It will soon be time for my sons first gun help out

[Saltwater60]

well my done is getting older and more responsible so I will be getting him a gun in a few months. He really likes the AR look and the sporting riffle look. I'd like to get him a .22 so this poses a problem. I looked and it seems quite hard to make these NYS complaint or there's not a lot of them out there. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks guys.
He shot me .223 this weekend and did great except it hurt his shoulder a bit. He was fine for a while and also the .223 will hurt my wallet so .22 is a good place to start for sure.

 

[Doc8404]

Wonder if @Bullet Guy has a lead on something

 

[Jem45472]

SMITH & WESSON M&P15-22 22LR NEW YORK STATE SAFE ACT LEGAL FEATURELESS RIFLE

 

[kev74]

S

SMITH & WESSON M&P15-22 22LR NEW YORK STATE SAFE ACT LEGAL FEATURELESS RIFLE

I was thinking the same thing, but with a Thordsen.

 

[redtail]

We were taught gun safety and basic principals in the BSA with bolt action .22 s before the world went crazy ; Then move up to levers and then semis imo.

 

[Saltwater60]

We were taught gun safety and basic principals in the BSA with bolt action .22 s before the world went crazy ; Then move up to levers and then semis imo.

Yeah he already shoots that with me and is a good shot. I just want to get him something fun he enjoys.

 

[Saltwater60]

SMITH & WESSON M&P15-22 22LR NEW YORK STATE SAFE ACT LEGAL FEATURELESS RIFLE

I saw that, but he's like all of us and will want the evil features. His eyes lit up when he saw my fixed mag ar this weekend. He loved it.

 

[Catskillkid]

Tell your boy to man up and a get a .50 cal.

Just kidding. I think it's great that you've fostered an interest in firearms with him. I get the cool factor of the AR style .22 but some of my fondest memories growing up was shooting my dad's ancient Savage bolt action .22. Still have that gun and it's a joy to shoot and the slayer or many squirrels and wayward chipmunks. I bet he'd have a fun time with that. I think Ruger makes an American rifle in .22 now.

 

[misunderestimated]

A Bolt action 22 is a SAFE great way to get into shooting.

 

[MoMan]

+1 on the bolt action rifle. It will be a good rifle to teach him gun safety on, and also teach him to take his time with each shot. I understand the "cool factor" of Dad's AR, but I think it is best to have him start slow and easy. He can then work towards getting that rifle as he proves all of the safety and skill sets that go along with our sport.

Just my

 

[Bananabandit]

with 22s, I had more fun with bolts and lever than semi. and if he will ever use it for hunting, bolties are fun for squirrel

 

[Marine Cpl]

You can put this stock on a Ruger American. The rifle is about 300 bucks and the stock is about 400 bucks.

Ruger American .22 LR Bolt-Action Rimfire Rifle | Academy

LSS Chassis System

 

[HighlandLofts]

Along with the semis goes more expended bullets, At the point where he is a bolt action makes for slower shooting and less ammunition used just shooting for the hell of it. I've been taking my six year old grandson out for just over a year now. He can shoot decent for a six year old, he started with a single shot Mossberg rifle. Once he got comfortable shooting I got him on to taking his time, line the sights up on the target and make the first shot count.
Now he can shoot better then some of the guys that I go shooting with.

I suggest a bolt action gun, then go from there. He will always use the bolt action later in life when he slows down some and wants to re-live old memories with Pops.

I did buy both of my grand sons Savage Rascle single-shot 22s for X-Mas this past winter. They are proud as a Peacock of them and both can hit squirrels with them.

 

[Glenn B]

well my done is getting older and more responsible so I will be getting him a gun in a few months...

How old is older and more responsible? In other words, how old is your son?

 

[BlackDragon]

well my done is getting older and more responsible so I will be getting him a gun in a few months. He really likes the AR look and the sporting riffle look. I'd like to get him a .22 so this poses a problem. I looked and it seems quite hard to make these NYS complaint or there's not a lot of them out there. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks guys.
He shot me .223 this weekend and did great except it hurt his shoulder a bit. He was fine for a while and also the .223 will hurt my wallet so .22 is a good place to start for sure.

grabagun has the s&w m&p15-22 for 375, in nj compliant model. Add a spur and you have your gun for 400 and change + fees

 

[Phauxtoe]

10/22 with a single round mag

 

[GOPerfect]

Best of both worlds...

Smith and Wesson M&P22. What a great little gun.

 

[Saltwater60]

How old is older and more responsible? In other words, how old is your son?

My son will be 11. He has shot my bolt action and my older sons semi auto. I stand right next to him and he does fantastic. I know he will be bored with a bolt gun and I want to get him something he will like, use, and enjoy. I do like the mp 22 riffle and I know he will too.

 

[Saltwater60]

grabagun has the s&w m&p15-22 for 375, in nj compliant model. Add a spur and you have your gun for 400 and change + fees

I'll check that out. I did not know they made a complaint version. I looked around and did not find much. Again I looked at NYS compliant.

 

[Marine Cpl]

Why .22 then? Why not something like a Mini 14?

 

[GuyMontag]

I know he will be bored with a bolt gun and I want to get him something he will like, use, and enjoy.

Get him something he's going to love to shoot, I'd 2nd the Mini 14.

To each his own, but in my experience the appeal of a semi wears off quickly once you learn that bolt guns rule.

 

[Marine Cpl]

Get him something he's going to love to shoot, I'd 2nd the Mini 14.

To each his own, but in my experience the appeal of a semi wears off quickly once you learn that bolt guns rule.

I'll go on even further to say that the appeal of a .22 wears off even faster.

 

[BlackDragon]

I'll check that out. I did not know they made a complaint version. I looked around and did not find much. Again I looked at NYS compliant.

It is NJ compliant, not NY compliant. But you fix that with the spur grip, and all is well

 

[Glenn B]

My son will be 11. He has shot my bolt action and my older sons semi auto. I stand right next to him and he does fantastic. I know he will be bored with a bolt gun and I want to get him something he will like, use, and enjoy. I do like the mp 22 riffle and I know he will too.

With all due respect, I have to say, I think you are going about this in the wrong way. A bolt gun, I think, is your best first choice for him for his first gun. Tell him it is going to be HIS gun and that how he does with it will determine if he is going to get something better or more wanted later - once he proves himself with HIS OWN gun (so to speak but we all know it will actually be your gun and he will be supervised by your or another responsible adult at all times when he has access to it).

I let my son shoot several guns before he got his first one as a gift from me (I still have it but in all regards it may as well be his and whenever he asks for it I will give it to him). That was a bolt action repeater fed by a box magazine. He got it when he was 9 or 10. The thing about that gun is, as opposed to an AR or a Mini 14 or whatever other sized adult gun I could have gotten for him, that one essentially was sized to fit him as it was a youth model. It taught him several things like: proper stance, proper hold, how to be patient when handling it (since it was not a pull, pull, pull, pull, pull......keep pulling the trigger sot of a thing), trigger discipline because it was one shot at a time, breath control, sight alignment and sight picture, and firearms safety with it EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ALREADY shooting semi-autos. Heck, he had been shooting for years before he got that first bolt action 22 and there was not one bit of complaint when we got it. It was also in 22LR and that was another good thing that assured he would not be getting injured or affected by too much recoil. Some think that a 223 has too little recoil to injure their shoulder but they are not 11 and even if it does not injure it can ruin the shooting experience because it can condition one to anticipate recoil. So, I highly recommend as 22 bolt action, single shot, repeater fed from a box magazine as a first gun even if the youngster is somewhat accustomed to shooting a semi-auto for those reasons I mentioned and because of the inherent safety and strength of the design of a bolt gun. I also strongly recommend a youth model.

Would he be bored with something like that - maybe or maybe not. My son was not - HE WAS ECSTATIC to get that gun as his first. His next was a 10/22 but of course he got to shoot some of my bigger bolt action 22s and my semi auto 22s until the that time and sometimes even larger calibers every now and then as he got bigger. Heck, he still gets a chance now and again (even though he is now in AR) to shoot any of my guns he wants to shoot!

I do not believe you can go wrong in giving him a bolt action rifle, youth model, in 22 LR. If that disappoints him, or makes him upset, or bores him to tears and or to the point he does not want it - then, in my opinion, he really is not mature enough for a semi-auto anyway - maybe not even for any type of a gun. If, on the other hand, he likes it, accepts it readily, wants to go shooting with HIS OWN GUN (maybe even more than with your guns) then you know you have him aimed in the right direction. Don't make the mistake of transferring your feelings onto him; in other words you think he will be bored so that must be how he will feel. Instead set him up to like a 22 bolt gun by showing him some, saying how neat they are, telling him something like: 'hey look at this one, it is a youth model made for kids your size and age' and 'boy that sure is a really nice rifle, isn't it' kind of things. Then see what happens. My bet is that if you don't jinx it, he will go for it and be better off for learning with one of those even though he has some experience with a semi-auto already.

 

[Glenn B]

I'll go on even further to say that the appeal of a .22 wears off even faster.

I am 61, soon to be 62. I have shot calibers from 22 short all the way up to the 50 BMG. I own and or have owned guns chambered for 22 Short, 22 Long, 22 LR, 22 WMR, 25 Auto, 32 Auto, 9mm, 38 SPL, 357 Magnum, 40 S&W, 44 REM MAG, 45 ACP, 223, 5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm, 7.62x54R, 8mm Mauser, 30-30 WIN, 308 WIN, 35 REM, 20 gauge and 12 gauge. I am the owner of yet one more, in another caliber, as of today - a rifle in 45-70 government. There were probably some others in the mix that I have forgotten over the years. Yet, I still have not lost my love for shooting firearms chambered in 22LR (or short or long or WMR), 22 rimfire is among my favorite off all calibers and 22 bolt guns some of my favorites to shoot. The appeal of shooting 22 rimfire has never diminished in my life time, at least not for me and so far not for my son either and he is in his late 20s.

 

[GuyMontag]

Saltwater, buy your boy an Anschutz and you're Dad of Year, you'd have my vote!


Bolt guns rule

 

[Shadow2]

CZ452 Scout Bolt Action 22LR ...

 

[Marine Cpl]

You are an old man and not a kid who wants a call of duty type gun. It was a different time. Back then there was no such thing as tacticool.

 

[nortatoga]

JFYI Appleseed has temporarily banned the S&W MP 15-22 for safe issues! Do some research on it!

The most popular rifle on the line at Appleseed shoots is the Ruger 10/22! And now available with the modular stock like the Ruger American Rimfire ( which would be a good choice for a bolt action, I have one a few years now ) which he could grow with not grow out of !

As far as a centerfire rifle there is plenty of time for that. It's all about trigger time !

Check out Rimfire Central Forum great resource for anything rimfire!!

 

[Glenn B]

You are an old man and not a kid who wants a call of duty type gun. It was a different time. Back then there was no such thing as tacticool.

I did not discuss which guns I liked when I was young but which one I bought for my son as his first. That was not so long ago that tactifool guns were not out there then. Yet somehow, a bolt action rifle, plain and simple, was good enough in his eyes. As I said, it is one of the best and safest as a first gun, in my opinion. The OP asked what we thought and I told him what I thought based on my experience. Sometimes we old men have a bit more experience and sensible suggestions than you young whipper snappers care to admit.

You need to remember, the OP is not looking to buy his son some cool toy with which he can play but his first firearm. In such a case sticking to the basics is usually the best choice beccause it leaves the coolness factor where it belongs - out of the equation.