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My boy turns 6 shortly after X-mas which usually means taking the one-two sucker punch to the wallet this time of year.  He's getting a mini long board and a sauce kit (hockey related) for Christmas.  We've been floating the idea back-and-forth about going out to the range together.  I think he's due for his first BB/pellet gun.  Anyone have any suggestions?  

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Get that boy a Daisy Red Rider!

Perfect starter for a 6 year old boy. Add plenty of DAD time showing him safe operation,and marksmanship!

Follow this up with a .22 for his 7th!

 

Having a Birthday 2 weeks from Christmas myself - I salute you for celebrating him with his OWN day! I remember getting TOO DAMN MANY 'birthday/Christmas' presents, mostly from siblings and relatives and almost ALLWAYS the same thing that would have been a present for one or the other. Fortunately the Parents made sure that I DID have a happy birthday!

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Does the Red Ryder require physical cocking effort?  I ripped out my right thumb nail trying to de cock my BB gun and the lever action slammed back into my thumb.  Ouch.  Blood.  Screaming.  I was about 6 or so.  Mom and Dad handled it very well.  I did not.  Do they make kids BB guns that are CO2 powered?  No physical strength needed to cock or de cock?  I dunno.

 

Consider a single shot down sized youth type .22rf rifle?  After you son grows out of it you can also cut down the barrel and make a good single shot short barrel rifle.  Add a good can and you have a skunk buster.  The nite vision can be added later.  Just another way of keeping the first firearm in the family.  My brother still has MY first rifle.  A Savage 24V .22 .410.  :)

 

All Oregon State Laws, US Code Laws And NFA Rules Apply.

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IMO the red ryders haven't been made well for a very long time. As a kid, I would want something that feels "real". "real" means it looks and feels similar to whatever dad uses and likes. A mossberg cricket, or a pellet gun with a scope might feel more "real." They would also be enough more accurate to make his effort pay off or not.

 

I heard someone else who gave his experience, and I decided that I would follow his family's method. I forget who it was, but there was a guy talking about how he learned to shoot well. It was approximately the following:  His father or grandfather got him a single shot pellet gun or 22 and would allow him to "check out" the gun and a few pellets or shells when his chores were done. (obviously with supervision level tracked to his previously shown responsibility) The gun was given with a stack of paper targets, and there was a shooting desk, with a target stand at a fixed distance. maybe 15 yards The targets were the rimfire targets with a series of squares. ammo was earned by chores and dispensed in small quantities. Maybe enough for two targets. If he brought back a target with a 5 shot group or two all on a half inch square from then he would "earn" some more bonus ammo.

 

The challenge:> There was a second target holder at 50 yards. The kid was told, that if he was confident, he could get his dad to observe him shooting at the same target at 50 yards. If he could put a 5 shot group on each of the 1/2" aiming squares all in the black then he earned some bigger prize (maybe a more potent rifle, but I forget). If he failed, then he have to wait to attempt the challenge for a few months. (3 mo?  I forget. Long enough to be a big deal to a kid, but not so long as to be discouraging)

 

This system made him work at it rather than just blazing away. When he did cub scouts rimfire, he dominated. Access to better toys came from mastery of what he had. Range time was a reward for good behavior, and responsible handling. Being able to practice under less obvious  supervision taught individual responsibility, and that his parents would trust him if he was trustworthy.

 

Obviously you could tweak the structure to fit your kid and your style, but the basic idea was great.

A more reactive variant would be using those birchwood casey rimfire resetting targets rather than paper, and the challenge is setting all the flippers in order and resetting the target 3 times consecutively.

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My grandfather taught me.  If I could shoot it better than him, I earned it!  Had my first .22 pistol by 14.  Loved going up to the deer camp during the summer.  By the end of the week we were shooting farmer matches as soda cans were in little pieces within about an hour from the BB guns.

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If we are doing firearms then do firearms.

Only reason for a BB gun would be if you able to turn him loose with it and not worry over much about what he gets into.

Otherwise a single shot 22 of whatever make you like, some good choices out there between Savage and Henry IIRC.

 

If it aint burning powder it is a toy.. big_smile.gif 

 

Have fun

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BB and pellet guns are great indoors when its a little chilly outside,  a cardboard box and some old towels make a good bullet trap.

 

Some BB guns are basically disposable, the quality has gone down so much over the years .

Some are good for a lifetime, considering how I cherish the firearms my father gave me as a child, something that lasts has a special place.

 

 

BH 

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Seems most moms out there put the kabosh on a BB gun inside the house on general female principle.

I think it's a good idea if done with... well half a brain.

Actually thinking a pump air rifle indoors on those days it's just not happening outside might be a good time killer... hold my beer.

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quality battery repeater airsoft and a catch box does the indoor job better than BB.

 

Note that there is a significant difference between walmart garbage and good stuff, including the projectiles. But even with walmart garbage and glow in the dark bbs, you can keep all your kits on the quarter sized bullseye of a sticky target at about 30'. Practicing like that while working in a city made my shooting with the real thing on the weekdend get a lot better years ago. It's like a dry fire drill with actual feedback on your hits.

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Airsoft would be more fun yes, but the air rifle serves more practical applications than the airsoft apart from killing snow days in the living room biggrin.png.

Yeah I am pretty cheap sometimes

 

Yes, if a pellet rifle. I don't think the present red ryders do, I've seen them be unable to reliably break the skin of apples.

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Airsoft would be more fun yes, but the air rifle serves more practical applications than the airsoft apart from killing snow days in the living room biggrin.png.

Yeah I am pretty cheap sometimes

 

Yes, if a pellet rifle. I don't think the present red ryders do, I've seen them be unable to reliably break the skin of apples.

 

Yeah pretty much most wont penetrate a card board box, which is exactly what makes them useful for what they are intended, toys.

No shame in that at all.

 

The air rifle on the other hand has good practical use for small varmints and stuff without making noise, but you need a good sized box and better stuff it well with rags.

I gots lots of old flooded out rags that used to be good clothes lol

 

I know people think this is trivial but when you are facing a winter where there will be days and even weeks where going outside is akin to entering a death match with nature well... one needs useful indoor distractions as keeping that sat antenna working in a blizzard is just not happening and the power is likely out anyway...

Edited by Rhodes1968
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I know people think this is trivial but when you are facing a winter where there will be days and even weeks where going outside is akin to entering a death match with nature well... one needs useful indoor distractions as keeping that sat antenna working in a blizzard is just not happening and the power is likely out anyway...

 

Maybe you should buy him a home in Florida. haha.gif

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Earlier this year, Sportsman's Outlet was selling Henry Golden Boy presentation grade .22rifles where you could specify the serial number with anything alphanumeric. I picked up one each for both of my daughters. They have their names and birth dates as the serial numbers. I will present the appropriate rifle to the first born of each when the time comes.

 

Don't know if Henry still has that offer, but it would be pretty cool to have a rifle as a kid that said "this rifle belongs to me" right in the serial number.

 

post-37530-0-52066600-1510806942_thumb.png

Edited by Spacehog
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