Which Rifle for 8 year old Girl

[matrosov]

Good morning. So today my daughter turned 8 and she wants to go to the range with daddy soon makes me extremely happy . So the question I have is which .22 would be good for her? She is 42 inches tall and about 40 pounds. I am trying to get her something that is not too intimidating in terms of size or bulk and has a comfortable length of pull now, meaning I'd rather get her a rifle that she can shoot very comfortably now and upgrade the size as she grows, vs getting her something that she can grow into. It also has to be bolt action.

I've looked at crickets and Henry bolts already and I don't like the manual cocking setup. In my opinion it just adds an unnecessary level of complexity.

I like CZ Scout but cannot find a shop in philly area that carries them so I can have a fitting . What would you recommend.

Also what is the good kid friendly range around Northeast philly, bucks, montgomery county? I belong to classic pistol but it is geared towards older age group I need a place where I can put her prone on the ground and that is not very noisy. Don't want her startled with all the heavy duty milspec rifle fire from all directions.

[Armor Snail]

Savage Rascal is nice.

My 5yr old has one.

Accutrigger
Adj. Peep sights.
Cocks on closure. Basically a scaled down MKI action.
Drilled and tapped for scope mount.

Good gun cheap. Nice and accurate enough to take backpacking when my kids outgrow it.

[matrosov]

Thanks Armor, Any issues with length of pull for your child? Also any tips on how to explain using the sights properly in kid speak .

[MT1]

8 years old is beyond the age of Cricket rifles. In my opinion they are designed for 5 year olds. Your daughter will outgrow it too quickly unless she is smaller than average for her age. If you don't mind shopping for a new rifle in another year and putting the Cricket in the safe until she has kids, go for it.

I started my daughter out on a Mossburg Model 44US at that age. This is the 1940s era gov competition target rifles. It is bolt action, full stock, bull barrel, and peep sights. Due to the weight it doesn't move on the sand bags. She immediately "got" a good understanding of proper position and sight picture.

I'd probably look for a Henry lever action, Ruger 10/22, Marlin Model 60, or similar.

Do you have a preference of bolt vs semi, single shot, etc?

[MT1]

Thanks Armor, Any issues with length of pull for your child? Also any tips on how to explain using the sights properly in kid speak .

Kids work well when they can visualize what you are teaching. One method for explaining sight picture... Draw the front and back sights on individual pieces of clear acetate. Lay the front sight drawing on the table and lay the rear sight drawing on top. Move the rear sight diagram around until it lines up.

The next step is to add a picture of your target. An actual paper bullseye target can be placed under both pieces of acetate. Go through the process of lining everything up like she should see when looking through the sights. You can even use a picture of a squirrel or other animal if appropriate.

This method also works when you start explaining windage and elevation. Once she can hit the bullseye at 25 yards, explain elevation for 100 yards, windage on a windy day, etc

Good luck! Teaching daughters to shoot is one of the best parts of being a dad.

[IntenseImage]

We just went through this for our 7yr old. We settled on a 10/22 in a Tapco stock since it can be adjusted for LOP (and had the shortest LOP we could find).

She can upgrade this till her hearts content since there are so many parts available for this that she can decide on as she grows.


May I ask ... why only bolt action?

[matrosov]

Thanks MT I'm trying to go for classic bolt action setup optional mag is fine but I'm getting her started slow and steady with single shot loads working the bolt working the trigger and keeping it safe. Don't want any manual cocking setup that is why I discarded crickets already. Repeaters might be a little too much for her, she might start moving the rifle in unsafe way vs moving the handle. Given where I live I have to look for a good balance in weight since not all the ranges have kid size bench rests so she might have to learn to balance rifle in her hands vs purely on sand bags I think LOP on mosseberg might be a little too much for her she is smaller for her age. Any experience with CZ Scouts? I'm sure quality is good but 5 pound heft concerns me.

[Yoder]

One thing I did with my son to get a rifle to fit him was cut 1 1/2in off the stock. When he got bigger I put a recoil pad on it. Another option would be one of the AR style .22 rifles with the adjustable stocks. The M&P is really sweet. If you get a couple mags and just load one in each you don't have to worry about the next round chambering and it geting pointed in a bad direction with a round in the chamber. Kids pick it up quick. It's awesome your daughter is interested in shooting.

[MT1]

Thanks MT I'm trying to go for classic bolt action setup optional mag is fine but I'm getting her started slow and steady with single shot loads working the bolt working the trigger and keeping it safe. Don't want any manual cocking setup that is why I discarded crickets already. Repeaters might be a little too much for her, she might start moving the rifle in unsafe way vs moving the handle. Given where I live I have to look for a good balance in weight since not all the ranges have kid size bench rests so she might have to learn to balance rifle in her hands vs purely on sand bags I think LOP on mosseberg might be a little too much for her she is smaller for her age. Any experience with CZ Scouts? I'm sure quality is good but 5 pound heft concerns me.

Like Yoder said, limit the mag to one round at a time. When teaching on the Mossberg I only put one round in the mag until she was proficient on all safety issues. When she graduated to a Marlin Model 60 we went back to one round at a time and worked up from there.

There's nothing wrong with your approach. Use whatever style of instruction and tools you and she are comfortable with.

I have no experience with CZ rifles. They make a great product.

[matrosov]

We just went through this for our 7yr old. We settled on a 10/22 in a Tapco stock since it can be adjusted for LOP (and had the shortest LOP we could find).

She can upgrade this till her hearts content since there are so many parts available for this that she can decide on as she grows.


May I ask ... why only bolt action?

I'm old school . Bolt action is slower pace she can focus on fundamentals more. Essentially the rifle will slow her down vs me telling her all the time to slow down. With bolt each step is clearly segregated and defined. Loading, chambering, aiming, firing, extracting. It is also good for developing overall coordination ie. maintaining your position behind the rifle while working the bolt, loading rounds etc. I want to convey to her the idea that she is holding a weapon not a toy and that every shot taken should be thought of first. It is easier to get thru with that message IMHO when she is going thru it step by little step every time she fires it vs dumping mags on semi auto.

Semi Autos are a little too easy to shoot and a little too complex to maintain as far as young kid goes. And when it comes to firing even with a single shot mag it does too much work for you and I'm concerned that once she gets the taste of more than one round in the mag the discipline of shooting if not the safety will go out the window. Bolt teaches the art of shooting and also helps understand how the rifle works since you're doing all the work and can see what happens at each step.