have. lever-action 22s are hard to beat for entertainment. it's also plenty accurate to poke cans and such out to 50-100 yrds
 
I'm with George. The CZ 452 series is one of the best bolt guns in .22lr. They are extremely accurate, and reasonably priced.
 
CZ 452 Trainer, Lux, or Scout. The Trainer and Lux have the best sights IMHO on a gun. You should be able to get one around $200-300(Lux is more).
 
How big is he?
If he is small statured I would go with the CZ-452 Scout.
If he is big enough to handle an adult sized gun I would go with the CZ-452 special.
Either way, I would choose the CZ over anything else as far as a .22 LR goes.

IIRC, they even make a single shot adapter for the CZ so that your kid would have to learn to aim each shot. Depending on where he is on the learning curve, it might make a good intermediate step to start him out with that.

I also forgot to mention...
While the CZ does generally cost a little more than the others, it could mean the difference between a gun that the kid sells off after he grows out of it and one that he sticks in the closet and saves for when his son needs to learn to shoot.
The CZ is well worth the extra money if you can pull it off.
I am glad I did.
 
When I was 13 my parents bought me a semi-auto tube-fed .22 at Sears for me to use for the NRA Marksmanship program.

Difficult because we were only allowed to load one cartridge at a time.

What's a 13 year old know? I thought it was the best rifle in the world.

It's still my only .22 rifle almost 40 years later.

You don't need to get him an expensive or high quality target rifle, he's going to have fun shooting no matter what it is. Yes, I still have the patches I earned in that course, too. :D
 
I hadn't thought of the Romanian trainer, but for the money they are a very serviceable rifle.
My brother owns one and the only thing about them I don't like is that the firing pin seems a little brittle. My brother broke one.
It isn't a good policy to go dry firing a rimfire anyhow but it does occasionally happen when you lose count of how many shots you have fired.
Because of that, I would suggest getting an extra firing pin if you get one of them.
They are useable, but they are NOT a CZ. I briefly looked one over before I bought my CZ and the overall finish on the example I saw was comparable to a chair leg that had been dragged behind a truck.
Workable but not an heirloom by any stretch.

IMO, if there is any way you can afford it, get the CZ.
 
Pax, you know what I do (when I'm in the states). There is absolutely nothing non-13 year oldish about the Kimbers or any other Smallbore Comp rifle. If your son really wants to purse this, he couldn't find a better tool to use. Looking at the CMP website, I see they have the Kimbers for $600 but they also have the H&R M12's for $295. It does not include sights. I also see the Mossbert 144US, bu tit says they have heavy wear. I would bet that the H&Rs are good rifles. Also, if you are not in a big hurry, I can put my ear to the ground in my comp forums (not on THR) for good rifles. Please PM or email me if you would like me to do that. They come up often.

Steve
 
Pax,

The CZ 452 is a lifetime gun. If it is in your budget, that is the one I'd get. The EEA Biathalon Trainer is a a lot of gun for the money and while it doesn't have the good looks of CZ 452, it doesn't cost as much either. I have a Remington 514 that I bought to have cut down for my daughter (3 weeks) but after much consideration the action is stiffer than 7 or 8 year old can handle. The sights aren't nearly as good as the to above rifles. Remington just brought out a new bolt .22. I handled one the other day. It's one of the nicer looking Remington products I've seen in years, but the price is twice the EEA and the stock is sized for a large youth or small adult. Savage bolt action rimfires are pretty good and the target models would be fine, except they have no sights.

Another way to go might be an Encore or Contender. That way, their first .22 could also be their first centerfire rifle/shotgun/muzzleloader etc. You could do the same with the H&R/NEF singleshots, just make sure you but a centerfire rifle first.
Add to that it is very easy to verify that a single shot is unloaded. You make the rule that the action is open unless their ready to shoot. Bolt guns are easy to clean, but the above single shots are made be easy to completely apart.

If the lad is really small statured, Savage is selling a remake of the old Stevens falling block single shots. Nifty and light, but not a gun that a kid will fit for very long.


David
 
Thanks to everyone who replied. We're looking at our options. :)

pax
 
The Savage Cub is a single shot 22 for under $150. I got it to get my girl used to shooting. It is also a good size to keep in the truck and on ATVs.

Also check pawn shops and gun shows. The most accurate rifle I got cost me $25. It is a single shot Ranger manufactored in the 60s.
 
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