Ruger 10-22 for Christmas

[THE PILGRIM]

I want to get my 10 YO Grandson a 10-22 for Christmas.
When I look at the various models, it's a little confusing.
So which 10-22 should I get him?

 

[CajunBass]

If he's big enough to handle it, there is nothing at all wrong with the standard 10/22.

If he's a little smaller, the youth model will be fine. You can find a full sized stock later if you want to.

 

[canoeguy]

I have a few 10 22's I enjoy shooting, a Deluxe Sporter with walnut stock, a take down stainless and a stainless carbine. The one I shoot the most is the stainless carbine:

Stainless steel for trouble free maintenance, fiber stock that won't get dinged up, comes with sling swivel studs for easy sling install. Has good iron sights to start learning to shoot with, and you can easily install a scope later if you want to.

Not too expensive either, a standard wood stock carbine is around $229, the stainless carbine can be had for $279.

I carry mine on my side by side ATV while moving around my property, and while hiking. I like it a lot....

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

Any of the 10/22 models would do and it would make a great Christmas gift for a 10 year old. Just to let you know some of the big name stores like Cabela's, Academy, and Bass Pro always put deals on 10/22 rifles the week of Thanksgiving following Black Friday. I think last year they were under $150.

 

[mauser9]

Just a thought but check out the R/A compact in 22 L.R. Bolt may be a better choice for a beginner. Like mine in 22 magnum and it is very light.

 

[kip595]

i'd consider what you and he (and I'm sure he by himself eventually) will be doing with it, climate in your area, how much of a challenge you want him to have, and so on. Seeing you are also here in the Southwest, a standard blue & hardwood model should be fine, as would most models, although I'd stay away from the heavy target focused stuff for now. If you expect it to see a lot of brush and field use stainless/synthetic might be the way to go, but if you want him to learn the old traditional basics of care, maintenance, and firearms respect I'd go old-school blue steel and wood.

Just my two-cents; any ten year old in the world should have their Christmas made finding a gem like the 10/22 under the tree.

 

[Rpg]

I want to get my 10 YO Grandson a 10-22 for Christmas.
When I look at the various models, it's a little confusing.
So which 10-22 should I get him?

I'm unwilling to start kids with semi autos.

I've started my 9 year old granddaughter with a single shot bolt action Winchester M60 from the '30's.

She loves loves it.

I would no more trust a 10 year old with a semi auto than I would a drunk with any gun. Gun handling includes carrying a gun for hours through the woods, not just shooting at the range.

Sorry for being blunt, but it's important that kids learn safe gun handling.

Posting videos of kids shooting handguns or semi autos is unconvinvincing.

The videos capture a few moments. Not the routine gun handling of the subject.

I've taught many kids about safe gun handling.

No disrespect to the kids: just a realistic view of their ability to safely handle a gun.

 

[Farmer17]

I like the checkered Walnut stock deluxe sporter. It's about 100 bucks more but also has a lot more pride of ownership than the ugly birch or plastic stock. You can use CCI CB longs in the magazine that don't have enough power to work the bolt, making the gun a slow fire "bolt action" repeater.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

I'm unwilling to start kids with semi autos.

I've started my 9 year old granddaughter with a single shot bolt action Winchester M60 from the '30's.

She loves loves it.

I would no more trust a 10 year old with a semi auto than I would a drunk with any gun. Gun handling includes carrying a gun for hours through the woods, not just shooting at the range.

Sorry for being blunt, but it's important that kids learn safe gun handling.

Posting videos of kids shooting handguns or semi autos is unconvinvincing.

The videos capture a few moments. Not the routine gun handling of the subject.

I've taught many kids about safe gun handling.

No disrespect to the kids: just a realistic view of their ability to safely handle a gun.

I think it really depends on whether there is close supervision by an adult who will instill discipline and respect for firearms.

I started my kids with a bolt action single shot Marlin.

On the other hand, both started with a gas operated 1100 and 1187 20ga shotguns for recoil reduction. Only loaded one shell at a time at the trap club. In the field they loaded more but were under close supervision.

Regardless, instead of a 10-22, I'd suggest something like a Savage Mark II FVT. The F stands for synthetic stock. The V is Varmint (bull) barrel, and the T stands for target model. At some point, upgrade to a wood stock, like a Boyds, and make it a father-son project for final fitting, maybe glass bedding, sanding, finishing and sealing.

This gun is more expensive than a 10-22, but that's due to the receiver and barrel being drilled and tapped for the Williams target sights. The target sight from Williams is $99, the globe front sight is $51, and the front and rear sight bases are just under $21 each. So that's $192 total. These are good quality sights. This is an entry level TARGET rifle, not a plinker, though it certainly can be used for putting holes in soup cans.

Note that there are two versions of this gun. The Mark I FVT is a single shot. The Mark II FVT has a detachable five round box magazine. The Mark II FVT would be more useful down the road, as it can certainly be used for hunting or varminting. And the receiver is drilled and tapped for a scope base. The rear target sight is easily removed and a scope can be attached for hunting trips or practice.

BTW, I have a couple of Savage bolt action 17 HMRs, my son has two as well, plus I'm setting up a Mark II as a suppressor host. Been wanting a target sight model, and am considering either an FVT or retrofitting one of the other bull barrel Mark II's with the Williams sights.

Sorry about the lousy image. You can find the gun on the Savage website in the List Firearms section under Mark II.

 

[eveled]

There are single shot magazines made for the 10/22. I agree not to start a kid off with a semi auto. Even if the kid is very safe, semi autos don't teach accurate shooting imho. Even adults tend to spray and pray.

My kids started with red Ryder BB guns, then a single shot .22, then lever action .22's. It is a lot easier to handle the first lessons with a simple lever action BB gun.

If I were to bring a adult to the range I start them with the little red ryder in the backyard just to make sure they could safely handle it.

If you want a good gun to last him a lifetime consider a Henry youth lever. I bought one for my son, it is smallish, but not kid sized. In fact adults can shoot it easily.

 

[eveled]

Here are a few shot s of the youth Henry compared to the red Ryder's and my 39a Marlin.

 

[Faulkner]

Back to the original question, if you don't mind spending a little more on the 10/22 I recommend the new 10/22 Takedown LITE. I bought one recently and it's very lightweight, very accurate, and one a youngster could grow with.

 

[Collo Rosso]

Don't remember how old he was but my son got a stainless/synthetic stock 10/22 for his birthday. Great rifle and tons of fun. We've shot the snot out of that thing.
If your thinking about a bolt model, everybody I've talked to loves the new Ruger American rimfire rifle. I've seen quite a few around the gun club.
This Christmas Santa better have a 10/22 M1 carbine under the tree for me!

 

[daniel lawecki]

My grandkids learned to shoot 10/22's. They were 6-7 years old and the were well supervised. They even shot my Ruger Hunter Mark III. Today they are great shooters and are now 13 - 14 years old. I see no problem remember one on one at the bench safety is first and foremost. Good luck and Happy shooting.

 

[TNDave]

I was just issued a 10 year old boy. We tried him on several guns and he did best with the 10-22 compact. If you get one of those later you can put a full sized stock on it. The BX trigger is a worthwhile upgrade. I see them now for under $60.

I just put a cheapie BSA rim fire scope on that gun. It is usable. It won't win any prizes for optical clarity though. See how long it lasts I guess.

I do Appleseeds so I see a lot of 10-12 year olds struggle with a full size 10-22. Hard to beat the compact. Pop some sling swivels on there and install a GI sling and you two head out to an Appleseed. It will be a blast.

 

[31FordA]

This Christmas Santa better have a 10/22 M1 carbine under the tree for me!

I know I am getting a 10/22 M-1 Carbine for Christmas. Picked it up last month, but I can't take it out of the box until Christmas. A friend of mine just bought one, had a chance to shoot his last week. Very nice rifle, captures the feel of the M-1. I have several M-1's, the 10/22 will be a little less expensive to shoot. The 15 shot mag that comes with it is also very nice. A good compromise between the original flush fit 10rd mag and the 25 rd banana mags.

 

[BAM-BAM]

I started mine on the CZ 452 youth model...... w/ single shot adapter.....

FWIW........................

...... I was a NRA rifle instructor.... for 4 summers at at "summer camps" and shot on the High School and College rifle teams.......................

 

[gman51]

A Marlin model 60 22lr is inexpensive, accurate, and very dependable. Can be bought at Academy for around $139. You might check out the model with the removable magazine instead of the tube magazine like a model 60 has.
My model 60 was made in the late 70's and still goes bang every time.