Dave Barnett
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2010
- Messages
- 282
Re: ok so here's the latest on 11 yr old sons 1st rifle
The 10/22 is a great gun and with proper supervision makes a good first gun, especially the carbine version. While I am not into telling other people their business, I do feel that an auto does increase the chances for accidents though.
I have personally witnessed youngsters shooting autos and levers that have double pulled the trigger, forgot to release the hammer on levers after ejecting spent shells or failed to take their finger off the trigger after a shot and a second or third shot has gone uncontrolled. Thank God above "I" have never seen an "injury" result but I have seen a couple instances where a shot has hit a house and a truck. I also have a cousin that lost a 13 yr old boy in a shooting accident.
When I was a kid my first real gun was a .410 H&R single shot. I still have it today and it is a favorite in my collection. My first .22 was a Stevens single shot bolt action. I loved that gun and passed it along to my son. The single shot reduces the chance of an accident and when the kid is old enough to go it on their own, it is a comfort to parents knowing the added safety of the single shot.
I gave my own son his first .22 ( the Stevens) at the age of 12. I don't believe there is a set age at which a kid should or shouldn't have a gun. All kids are different and mature to responsibility at different ages. If a kid doesn't display a genuine interest in guns I would never contemplate giving them one. What their heart isn't into isn't going to be taken with the seriousness a gun demands.
With all that said, my recommendation for a first .22 would be one of these Cricket riffles. They are small and work excellent for youngsters and are single shot bolts. I bought my daughter one a few years back and she still loves it. They are an inexpensive gun and shoot very well. They are not just for kids either. Here in our parts they are fast becoming a favorite riffle for coon hunters. Being small and light they are a perfect gun for the kind of activity coon hunting presents.
If the idea of a Cricket isn't well received, then I recommend something on the order of the earlier mentioned Stevens. JC Higgins also made some nice single .22's. I don't think I have ever been in a pawn shop that didn't have at least a couple of these type guns in the rack usually for around $50 to $75. All in all I would say the ultimate deciding factor of what gun to start them out with should be what a parent is comfortable with.
I know this is getting long winded but please bear with me just a bit more. A case in point for my concern of a repeating action is a story that happened to my cousin, whom I mentioned earlier, and her two sons.
The boys had been allowed to go deer hunting by their parents. The boys were 12 & 13 years old. Their dad had coached the boys in firearms for a couple years and decided that they were responsible enough to go on their own. Marcus, the 12 yr old, fired at a deer and missed. After this the boys decided the commotion had ruined their hunting and headed for the house. Going home they had to walk up a steep pond bank. Chad, the 13 yr old, went first and was almost all the way up the bank when Marcus stumbled and fell. In the fall he triggered the gun (a Marlin 30-30 lever action that he said he thought he ejected all the shells on). The bullet struck Chad in the lower side just above his belt and went in an upward diagonal line through his right and left lung and heart. His mother,my cousin saw this happen out the kitchen window as she washed dishes. She ran to him and held him just as he died.
Today Marcus is still haunted by this and cannot abide guns in any fashion. He is grown now and refuses to even let his kids be with or around others who have guns in their possession. He is ruined for life on the sports of hunting and shooting and his children probably will be as well.
I know there were a lot of safety factors overlooked and I myself see a lot of critical error on all parties involved. I realize a single shot has the same potential to kill or injure but in this case a single shot would have turned a horrible tragedy into a scuffed knee and Chad would still be with us.
I hope this is taken in the caring manner that it is intended and what ever the decision we make for our kids lets make every concession to keep them safe and build good habits for a lifetime of hunting and/or shooting enjoyment. Dave
The 10/22 is a great gun and with proper supervision makes a good first gun, especially the carbine version. While I am not into telling other people their business, I do feel that an auto does increase the chances for accidents though.
I have personally witnessed youngsters shooting autos and levers that have double pulled the trigger, forgot to release the hammer on levers after ejecting spent shells or failed to take their finger off the trigger after a shot and a second or third shot has gone uncontrolled. Thank God above "I" have never seen an "injury" result but I have seen a couple instances where a shot has hit a house and a truck. I also have a cousin that lost a 13 yr old boy in a shooting accident.
When I was a kid my first real gun was a .410 H&R single shot. I still have it today and it is a favorite in my collection. My first .22 was a Stevens single shot bolt action. I loved that gun and passed it along to my son. The single shot reduces the chance of an accident and when the kid is old enough to go it on their own, it is a comfort to parents knowing the added safety of the single shot.
I gave my own son his first .22 ( the Stevens) at the age of 12. I don't believe there is a set age at which a kid should or shouldn't have a gun. All kids are different and mature to responsibility at different ages. If a kid doesn't display a genuine interest in guns I would never contemplate giving them one. What their heart isn't into isn't going to be taken with the seriousness a gun demands.
With all that said, my recommendation for a first .22 would be one of these Cricket riffles. They are small and work excellent for youngsters and are single shot bolts. I bought my daughter one a few years back and she still loves it. They are an inexpensive gun and shoot very well. They are not just for kids either. Here in our parts they are fast becoming a favorite riffle for coon hunters. Being small and light they are a perfect gun for the kind of activity coon hunting presents.
If the idea of a Cricket isn't well received, then I recommend something on the order of the earlier mentioned Stevens. JC Higgins also made some nice single .22's. I don't think I have ever been in a pawn shop that didn't have at least a couple of these type guns in the rack usually for around $50 to $75. All in all I would say the ultimate deciding factor of what gun to start them out with should be what a parent is comfortable with.
I know this is getting long winded but please bear with me just a bit more. A case in point for my concern of a repeating action is a story that happened to my cousin, whom I mentioned earlier, and her two sons.
The boys had been allowed to go deer hunting by their parents. The boys were 12 & 13 years old. Their dad had coached the boys in firearms for a couple years and decided that they were responsible enough to go on their own. Marcus, the 12 yr old, fired at a deer and missed. After this the boys decided the commotion had ruined their hunting and headed for the house. Going home they had to walk up a steep pond bank. Chad, the 13 yr old, went first and was almost all the way up the bank when Marcus stumbled and fell. In the fall he triggered the gun (a Marlin 30-30 lever action that he said he thought he ejected all the shells on). The bullet struck Chad in the lower side just above his belt and went in an upward diagonal line through his right and left lung and heart. His mother,my cousin saw this happen out the kitchen window as she washed dishes. She ran to him and held him just as he died.
Today Marcus is still haunted by this and cannot abide guns in any fashion. He is grown now and refuses to even let his kids be with or around others who have guns in their possession. He is ruined for life on the sports of hunting and shooting and his children probably will be as well.
I know there were a lot of safety factors overlooked and I myself see a lot of critical error on all parties involved. I realize a single shot has the same potential to kill or injure but in this case a single shot would have turned a horrible tragedy into a scuffed knee and Chad would still be with us.
I hope this is taken in the caring manner that it is intended and what ever the decision we make for our kids lets make every concession to keep them safe and build good habits for a lifetime of hunting and/or shooting enjoyment. Dave
