Thread: kids rifles

OK so I've had a nosey back a bit on the forum, and have read about the rascal by savage and the Marlin xt22 ......I was wondering if anyone knows of any other small person rifles ....I see the yanks do a heap of different types.... Crickett from keystone arms, Browning do the micro hunter, kimber do one plus a heap of others.... I have a five year old girl and a seven year old son.... The wee girl is showing an interest in hunting so I want to nurture it....unfortunately none of my 22s would be suitable and so we are looking for a youth sized one... I think the boy will have a go too once we get going... So does anyone know of any other youth sized 22s available in NZ for a reasonable price... Don't want to cut down a full-size rifle as I feel it needs to be proportionate

Go the rascal and then then the CZ Scout or Marlin after that.

Thompson centre Hot Shot.

The Rascal is truly a scaled down rifle, the others I am not sure you will have to do your own research.

The big thing with kids(small kids under 10 etc) im my experience is they cannot hold the grip area properly and reach the trigger.

The Rascal I have is scoped and it will hit a 80mm square gong pretty consistently at 100m with shit bulk ammo with myself on the trigger.

My 8 yo can do a 4" group at 100m on a bipod with his CZ scout.
most of the rounds group better than that, but a few stray here and there...
He is nearly 9 now, and started with it when he was 7...

+1 for the Cz scout, my 8yrd old loves his.

http://youtu.be/mVciuhn_cC4

I recently picked up a Marlin XT22 Youth rifle 2nd hand off Trademe, specially designed stock for the little people, LOP, smaller pistol grip area, shorter length from pistol grip to trigger, higher comb, as distance from kids cheek to eye is shorter than adults, they have really thought about it.

Havnt scoped this one yet, but it has built in dovetail and also tapped for bases etc. I shot it down the river the other day with the open sights, only at 25 yards, but very impressed. I reckon it will be awesome accurate with a scope.

When kids get bigger you can fit the full sized XT22 stock ;-)

Been mooching around and see that reloaders supplies have the crickett rifle listed at a price of 359
.....

The Thompson is very small and light, so small in the grip area that it's hard for me to shoot.
I like that it breaks open like shotgun so it's very obvious when it's safe.

Only downside is that it didn't teach how to operate a bolt, something I hadn't thought of until it was brought up in a thread a week or two ago-but to be honest with the stock spacers that come with it I feel that by the time they upgrade they will be old enough that learning how to use a bolt/semi will be the task of one range trip

Dare I say it but Ruger does a bolt action with an insert to alter length of pull that may be an option.

And personally I dont think scaling will be much use with the likes of a 22 and small hands. Realistically 22LR actions are scaled down when compared to centre fire. If you modify a stock for small hands and shorten the barrel for weight reduction, a normal action 22 is fine. Nothing wrong with reducing a Norinco JW15 down to kid sizes. And the upside is if you buy an old stock for a rifle you can retro fit the original stocl later to make it bigger as they grow. This has the advantage of already being a rifle they are familiar with but that grows with them.

Sure spend hard earned on a youth rifle if you want. It is your money and you are more than welcome to support any business this way. It is just not what I would do if in the same position.

the problem with the full sized rifles is not the lop but altering it so the grip and trigger are closer together so little fingers can reach the trigger properly that could turn into disaster if you don't have the skills to chop and rejoin the stock

Originally Posted by timattalon

Dare I say it but Ruger does a bolt action with an insert to alter length of pull that may be an option.

And personally I dont think scaling will be much use with the likes of a 22 and small hands. Realistically 22LR actions are scaled down when compared to centre fire. If you modify a stock for small hands and shorten the barrel for weight reduction, a normal action 22 is fine. Nothing wrong with reducing a Norinco JW15 down to kid sizes. And the upside is if you buy an old stock for a rifle you can retro fit the original stocl later to make it bigger as they grow. This has the advantage of already being a rifle they are familiar with but that grows with them.

Sure spend hard earned on a youth rifle if you want. It is your money and you are more than welcome to support any business this way. It is just not what I would do if in the same position.

There is no way my 4 yr old can hold the pistol grip and reach the trigger, not a shit show in hell (therefore doesnt want to do it) but with the Marlin youth she can. If you can't spend $300 (mine was $292 2nd hand) on ya kids for something that will help them join in with our own interests then i reckon there's something wrong (compared to what we spend on gear and hunting trips etc for ourselves). 300 bucks doesn't buy much today.

And when they are finished with it, chances are you will get most/if not all ya money back when you sell it.

I know this will probably come across the wrong way, but that's the way i see it.

I would go the route of either a CZ scout or a Norinco both using a good suppressor , and cut the stock down and get another stock for when he gets bigger , and although not perfect , it dose mean he will always have that 1st rifle , from being a kid to adult , and I think thats neat in its self .
To me when they are really small , its more about learning the safety aspects & general gun handling skills when they are very small , and not so much markmanship , I would however put a bipod on the front for him , just one less thing to worry about , ie supporting the front end of the rifle etc .
I have cut down a cheap toz17 in LOP for my misses , but my boy when he was 3 used it , and not perfect but he has shot it , and now he is almost 5yrs I will put a bipod on it and get him back ob the gun again .
Keep the range time short & interesting , donot want him getting bored with it , or it being a chore .

Just to say their are some awesome Dads here on the forum , and I for one would have loved for my old man to have taken me shooting and brought me a CZ bolt gun when I was a boy , but he was too busy & not interested that much in shooting .

Originally Posted by res

The Thompson is very small and light, so small in the grip area that it's hard for me to shoot.
I like that it breaks open like shotgun so it's very obvious when it's safe.

Only downside is that it didn't teach how to operate a bolt, something I hadn't thought of until it was brought up in a thread a week or two ago-but to be honest with the stock spacers that come with it I feel that by the time they upgrade they will be old enough that learning how to use a bolt/semi will be the task of one range trip

The only problem I know of with these appears to be that the hammer spurs can snap off. Have seen two new in a shop on display, both missing their spurs.. Wouldn't be too hard to braze them back on though. No way small thumbs would be able to cock them with the spur gone like that either, there's only a little stump left. Worth being careful I guess.