45-70
410/22 or 22wmr over and under. Savage makes a cool one. You can order youth stocks for them. When they outgrow the youth stock put the original standard one back on. These rifles make them better shots because in each case they only have one round to hit the target/game with. This also teaches them patience too. That is a BIG thing in youth today. Being a grandpa aka Papa my oldest grandson will be getting this gun next yr for his 10th birthday.
.22 is hard to font that is a fact. I have no experience teaching a kid how to shoot but I say get him something he will enjoy an be proud of.
Just because a gun has a30 round magazine doesn't mean it cannot be 29 rounds short or you can fight mag dumping with a 5 round mag (keep it 5 or maybe pin it to make it hold less).
Just because a gun has a30 round magazine doesn't mean it cannot be 29 rounds short or you can fight mag dumping with a 5 round mag (keep it 5 or maybe pin it to make it hold less).
I vote for a 22 rifle he needs something to build good shooting skills without all the flinching that will come with a 20ga. I still have my first rifle a 22 Marlin bolt action that my dad taught me to shoot and respect sixty plus years ago. If you live near Tulsa you can always pick up 22 ammo at Jerrys reloading supply.
This right here is how I started my son off (he's 14 now, but started him off at 10 with the CZ).
As for a hunting rifle (deer anyway) I went with a Single Shot H&R Handi in .357 Mag. Great round for a kid. No kick from that long barrel. Ammo is easy enough to come up with, great little 100 yard brush gun for deer hunting. You can start with iron sights and move up to an inexpensive scope later.
I do a lot of duck hunting and trap shooting. My 14 year old step daughter had watched me for severl months and was showing an interest in wanting to shoot. She had a 22 bolt action with a magazine and wanted to try a shotgun. I figured I'd just buy her a youth model 20ga shotgun and let her try shooting some trap with me. Man..... bad deal. I purchased the gun and some rounds and took her to the trap range. We stood on Deck and started to take turns at some trap. After her first shot I asked her how she was doing. I could tell she was in a state of shock. Shotgun is much different than a 22. After the 3rd shot. She finally told me it was hurting her. We shot a couple more and after the 5th shot I noticed she was about to cry. I put my gun down and asked her if I could shoot her gun a couple times. I had just purchased the gun that day. I had never fired it. Hmm.. maybe there WAS something wrong. I shouldered the gun as I would my benelli 12 ga. Called "pull" and fired a shot. Youth model shotgun was so "light" duty it not only kicked like a mule. It actually popped up and hit "me" in the face after I fired. I put the gun back to my shoulder and was prepared to be kicked like a mule and handled the 2nd shot ok... Worthless. Thinking a youth model that was 2 pounds and 3 ounces lighter than my 12 gauge would be the best for her, turned out there just wasnt enough gun to help absorb the kick. She still shoots her 22lr two or 3 times a year at pop cans and paper targets... she's 24 years old now and still won't touch a shotgun.
My youngest daughter just turned 13 and is talking about wanting to try a shotgun. I've had her on a 22 bolt action with magazine since she was 8. She tried a berretta 92fs last spring and spent some time on an AR 15 I built for her after she was born. She got a ruger 10/22 for christmas but is still asking about the shotgun. I will probably take her in the spring after sears get's the trap range up and running again. I will probably let her use a remington 1187 semi auto. 1 shot at a time rule and let her shoot a round of trap with it. It's the only way I know of to keep the kick from ruining this kid on shotguns. I will get her a shorter barrel to use, but the semi auto will have the least amount of kick for a shotgun... then once she has a feel for it. I will let her try other shotguns.. and see how she feels about it. Not let her first shot kick her like a mule and scare her too much.
My youngest daughter just turned 13 and is talking about wanting to try a shotgun. I've had her on a 22 bolt action with magazine since she was 8. She tried a berretta 92fs last spring and spent some time on an AR 15 I built for her after she was born. She got a ruger 10/22 for christmas but is still asking about the shotgun. I will probably take her in the spring after sears get's the trap range up and running again. I will probably let her use a remington 1187 semi auto. 1 shot at a time rule and let her shoot a round of trap with it. It's the only way I know of to keep the kick from ruining this kid on shotguns. I will get her a shorter barrel to use, but the semi auto will have the least amount of kick for a shotgun... then once she has a feel for it. I will let her try other shotguns.. and see how she feels about it. Not let her first shot kick her like a mule and scare her too much.
Cricket is the way to go. Learn sight pic and control.
The Mossberg Youth 20 is a good choice. I started my son out on a 20 ga. 870. Not the youth or LW20, but the old school 870 20ga built on the 12 ga. frame, bought used at a gun show. Then, I bought an old 870 stock from a gunsmith and cut the stock short enough to add a heavy recoil pad and fit his length of pull. Next we cut the barrel to 23" and added choke tubes. I found a load recipe for a 28ga skeet load equivalent used in a 20 ga. AA hull. Results = a gun that fit him, had the weight to tame recoil, open choked to make hits easy on fixed targets and then skeet, gave him some success and a pleasant experience, load / recoil just slightly more than a .410, extra stock to the gun to grow with him. When duck season opened, he was used to shooting the shotgun with success, wearing heavy clothing and shooting 3" mags, he didn't even notice. He loved it. Actually used the shotgun until HIS son started wanting to hunt with us and we dug out the short stock and took him out. We now have a youth Mossberg, just because his 2nd son started hunting with us this year.
Rifle for deer, .243 is a good choice, a SKS would also be a good consideration for cheap rifle / cheap practice ammo.
Really no bad choices, as long as he is having FUN, safely.
The Mossberg Youth 20 is a good choice. I started my son out on a 20 ga. 870. Not the youth or LW20, but the old school 870 20ga built on the 12 ga. frame, bought used at a gun show. Then, I bought an old 870 stock from a gunsmith and cut the stock short enough to add a heavy recoil pad and fit his length of pull. Next we cut the barrel to 23" and added choke tubes. I found a load recipe for a 28ga skeet load equivalent used in a 20 ga. AA hull. Results = a gun that fit him, had the weight to tame recoil, open choked to make hits easy on fixed targets and then skeet, gave him some success and a pleasant experience, load / recoil just slightly more than a .410, extra stock to the gun to grow with him. When duck season opened, he was used to shooting the shotgun with success, wearing heavy clothing and shooting 3" mags, he didn't even notice. He loved it. Actually used the shotgun until HIS son started wanting to hunt with us and we dug out the short stock and took him out. We now have a youth Mossberg, just because his 2nd son started hunting with us this year.
Rifle for deer, .243 is a good choice, a SKS would also be a good consideration for cheap rifle / cheap practice ammo.
Really no bad choices, as long as he is having FUN, safely.
.22 is where it's at. As centraloklahoma said, start him with something that isn't a 10/22 in my opinion, however. The semi-auto just allows for bad technique as well as safety concerns.
It's hard to beat a .243 for an all around hunting rifle, at least in these parts where the biggest game you'll probably get is deer, but there are plenty of hogs, prairie dogs, coyotes, and other assorted smaller game.
It's hard to beat a .243 for an all around hunting rifle, at least in these parts where the biggest game you'll probably get is deer, but there are plenty of hogs, prairie dogs, coyotes, and other assorted smaller game.
A handi rifle chambered in 300 blackout can be had for around $350. Smaller than a daisy red rider and can shoot both super and subsonic rounds. I put a vortex ($150) on one and gave it to my then 7yo daughter. She is small for her age and had absolutely no issues shooting it from a chair. Check link.http://www.gunsumerreports.com/review_h&r_aac_handi-rifle_300blk_p1.php
My boy has been shooting a rem 870 20 gauge youth model since he was 7. He also has a ruger 10-22 (a must in the safe) and a .22 Colt diamond back. But he shots my pythons instead of it! lol
