15-22 For Daughter

[kbak67]

my girl's

Kennedy started shooting her 15/22 at 8 years old, and we almost always range shoot off the bench with the bipod.
started at 10 yards and now she shoots regularly at 50 yards with her 15/22
I bet your daughter would love it, depending on her interest and attitudes. We started with the short mags.
(proud dad showoff)

 

[yugowego]

Actually my daughter started out with a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun when she was 4... Couple months ago her and i were in the local LGS (waiting on her mother as usual) window shopping... After about 15min looking around she actually pointed the lil pink Crickett out and talked the LGS owner down $25 lol (think she did it with the eyes)... I deal there alot and he gave it to her for $80 otd... I need to take her more often

 

[Majorlk]

Kennedy started shooting her 15/22 at 8 years old, and we almost always range shoot off the bench with the bipod.
started at 10 yards and now she shoots regularly at 50 yards with her 15/22
I bet your daughter would love it, depending on her interest and attitudes. We started with the short mags.
(proud dad showoff)

Pretty much the same thing with my grandson of the same age. He likes the short magazines, too.

 

[hkyplr]

I agree with Majorlk, the teacher is a lot more important than the firearm if we are talking about a rifle the student can handle safely. I got a Rossi .22/.410 single shot last year on Black Friday for my son when he is mature enough to start learning firearm safety. Having said that, I could always chamber a single round in the 15-22 for him to learn on also.

 

[Kayback]

well said. wasn't trying to be argumentative, I see my post could have come off as a bit forceful and harsh. I have no dog in the fight, I just hope whatever the OP's daughter gets she loves it!

Yeah, what he said, but from a different point of view.

KBK

 

[Capn Jack]

I think what a lot of people mean, but haven't put into words is:
Aside from basic safety....
The new shooter should be taught to Make the first shot count.

Jack...

 

[BWX]

I am another that feels that how the fundamentals are taught is far more important than what they are taught on. That being said, my kids have had bolt action and semi auto rifles to shoot since they started shooting with no real preference either way.

Bought my son a 15-22 for his 7th birthday and for him it is a perfect match. Under supervision, he does all the cleaning, mag loading (all but the last 4 rounds or so), etc. and has taken a lot of pride in his first rifle.

Another proud dad picture:

 

[Majorlk]

It's so good to see parents introducing their children to firearms and the shooting sports. Great birthday present, BWX!

 

[yugowego]

I'm glad to see the eye and ear protection on the lil ones... All too often I/we see the lack of these two simple items... As I tell my kids, it only takes one time to make a lasting reminder... Big thumbs up to kbak67 & BWX!

 

[bbeforec]

I'm thinking of getting a 15-22 for myself. I'm hoping with the adjustable stock my daughter can shoot it. She is 7 and I'm hoping let her try out a 15-22 that would be mine. If she takes to it I'm eyeing a Talo pink camo for her for christmas. It would seem like a good first rifle since with the adjustable stock it can grow with her. What do you guys think?

My grandsons love mine. Ages 10, 11 and 13. They keep me busy loading the extra magazine. The only thing I would do different is get one with a threaded barrel.

 

[RainbowBob]

S&W 15-22

Thanks for the responses guys. Looked at the 15-22 at Dick's its about as small as cricket collapsed. Its was the model with the flash suppressor. $499. It seems a bit high what do you think?

I just bought one (also w/flash suppressor) a couple weeks ago for $519. My plan is to start my 8-year-old grandson on it. He has handled it, but not fired it yet - and loves it. So do I!

Although I've read these are ready to go "out of the box" - mine required an adjustment of the front sight, because I was still shooting low groups with the rear sight as high as it would go. They don't cover that in the little owner's guide. Once I had that adjusted (down) I was able to tune in the rear sight and eat a quarter sized hole out of the center out of a sighting target at 10 yards (using a bench rest at first - and then free standing).

Now that it's sighted, it is a fun and accurate little firearm. I think it will be the perfect starter for my grandson.

As a further note that may be of interest: I discovered he can't close his left eyelid. I bought him a "pirate patch" for that eye, and we'll start out with that and see how it goes.

 

[Majorlk]

Although I've read these are ready to go "out of the box" - mine required an adjustment of the front sight, because I was still shooting low groups with the rear sight as high as it would go. They don't cover that in the little owner's guide. Once I had that adjusted (down) I was able to tune in the rear sight and eat a quarter sized hole out of the center out of a sighting target at 10 yards (using a bench rest at first - and then free standing).

I've never bought a firearm yet that had the sights zeroed. If one comes out of the box with the sights zeroed it's pure coincidence.

 

[Cpo1944]

My Granddaughter likes it in basic black.

and she even enjoys loading her own mags!

I'm thinking of getting a 15-22 for myself. I'm hoping with the adjustable stock my daughter can shoot it. She is 7 and I'm hoping let her try out a 15-22 that would be mine. If she takes to it I'm eyeing a Talo pink camo for her for christmas. It would seem like a good first rifle since with the adjustable stock it can grow with her. What do you guys think?

 

[scottr]

Personally having never shot one but handled one a few times, even as an adult I think the Cricket is an accident waiting to happen (or be taught). What adult rifle has the shooter pull back on a cocking knob to enable the rifle to fire? None that I know of. Why do people insist on buying these things for children? A friend bought his boy a similar rifle (Henry maybe?) and was amazed at how little the boy wanted to shoot it. Turns out the experience just turned him off; but any other firearm he was very happy to shoot. And how do you safely NOT shoot once you have cocked the gun? Can you unload them while cocked? I haven't seen one yet with a decocker, so is a 5, 6, 7 year old supposed to be able to decock it safely?

The smallest youth sized single shot Marlin or CZ bolt is, to me, a much better .22 to start them on. But it isn't as 'cute' as a Cricket, or as cheap.

Anyway, I bought our 6 month old a M&P15-22 TALO. I have a pink Hogue grip, and I will add the pink ERGO grip and rail covers. Still need to order one of the BAD-*** 15-22 ambi safeties with pink levers. If she doesn't like pink? Krylon, baby.

And yes, the 15-22 used to be cheaper, more like $400 when they came out. But our beloved leader has spent almost 4 trillion imaginary dollars since then, and that makes everything cost more.

ETA: excuse me, Battle Arms Development Ambidextrous Safety Selector

 

[Majorlk]

And yes, the 15-22 used to be cheaper, more like $400 when they came out. But our beloved leader has spent almost 4 trillion imaginary dollars since then, and that makes everything cost more.
Selector

It's still $400 here, and has been for a couple of years. I just paid $389 for one for my grandson two weeks ago. My LGS has plenty of them.

 

[Unkster]

Very good advice.

Started my daughter off with a Ruger 10/22 and moved up the ladder gradually. let her learn the proper rifle techniques and then move her up. Little girls and "black" rifles tend to make other people nervous especially when it's her first time out...the way of the world today....

 

[scottr]

It's still $400 here, and has been for a couple of years. I just paid $389 for one for my grandson two weeks ago. My LGS has plenty of them.

Cool. Great price. Must be a local thing then, or maybe your LGS bought a ton of them when they were cheap on SHOT show pricing. But all the black and tan MOE and pink TALOs went from about $450 to $500 this year. I haven't seen a standard collapsible stock, threaded barrel A1 FH model in quite a while. I guess we're all too tacticool and/or girlie up here for the standard models.

BTW, my wife HATES the 'shrink it and pink it' marketing for women, but she let me buy the pink TALO for our daughter. Good enough for me.

 

[Majorlk]

Considering that they are the largest Ruger dealer in the US and the largest S&W dealer in New England, maybe they get preferential treatment on shipments and prices. Who cares, I like the good prices every day of the week.

 

[n4aof]

Honestly, what part of trigger control, sight picture and basic shooting techniques can't be taught on a semi auto?

You said what I was thinking as I scrolled through the responses from the little toy bolt action for a little girl crowd.


My daughter and my three grand-daughters didn't start as young as this - but when each showed an interest in firearms they each started with whatever my wife and I had at the range at the time -- which meant that two started with a 1911 firing 230gr JHPs and the other two started with a Taurus 85UL with regular .38 loads (not the Corbon +P's that are EDC for that gun, but not wimpy WC or SWC target loads either). NONE of them found the recoil or muzzle blast excessive - they saw that we didn't have any problems and no one told them that a .45ACP or .38 snubbie was "too much gun for a girl" -- we made sure they had a good grip, good stance, and applied proper techniques, they each found that shooting was fun.

My daughter's gun of choice is a Mossberg 590 although she'll shoot any of the other guns in .45, .40, .38, 9mm, or .380 any time she can get to the range with us; my oldest grand daughter (21 this year) has appropriated my Taurus 85UL to go with her brand new CCDW; the youngest grand daughter (a high school freshman) also likes the Taurus 85, but is in love with our S&W M&P 15-22.

At 7 years old, a .22LR makes perfect sense, but threre is no need for it to be a "child's gun" if the child is big enough to handle an AR with the stock collapsed.

 

[baccusboy]

Personally, I like the idea of something like a Cricket for a first gun. Kids like to pull triggers. They'll shoot as fast as they can before they think enough about trigger control, aim, etc.. This can build bad habits.

A year or two later, get them something like a 10/22. Nothing wrong with that, by that time.