gun

Started my two boys out on the Ruger 1022.Cheap, ammo is cheap, hi cap mags are plentiful and relitivly cheap, a lot of upgrades and acessories available.Was also my first real gun 30 years ago.

 

Started my two boys out on the Ruger 1022.Cheap, ammo is cheap, hi cap mags are plentiful and relitivly cheap, a lot of upgrades and acessories available.Was also my first real gun 30 years ago.

For sure. A .22 is great to practice gun and is a real hunting tool. He can take all sorts of game with proper shot placement. And a Ruger 10/22 has all sorts of neat upgrades he could play with. Can shoot all day, maybe all week, for 20 bucks. 500 rounds I think I got for somewhere between 10-20 bucks.

 

Marlin 60. I like the 10/22 but I think the 60 is better.

 

Got my first gun when I was 10 years old a Ruger 10/22. I still have it and still shoot it once in a while.

 

A single shot .22 rifle is truly the best for learning to become a marksman.

Semi-auto teachs really bad habits at a time when someone is learning.

It is a time when the habits you learn will be with your for a lifetime:
take your time;
control your breathing;
focus on sight picture;
make the shot count.

A 10/22 is fun! I like them, I have one.

But any semi-auto given to a child, will, within a week teach some really bad habits. That may take years to over-come [assuming that anyone tries to put that much effort into over-cioming those bad habits].

 

I want to echo this. If you were bringing your son into the world of bicycling, would you get him an entry level bike, and then progress the equipment as the rider progresses, or go out and by a titanium racer right off the bat?

I would steer clear of the semi auto's for an entry level shooter for the reasons given above. I do think the .22 rimfire rifle is the logical place to start.
Ammo is affordable, recoil is a non-issue, far more "youth size" models are available. If a kid has an accident of any kind, better it be with a .22 rimfire than a 30-06. We are talking about learning phases of firearms handling and development. One part of damage control lies in the selection of caliber. Once Mom is confident in the kid's advancement, she can up the caliber. You don't get mulligans with a firearm.

Here's my suggestion. Take Junior to a few gun shops. Along with the homework you have done, I'd suggest you set some rigid criteria for the gun shops to meet. A simple list, but stick firm to it.

1. Fitment. A rifle that he can't shoulder without struggle is a handicap a beginner does not need. The 'length of pull" is the length of the rifle stock that rests against the shoulder. They come in varying lengths. A perfect fit isn't necessary, however, in light of the plan to have the siblings coming up behind this fourteen year old learn with this rifle, a youth sized stock seems like a good idea to me.

2. Reliability and ease of maintenance. Another reason to steer clear of a semi auto as an entry level rifle. A rookie will not understand how a semi auto operates. In your situation, it does not sound like you have the luxury of a knowledgeable shooter at your disposal, so I'd suggest you start out with things that are simple and less likely to present problems you can't deal with. I would use this as direct questions for the gun salesman: "what problems could we anticipate with this rifle?" "Any history of ejection problems, cycling rounds?" "How easy is this rifle to disassemble, clean, and put back together?"

3. Stay in your price range. Junior starts shouldering $800.00 rifles, you are going to create problems for yourself.

I would call a few gun shops and ask about what they have. If the person you talked to sounds helpful, get their name and set up a time to drop in and see what they have to offer. Bring your notebook. Make, model, condition, price. Then come back here for more feedback. I think that way Junior gets a rifle that fits him, that you can can deal with if it needs any attention, and you can feel confident about.

I would not necessarily go with the single shot rifle. A bolt action or lever action may be more prudent for a household with limited firearms. As the kids grow, the desire for a repeating rifle will grow, too. Kids and semi auto .22's are about as predictable as the sun coming up. Bang, bang, bang, bang will trump developing shooting skill. They are compelled to do it because they can. If they have to manually cycle a cartridge, it seems to get old quicker, and they settle down into their shooting. Most fourteen year olds have the attention span of a hamster. Keeping them focused on the task at hand it not easy. The adult wants to see some improvement and skill development. Junior wants to hear things go "bang". It's a tough path. Too much parent, and you can sour the desire. Not enough parent and you have created an unpredictable situation involving a firearm.

Personally, a well kept higher quality used rifle is a better value than a lesser quality new rifle to me. Something to consider. I think if you can narrow down the selection of what you are interested in, more specific feedback can be directed to you. I think a few trips to some gun shops will help narrow things down. Don't impulse buy. I've heard it can create an addiction that there are no known treatments for.

 

The type of gun you get should be related to the type of shooting you intend to do.

It also depends on where you live and how often you intend to shoot.

It sounds to me like you have already taught him about gun safety and have been doing a bit of shooting as it is.

I would recommend that you try to arange for renting a gun or taking some one who has different guns, with you and allowing your son to shoot different types of weapons.

Before you own, he is all excited and thinks it is the thing he most wants in the world.

Three months after he purchases it, will he be as interested in it or will he want another, and another, and another.

A gun is or could be a life time investment, taken care of, it will last hundreds of years and can be passed down.

He does not need a 22, he has been there and done that.

I favor a 30.06 as for me it is the best all around common calib out there.

You can take squrils or moose or grizzly with an .06

Later
wayne

 

I believe you are leaning in the right direction, and for what he has saved up, he should be able to get a nice one...

They way it goes in our family is...First gun a .22 rifle, second gun a hunting rifle or shotgun (after completing hunters education) and lastly a pistol when old enough.

 

Ruger 10/22 and two 500 round bricks of ammo and 2 good sets of hearing protection... For you and him...

 

That's a good way to teach against marksmanship! Wasteful, sloppy, and irresposible. Bolt action .22rifle and 20 bullets to start at 25 yards. For each bullseye, give him five more bullets.

I guess it depends on wether you want your son to have fun banging stuff, or have fun, learn a skill, develop confidence, and pride in accomplishment. Your choice.

p.s. You never really outgrow the .22lr caliber, its far too useful.

 

I would never ever recommend a semi-auto as a first gun. A .22 Bolt Action either single shot or magazine fed is a much better choice for learning safe gun handling habits and general marksmanship. There are a lot of good quality .22 bolt rifles out there. Ruger 77-22 is my favorite, but they are relatively expensive compared to Marlin. There is nothing wrong with looking for a good clean used .22 bolt rifle in the gun shops either. Few of them have been worn out and there are some real gems there as well.

I would also recommend against a center fire rifle as a first gun as the ammunition will be prohibitively expensive for a 14 year old of normal means to purchase and fire enough of it to become proficient with it and also to learn (read become a habit) safe firearm handling.

A single shot break action shotgun can be a good first choice if the young man aspires to become a wing shot and can also serve in the deer woods.

I strongly believe that first guns are tools to learn with and the most important lessons are safety and marksmanship. Please try to keep that in mind when choosing. Something that has a big boom and that he thinks will make him cool is not going to be good in the long run. There is plenty of time for that later. Now is the time to drill in the basics.

 

Fbeekeeper is right about how with a single shot you have to learn accuracy, with one shot you learn to make it count. But for versatility a single shot is limited. A 10/22 is a fine rifle with lots of options available, but it's easy to end up with 1000.00 bucks in a $200.00 rifle if you like to customize. If you have a tube fed rifle and your tube gets damaged its harder to replace than just sticking in another mag. You did not say what your son wanted to do with the rifle, if he wants to deer hunt don't buy a .22. If he just wants something to shoot .22 is definetely your best bet. Have you looked at the kits that have multiple barrels? With them he could have a plinker barrel and a larger caliber to hunt with, being single shot he'll have to learn to be accurate. Have fun shopping.

 

Probably a bolt action .22. I love my 10/22, it was my first gun, but I probably learned bad habits with it starting out.

He can always upgrade to the 10/22 later.

 

bb gun or airgun, the last one with good safety instruction.

We don't own any firearms yet.

I don't think there's anything wrong with teaching kids about firearms, however there needs to be parental guidance.

If you don't own firearms, I'm going to assume you don't have that much experience with them either. In that case you need to be very sure you can teach your kids about gun safety.

I'm not too sure about a 14 yo being the first of the family to obtain a firearm.

Either you should get a gun first and get some skills (always a good idea) or have him shoot at the range only, under supervision of an instructor.

 

I would recomend a 22lr rifle os some kind my preference for learning is bolt actions as they have to take there time instead of beiing able to get trigger happy the reason i recomend a 22 is it has low recoil so no flinch gppd fpr practicing good form ammo is cheap and plentiful and its great for small game

 

If it were my son, a rifle would be the only option. It is hard to shoot one's self with a long gun and far too easy with a pistol.

A Ruger 10/22 is a good starter gun and will allow you son to learn the basics of sighting, reloading, etc. It is a short cabine type weapon which makes a good woods gun. Shoot 22 LR which is a affordable caliber to plink with and can be bought on you budget. Remington also make a decent 22 lf that is reasonable.

If you want him to learn the AR platform, S&W has a 22 lr version of an AR platform that is nice but a little more expensive and probable not as easy to learn on for a first gun. Best of luck and have fun.

 

Having received my first gun at around 11, I learned very very well with an old single shot bolt action .22. I say single shot, because it like forestbeekeeper points out, it teaches accuracy, and is also much safer then an automatic or repeating rifle of any kind. Do not start him out with a pistol. There are a lot of safty issues at risk should you do so. Once your young man learns common sense with a gun, good safety habits, and the art of cleaning, then maybe you might jump him up a notch or two with a Marlin bolt action repeating rifle, such as tube or clip feed. Safety first !

 

Start with either a Ruger 10/22 or Savage Mark II if want bolt action

 

single shot 22 or bolt action 22.

No pistol for a young shooter. It's way too easy to point it at someone or yourself.

A good scoped bolt action 22 will let him learn long range accuracy and trigger control as well as safty without breaking the bank.

 

A .22 rifle.
A 10-22 is fine. Maintain discipline and avoid bad habits by loading only 1-3 rounds at a time.
When it's time to take a squirrel or rabbit, they'll have multiple rounds available if needed.
A single shot is good. But you'll be replacing it with something like a 10-22 soon enough anyway.
Skip right to the 10-22 or a mag fed bolt action and skip the single shot.

 

I like the mag fed bolt action idea personally....

 

I like the idea of a 22lr as a starter rifle. Some say go for a single shot or a bolt, some say a 10/22 or Marlin 60. Why not split the difference. Go with the Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 60 and you control the ammo. One round at a time in the gun would make it a singe shot. When he got good enough to work up to 2-3 rounds then fill'er up.

He'll never outgrow it, he will grow into a bigger bang.

 

Just bought a first gun for a 14 yo boy. I got him a savage 22lr semi auto, with a detachable magazine. I would have preferred a single shot but couldnt find one that wasnt tiny like a cricket or rossi.

 

Buy him an AR-15 and ten mags and two cases of ammo and be done with it......he's going to want or need one sooner or later (my bet is sooner because the SHTF).

Why mess with a .22? Why not get something with some redeeming value to it that you can protect yourselves with?

 

Perhaps you forgot to read the part about the $250 to spend, and the part about wanting cheap ammo.

Your post is like telling someone to buy their 16 year old a Ferrari for their first car... I mean they are going to need one or want one eventually right? Who cares if they actually know how to drive or have any responsibility...

 

14 year old boys are tough as nails. I'm sure he could handle just about anything that fits him. But I always suggest a first gun be a .22. Marksmanship takes a lot of practice and a .22 is the cheapest and easiest way to get that practice. Plus it will come in handy down the road for small game hunting and such.

Personally, I'd suggest a bolt action. They're generally more accurate out of the box than the semi autos. And new shooters can easily develop the spray and pray mindset with a semi auto. Where a bolt action inspires them to build marksmanship because they don't have a quick second shot to back up a miss.

Savage makes affordable and extremely accurate bolt actions. I paid about $240 for their heavy barrel model and out of the box it outshoots my $1200 custom 10/22 by an embarrassing margin!

 

How about 3 guns in one?
I would have him look at the Rossi Youth Trifecta. Single shot .22lr but also a 20 gauge shotgun and one other caliber, depending on which one you get. They should be going on sale soon, they almost always do as we get closer to hunting season. If you have a D!ck's Sporting Goods nearby they can order it if they don't have the caliber that you want in stock. http://www.rossiusa.com/product-list.cfm?category=2
One of the options for the third barrel is .44 magnum, that ought to light his fire!
We have the .243 and my 14 year old handles it just fine.

 

i have my 12 year old granddaughter shooting my ruger 10/22 and my beretta neos .22

 

here is the video grand daughter shooting for the first time. http://www.youtube.com/user/lightningman01#p/u/8/64d4vjGWAL4

 

Ok, why would you try to zoom in to 100 yards, when you can't hold still at 10 feet? :::

 

You will never outgrow a .22lr rifle .But If money is an issue, how about a basic pellet rifle?Good for training and practice ,cheap ammo,low report,usable for squirrel and such.When I was started,it was a bb gun, but power was an issue .