# A question about what I should buy



## ZANDER12 (Oct 13, 2006)

Ok, I am looking for a rifle for my 15 year old son. I don't really know that much about rifles so any help would be great. He will just be using it for shooting cans and keeping groundhogs out of the yard. I am thinking a .22 because he has mastered the pellet guns and he really wants a gun for his birthday. What I need to know is what to buy, where to look and how leathal it is. I don't want something very powerful. Just enough for him to get used to a real gu and not an airpowered pump gun. I think that a bolt action would be best. And also, do you think that buying a nice gun like that used is wise? Well thanks for the help.


----------



## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

I almost always prefer used guns. I actually believe they were made better 20 years ago than they are now, but that's my opinion. I got a 10/22 for my son's first rifle, but he had been shooting with me for a few years before that. If you want a bolt action there are too many options to count. Check Gunbroker.com, and look for any Marlins, or a Remington 580 or 581 (the 580 is a single shot), etc. There are a lot of inexpensive Remington bolt actions out there and I can't begin to remember all the model numbers, but the point is you can get a great 22 bolt action for $200 or less very easily. If you want to spend a little more you might consider a Marlin 39-A lever rifle. I'm sure there are a lot of opinions out there, but you really can't go wrong with about any 22, and if you buy it used it's already depreciated so you're out nothing if you decide to sell later.

I think the most important thing is be sure to be with him when he's shooting so you can teach him the responsibility that goes along with handling a gun. Good luck, and thanks for introducing your son to the shooting sports.


----------



## Horsager (Aug 31, 2006)

I agree with Csquared, I have no issue buying a used 22, very hard to wear one out. Remington 580 is a single shot, 581 and 582 are tube/clip fed respectively and all three are great rifles, the 510, 511, 512 are also very good used rifles when you can find them. Marlin or Savage bolt actions work very well also and can be found for less than $200. Ruger 77/22 is an excellent rifle as are the many different CZ 452 variants they will be in the $325-$400 range.


----------



## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

Normally I would agree with the others and recommend the 22 as a starting gun also. However your question about how lethal a 22 is leaves me to believe you know nothing about guns period, no disrespect intended and I apologize if wrong. The one down side to a 22 is ricochets which is very common with the 22 LR and you mentioned gophers in the yard which means shooting at a downward angle towards the ground. With this in mind I would recommend a 22 Mach II (HM2). Ammo for the Mach II is higher at about $4.00 to $5.00 per box of 50 but they fragment upon contact and are deadly on gopher size game out to 100 yards. It is also flatter shooting and simply a lot of fun to shoot. I believe a Savage HM2 which is a bolt action goes for around $200 or less at places like WalMart. The 22 LR is the next step up from a pellet gun and is a handy rifle to have a lot of fun with and you shouldn't regret buying one but give the HM2 a look see.


----------



## ZANDER12 (Oct 13, 2006)

Gohon, you are right, and I admitted it in my first post. The reason I asked about how leathal ot is, is because I was talking to my friend about getting my son a gun and he said that a .22 shoots at about 1600 fps. My sons pellet gun shoots at about 850 fps. So how much more powerful is this type of rifle? 
Also, I'm not all that worried about the kick for this type of rifle, and I am looking forward to shooting it with him. I will look around me for a used one before I look online. But probably I will find a used rifle around where I live and post a question about the quality of that. Thanks a lot for all of the help.


----------



## Whelen35 (Mar 9, 2004)

The power of a 22lr and an air gun is a lot. the speed of a 22lr is in reality about 1200-1400fps but the thing that makes it so much powerfull is that the projectile is many times heaver. My line of thinking is to purchase a very good quality bolt action 22. It is really the foundation gun that will teach the most to its owner the fundimentals of shooting. It if taken care of will indeed last more than a lifetime of shooting. I really like the ruger 77/22, and CZ makes a very good bolt action 22, as does remington. A good 22 will be able to shoot out to about 100yds with good ammo it likes, and can be used to plink at targets out farther, but I would not shoot any living thing past the 100yd range as the energy levels are getting too low the inshure a humain level of power. Read all you can about the sport of shooting and hunting, ask questions from people who know what they are talking about, use caution, be safe, and thank you for introduceing your son to this sport. You too may find that it is fun and takes a lot of skill and practice to truely be good at it. And while you are at it, invite a friend or two and introduce them to safe gun handeling and the pure joy of shooting.


----------



## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

ZANDER12, I should have mentioned the HM2 is also a .17 rimfire but I'm sure you'll discover that on your own. The models Whelen35 mentioned are very good rifles and if you find one of those used it probable is in good condition as most people take good care of those particular guns. Actually most 22 rimfires used just need a little cleaning to be brought back up to new shooting conditions. The Marlin model 60 is another gun that I think is under rated. Some don't like it because it is not fancy and is tube fed but I've never owned one that wasn't dead accurate. One thing you will find is what ever you buy it will prefer a particular brand of ammo over others. Buy several boxes of different brands and which ever you gun likes stick to that. Good luck and enjoy.


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

ZANDER12 The 22 Long rifle is most commonly known as the smallest and least powerful fixed ammunition cartridge. It is an excellent first rifle that almost all of us have fond memories of. How leathal is it, VERY Leathal just like all firearms, more people in the morge are their from 22 Long rifles than anything else. The 22 long rifle unlike pellet guns has extreme range 1.5 miles the bullet can carry so you need to be sure of not only your target but what is beyond it. If you are new to firearms I would recomend you and your son attend some type of firearm safty coarse. It sure helped me and my dad!!!! Good Shooting!!! :beer:


----------



## Horsager (Aug 31, 2006)

The HM2 is a .17 caliber rimfire.


----------



## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

> The HM2 is a .17 caliber rimfire.


Yes I know that as I own two HMR's myself........ just didn't word it right with 22 on the mind. I'll go change it for you. Feel better........

Another thought on lethality is your sons pellet gun at 850 fps compared to a standard 22 LR at 1200 fps doesn't sound like much difference but when you take into consideration the pellet gun with 8-12 grain pellet only produces maybe 18-20 ft-lb energy compared to the standard 40 grain 22 LR at 130 or more ft-lb energy, you can see there is a substantial difference.


----------



## ZANDER12 (Oct 13, 2006)

Thanks for all of the help. I am excited to enter this sport with my son.


----------



## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

ZANDER12 said:


> Thanks for all of the help. I am excited to enter this sport with my son.


Zander where are you located? Would you like some assistance getting in touch with a hunter safety class or someone who is knowledgeable to assist in your area?

Ryan


----------



## ZANDER12 (Oct 13, 2006)

I've already looking into it and found a class at a local shooting range. But thanks.


----------



## Dave_w (May 25, 2005)

You know, a Ruger 10/22 will go for $209 in my area, base model and brand-new. If you're handy, you can easily swap out the stock and barrel, and install a drop-in trigger once your son's skill improves. As far as semiautos go, they're about as simple to maintain/upgrade as you can get.

I would stay away from the .17s for now. They're too expensive to learn on and you guys won't practice too much if it's too pricey. $4-$5/50 is double the price of CCI Standard .22LR in my local shop. The guns themselves ain't cheap, either. Plus, I'd gamble that people are going to drop the .17 thing after a while. It's just not worth it for enough people. There's always going to be .22 rimfires.

All questions of smaller projectile/less ricochet...well, guys, they'll all f*cking take an eye out if you're not careful, and saying one cartridge is less likely to do so than another is just plain old asking for trouble. Even if it were true, putting faith in it just makes you that much more vulnerable too getting hurt. The worst--and only--injury I ever received was a hot .22 casing down the back of my shirt (minor burn, cool scar), and that's because I don't screw around. Don't be silly, ALWAYS wear glasses, and don't shoot at anything less than 25 yards with one of these. 25 is still pretty close, but I've never felt the tap of a slow ricochet at that distance.

I'd skip on the tin cans. Use plastic cups and set them up against a decent backstop. Ten should work. They'll flip off nice, they're cheap, and they're not gonna sling lead back at ya if you clip the top edge. Everything downrange should be SOFT--I ain't never seen a .22 ricochet off a damn pillow. As skill and interest grows, switch to bullseyes (they can be d/led and printed off the internet for free--I made up 500 at my local Kinko's). use big ones first, then switch to standard rifle targets for whatever range you're shooting at and try to make little ragged holes in the middle.


----------



## wiskodie1 (Sep 11, 2006)

RUGER 10/22
end of story, your little boy will still be shooting it at age 70 with his grand kids, great little gun, CHEAP AMMO!!! put a little 3 power scope on it and he is good for life. it will kill anything you aim at so long as you make a good hit. so make sure you teach him how to use it.

sorry but i think the boys on this form went a bit overboard on the whole thing. lots of good info but at the end of the day all he needs is a nice cheap little shooter that will start him down the old hunting trail.

just my 2 cents


----------



## OkieYodler (Jul 18, 2006)

I agree that a .22 rimfire is probably what is best suited for this situation. I don't know how good of a shooter your kid is, or how safe he is(no offense intended towards anybody). If he isn't safe, I'd stay away from auto loaders. Kids get to curious as to what will happen when they fire in quick succession(I know, I'm 15 too!). I'm sure he's perfetly capable if you just show him the basics. Besides, you already said he has mastered the pellet gun. The best learning tool I can recommend would be any old bolt action rimfire. They're most like what he'll probably be using when he goes out hunting. Good Luck! Hope your son as a good birthday!


----------



## Dave_w (May 25, 2005)

I agre with Wiskodie. the 10/22 will probably always be around (for parts purposes), and it's pretty durable so long as you don't do things like dry-fire (which can break the firing pin on a rimfire).

The bolt-action idea is sound, but my only problem with this is that I wouldn't let him use the rifle unsupervised anyway. Rapid fire with a .22LR, in my ever-so-humble opinion, isn't all that dangerous anyway, as the recoil and kick is so limited. That, and bolt-actions are slower than autoloaders, and with kids, slow = boring. Plus, with the modern autoloading rifles, bolts just don't bring any real advantage in accuracy any more.


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

10/22 is a P.I.T.A to clean you have to rezero often after cleaning. Start out with a Marlin or Savage bolt action and I would go 22 Magnum! But hey thats just my :2cents:


----------



## caribukiller (Oct 30, 2006)

get your a son a band new ruger 10/22 if he is like most people i know he might have it till he dies


----------

