Want to get my 12 year old into shooting - What Ruger rifle should I purchase?

[AJLomb]

Hi everyone,

So I'm fairly new to personal gun ownership (I got my pistols 6 months ago, but have been shooting since I was younger). I have a 12 year old that is 6' tall (that is not a typo) and he has been asking me about learning to shoot. I also have never owned a rifle and am looking to get my feet wet into what is what, and what is available.

So I guess you can say this will be something my son and I will both be discovering :)

What would one suggest for a rifle for 13 year old (he turns 13 in October and this would be his birthday present)

I Appreciate any advice you can give me!

 

[hittman]

10/22
Marlin 60
Remington Nylon 66

 

[typ240]

^^^^^^

10/22 sounds about right, your 12yo will go through 1k rounds in 15 minutes - good luck :D

 

[PRichardson87]

Ruger 10/22 all day long. Easy to get used to and the recoil obviously isn't intimidating. Forever gun that he can pass on down the road.

 

[mjh]

Find a used Marlin bolt action rifle. Learn to shoot first.

Second would be a Henry lever action. Kind of classic, even if not exactly like the old lever action rifles.

Last would be a 10/22, he'll burn through a lot of ammo but but will he really learn marksmanship?

Of course Appleseed and a 10/22 would be a good combination.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Ruger American Rimfire or a 77/22(much nicer) if you can find one. The 10/22 is a great rifle but I found teaching my kids the fundamental basics that a bolt or single shot rifle was best. Teach him the basics first, then let him shoot targets like clay pigeons to keep him interested. Shooting little holes in paper entertains us old guys but kids seem to get bored easily while doing that. As long as you have a proper backstop cans, dueling trees and those molded targets that bounce around will hold their interest for hours on end.

 

[RC44Mag]

.22 bolt action as mjh said

 

[GunnyGene]

I was a couple years younger than your son, a while back (68 years ago!) when I learned how to shoot a rifle. It was a single shot .22 bolt action - don't remember the make or model. And I was taught by a Marine who was also a NRA instructor. Earned these over a period of several months, which was great incentive to learn good marksmanship, self discipline, and safety. If you can provide this kind of training and incentive for him, it will go a long way throughout his life.

 

[Uncle Howie]

Find a used Marlin bolt action rifle. Learn to shoot first.

Second would be a Henry lever action. Kind of classic, even if not exactly like the old lever action rifles.

Last would be a 10/22, he'll burn through a lot of ammo but but will he really learn marksmanship?

Of course Appleseed and a 10/22 would be a good combination.

+1

Lots of used Marlin bolt-actions out there, which would make GREAT trainers!

Prices are creeping up, but the occasional bargain still crops up.

I just saw a REALLY nice, “adult-sized” Marlin bolt action at our youth Firearms Safety field day last weekend. It had a full sized stock, great “heft,” and didn’t feel at ALL like the “kid’s rifle” that some of the entry level rifles do…

It belonged to one of the other instructors. Might have been a Model 80, or 81? I’ll try to find out what it was.

This example had a removable magazine, but IIRC, the other instructor said that the same basic rifle also came with a tube magazine.

It had a ”Marlin 1870-1970” emblem in the buttstock, so it may have dated back to that era.

I’ll see if I can find out what model it was.

 

[bigbillyboy]

A Ruger American is a good pick .

 

[RSIno1]

Find a used Marlin bolt action rifle. Learn to shoot first.

Last would be a 10/22, he'll burn through a lot of ammo but but will he really learn marksmanship?

Of course Appleseed and a 10/22 would be a good combination.

Have him use the Ruger 1 round at a time. Get half dozen mags and have him put 1 round per mag. He'll learn those take your time skills that way. Also make him buy his own ammo after X number of rounds per trip - he won't go through it as fast if he's got to mow the lawn for those next 50 shots..

 

[krw]

I know you asked for a Ruger choice. How bout CZ452? Great rifles. I have couple. Now I cut my teeth on a 1971 model 10-22 w Weaver 22 4x scope. I hav shot a 100 gazillion shells through it. Lots of days 500 plus. Wasted lots of ammo but Hey, thats what 22’s are for

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

I have nothing to do with the following auctions , just showing them to you as possibilities

CZ 452 American like this one
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1005914288
and then get this to go with it
Cz Magazine 452-455-457 .22lr - Single Shot Adapter

or maybe this one
Anshutz Single Shot 22LR
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/990643004
NICE REMINGTON MODEL 514 SINGLE SHOT
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1005296422

 

[Hvymax]

Hi everyone,

So I'm fairly new to personal gun ownership (I got my pistols 6 months ago, but have been shooting since I was younger). I have a 12 year old that is 6' tall (that is not a typo) and he has been asking me about learning to shoot. I also have never owned a rifle and am looking to get my feet wet into what is what, and what is available.

So I guess you can say this will be something my son and I will both be discovering :)

What would one suggest for a rifle for 13 year old (he turns 13 in October and this would be his birthday present)

I Appreciate any advice you can give me!

AR556 to make up for your years of neglect. A Barrett would be even better. Sign him up for basic safety and Hunter Safety classes. Then maybe take a few practical shooting courses and maybe even try a few matches.

 

[Mobuck]

10-22 is nice BUT it's more difficult to keep the new shooter paying attention to form and consistency with a semi-auto. Ruger American rimfire would be my pick.
It may/will be more difficult to get him started since you possibly have only limited experience. Go slow and don't teach him bad habits that he'll have to break and relearn the right way later.

 

[GunnyGene]

To add to my last, I would advise against a scope. I'd recomment standard iron sights or peep sights. A decent scope will add a couple hundred to the cost, and requires a completely different approach. You should start him out on close range - 25yds or less - to build confidence and teach proper technique in prone, sitting, kneeling, and offhand. Trigger control, controlled breathing, and other factors are important to accuracy and precision. Approach it as you would for other skills, such as learning to play a musical instrument. Shooting ain't just about making noise.

 

[seasterl]

No shotgun? I was hunting with 12ga and 16ga (bolt-action and pump) for rabbit and squirrel at that age.

For rifle, I think it depends on what it’ll be used for. While one could build the case for a 30-30 lever action or Ruger No. 1 centerfire, if it’s just for plinking and for him to eventually hand down to his kid, then I’d suggest making it a quality rimfire firearm. My first rifle was a Savage .22LR bolt-action, but I bought my daughter a Marlin Golden 39A years ago. I like the idea of a quality .22LR with iron sight in bolt-action or single-shot or even a nice Henry lever action.

 

[Hvymax]

A single shot is good for the first few shots but interest will dwindle fast. A bolt action is good for settling in and developing good fundamentals like breathing and feeling your heart beat so you can break the shot in between etc. Golf balls on the 100yd berm are a great motivator. A target barrel 10-22 or A22 can give precision and suppressive fire. A 12ga slug/shot combo pump would be a great Christmas present.

 

[WendyZXZ]

I am also in agreement about the 10/22 great little rifle and a lot of fun!

 

[Rumrunner]

Ruger American Compact. Can lengthen stock if or when needed. Plenty accurate and can still use 10, 15, and 25 round magazines.

!0/22 second choice or better yet, 2nd rifle. Definitely can burn up some ammo.

 

[Threespears]

My opinion a bolt action rifle. They are accurate. And teach all the basics!
a semi automatic is fun however learning how to hit with the first shot is the most imp thing.

 

[Threespears]

My opinion a bolt action rifle. They are accurate. And teach all the basics!
a semi automatic is fun however learning how to hit with the first shot is the most imp thing.

important …DAMN AUTOCORRECT

 

[gunzo]

I'll vote for the American as well. Teaches the fundamentals of feeding /extracting ammo manually & will save a good bit of ammo over an auto, particularly in the hands of a teen.
I would opt for one with iron sights, and learn & understand them. If a scope is desired, add one later. This way both shooters can learn 2 ways of shooting a rifle.

Be safe, enjoy & value the time spent together. And one more thing, paper targets needed to get sighted in & learning how to aim & hit where you want, but don't forget reactive targets like tin cans, clay birds, etc. That's when the fun begins.

 

[s4s4u]

I bought a 10/22 when my daughter expressed interest in shooting. Works great, still have it. I think we paid $129 @ wally, long time ago

 

[sharpblade7777]

Maybe one of these.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

My (10YO) son's first rifle was a used $75.00 10-22 and grandson's (8YO) was a Henry youth model. Both worked great.
Grandson won VA SASS Buckaroo Championship with a my Marlin 357 Carbine with a cut down stock at 8YO.
Burning thru 22s with a simi is hogwash. Have them buy the 22s or just tell them don't do that.
At a shoot with the Marlin

With a 12 ga.

 

[KIR]

Marksmanship is foremost important, so either a bolt action or a lever to get a kid to slow down and think about what they are doing. It seems to me, I started with a Springfield Model 10 or 15? .22 that one had to load each round, one at a time, before each shot. Then pull back on some sort of bolt that locked into place, then aim/fire.

 

[Hvymax]

My opinion a bolt action rifle. They are accurate. And teach all the basics!
a semi automatic is fun however learning how to hit with the first shot is the most imp thing.

A bolt action can't do anything a properly set up Semi can't do faster. You want to see happy kids hook them up with semi's and a dueling tree!!! Once they are safe and proficient of course.

 

[G2]

1972 my dad gifted me a Winchester 62A pump. (12th birthday) They were produced thru 1958, and we would see them frequently in the gun shops, now they have turned highly collectible with nice examples bringing 1k+. I still have that gun today along with 6 others in various variants, configurations.

I also have 10 - Ruger 10/22’s, from early guns (1960’s) thru to current offerings.

It‘s ALWAYS interesting that when I take young men out they like shooting both the Winchester’s & Ruger’s,,, but the ALWAYS migrate to the pump Winchesters.

The Winchester holds ~15lr. The Ruger 10/22 10lr to 25 in the BX magazine.

They are both very similar in accuracy, however the slower more thoughtful process of the Winchester, the shooters shoot better targets than the semi-auto.

They do burn thru the ammo quicker in the Ruger and get tired of reloading, the reason the Winchester‘s are the last guns still being shot on the firing line.

Rossi makes a copy of the Winchester ~$330, it’s ok but not the quality of the Winchester last made in 1958. Older Rossi’s IMO were better in quality and you see them pop up from time to time.

A good decent Shooter Winchester can be had ~$600 +/-.

FWIW; My most favorite Winchester pump 22 is a 1890 22 short octagon barrel that hung out in my neighbors grainery, it is well used, ~10% original finish, 90+% brown rust patina.
The neighbor would let me shoot it around the farm yard growing up. (1970-1980’s)
In 2020 I stoped by the family home to visit after hearing of his passing. The Grainery and corrals were all gone to build apartments. Sharring the story of how “Hailey” would let me shoot that 22, next thing I knew they brought out the gun. WOW what a o’l friend,,, gently asked if I could purchase it. Was told NO! and then told me to take it, they knew I would really appreciate it.
A Model 1890, made in 1904.

 

[JBP]

Broke my granddaughter in on a old Marlin single shot then moved her up to my 10/22T and 10/22M. Taught her to use a bolt action on my Marlin 17HMR.