First gun for son(s)

[etothepii]

I've got two boys, one is 3 yrs and the other is 4 months old. While their first guns are still in the distant future, I'm still thinking about what I should get them. I think NEF is the perfect manufacturer for kids. (Pretty good for adults too.)

Anyway, what do you think is a good first gun, especially caliber? Mine was a .22, but should I think about the .17 hmr? Open sights for beginners? What's your best advice?

[MSP Ret]

who knows what is going to be available in the year or 2 before your son oldest son is ready to shoot, but for now I'd say start with a  bb gun and then progress to a .22 with low speed shorts or Colibri's for reasons of expense and ease of shooting coupled with no loud noises. They can always shoot Hi Speed .22 LR's in them later and even hunt with the .22. It is also something they can then pass on to their children. I like to start kids on open sights so they learn the basics or aiming and shooting, then later progress to a peep sight or a low powered scope, IF they want to try them....<><.... :grin:

 (unless Kerry and the democrats get in, then guns will eventually be outlawed)....<><.... :cry:

[Leftoverdj]

Stay with .22 because of the cost and noise factors.

Much as I like NEFs, if you are going to start your sons as young as I started mine, the Sportster is simply too heavy.

The Stevens Favorite that Savage makes is about ideal as a starter rifle. It's single shot with an external hammer just as the Sportster is, but it is much lighter.



After my son had been shooting a kids size .22 for a couple of years, I moved him up to a Handy(That was the spelling then) .357 Max/20 gauge combo. He shot .38 Specials in that for about a year before moving to heavier loads.

[HuntenNut]

NEF does have the Versa Pack which you can order through Walmart for under $150. It has a 22 barrel with open sights and a 410 barrel. The stock is a short, straight grip stock. The gun weighs about 5lbs. It also comes with a very nice padded case which holds both barrels and the stock/reciever. The 410 is probably not ideal for first hunting shotgun, but can certainly be handy for introducing them to the shotgun at stationary targets. I believe you can get extra barrels also so you could upgrade to a 20 or 28 for about another $50 when they are old enough to hunt with shotgun. I have one and it is a very nice set. Any kid would be excited to get one.

http://www.hr1871.com/firearms/index.php?cat=2&subcat=10

[Moonlitin]

I started my son out with a youth model spring piston air rifle (a Gamo "Young Hunter") when he was 10 years old.  It was light, easy for him to load/cock by himself, and still powerful enough to take a squirrel.  

After he took his hunter's safety class, I got him an NEF Sportster in 22LR and a Pardner in 410.  The heavy barrel Sportsters are way to heavy for a young shooter, and the lightweight Pardners have a lot of recoil for a little guy when you move up to a 20 or 12 gauge.  The single shot NEFs have proven to be excellent choices for him.  I found a Pardner with a laminate stock and a recoil pad, and we put a laminate stock on his Sportster because he didn't like the looks of the "plastic" stock.  I also like the NEFs because when he's ready to move up to a 22WMR, 17HMR, 20 gauge, 12 gauge, slug gun, or a muzzle loader, we'll have the option of adding the other barrels.

I also picked up a Romanian M1969 Trainer rifle for him that he really likes.  They are inexpensive, lightweight, accurate, all wood and steel rifles...but they are ugly.  We stripped it down and refinished the stock as a father/son project and he loves that gun too...especially when people at the range ask him what he's shooting!

I just picked up an old Remington 513T because I wanted something for him to shoot without a scope.  It has a Lyman aperture sight with a hooded globe on the front.  It's not a good hunting rifle for him because of the weight, but it will be great for him to learn how to shoot without a scope at the range.

Every kid is different, and nobody knows yours better than you do.  So here's my 2 cents...get them something that fits them, make sure that it's light enough for them, modify it when needed so THEY like the looks of it, and make sure that it's fun for them to shoot it.  Trust me...if it sounds like a cannon and kicks like a mule they won't want to shoot it again.  Have fun...and most of all...be safe.

Moonlitin

[2eagles]

You can't do better than a BB gun to start with.  Jim

[AndyC]

NEF does have the Versa Pack which you can order through Walmart for under $150. It has a 22 barrel with open sights and a 410 barrel. The stock is a short, straight grip stock. The gun weighs about 5lbs. It also comes with a very nice padded case which holds both barrels and the stock/reciever. The 410 is probably not ideal for first hunting shotgun, but can certainly be handy for introducing them to the shotgun at stationary targets. I believe you can get extra barrels also so you could upgrade to a 20 or 28 for about another $50 when they are old enough to hunt with shotgun. I have one and it is a very nice set. Any kid would be excited to get one.

http://www.hr1871.com/firearms/index.php?cat=2&subcat=10

Im 17 and looking into getting my first rifle now. Is there anything that can switch from 22 to 4-10 like that versa pack in an adult size? Or any way to make that one adult size? Thanks

[mjbgalt]

yeah, you can order an adult sized stock for those. www/hr1871.com

i think its less than $60.

[HuntenNut]

Or you can put a slip on recoil pad which would add an inch or two to length of pull. You can get those for around $10. Any NEF full size stock will fit the Versapack reciever.

[Mitch in MI]

A buttstock alone is a bit over $30, maybe close to $40 with shipping.
http://www.hr1871.com/barrelAcc/index.htm