My nephews are 9 and 7 years old. They love to go out shooting with my bro and I, both 52's. What would you guys suggest to get them started? The 52's are way to big and my benjamin is too tough for them to pump.
Some had better triggers than others, so you might want to ask or search on these. Easy cocking and nice for indoor use, as well. And they won't outgrow them.
Re: diana has a nice youth rifle called a schutze.
January 28 2009, 3:19 PM
They might be able to handle the 34. If you want to put the money into it, a nice muzzle break and a JM kit should do it good (and decrease the cocking effort).
Was just shooting a few in the Milbro G46 (essentially, the same gun) after my smaller Haenel I and a Slavia 624. The 27-based Milbro is a good bit heavier, not to mention longer. Even though the cocking effort is light, the length of pull may be a problem at that age.
A 25 would be ideal. That has the adjustable trigger?
618, 622 or 624. I have a nice little 624 - very light, easy as pie to cock, decent iron sights/trigger and great workmanship. No provision for scope, but it's a close range dandy, ideal for rolling cans. They can also shoot a decent group. Ones in nice condition go for well under a hundred dollars. The boys can have fun with them, then pass them along to the next generation. (Or, in my case, generations far, far removed.)
One of the best springers you can get, one that is a pleasure to shoot is the Baikal Model 61. A great gun to shoot outdoors at 10 meters or indoors. He is easy cocking, light weight, has a great adjustable trigger, and is very accurate.
I saw where Beeman is going to start importing the HW 30. I have one of these Vintage, sold to me by my freind MZ also a great tuner. He sold it to me for my 8 year. This is a perfect gun for young shooters and will hold it's value for ever.
Hi Matt. When I was a little boy (A long time ago) My Dad bought me a Crosman 760 "pumper". They still make em,,,,bout $28 I think?? Did I say that out loud?? Tim.
-->[b]Matt[/b], for younger one (7) try to find P(Ï) version of old baikal IZH 38 (ÈÆ-38Ï).
It is very light (due to hollow plastic - yet quite durable - stock), easy to cock and "heavy on barrel" (good thing for "fresh" shooter).
Try to avoid older version (IZH 22/ÈÆ-22) - some of them have smaller caliber (4.4mm) and brass liner inside barrel.
New versions - MR512(MP512) and its "magnum" variant MR512M(MP512M) are also not good idea (better finish but much worse materials, heavy and hard to cock).
don't forget guys, he has to buy two of everything
February 3 2009, 7:15 AM
and i think that buying a too large gun that they can "grow into" is not really a great idea. heck, i shot a benjamin 317 till i was 20 years old. i did not know it was too small. they will have a lot of fun with a gun that fits now. i stil think the diana schutze is a good gun for these guys. and its available now and will be easy to service. he can buy two of them for the same price as an R7 or HW50. the 30 is a little less but two of them would still be a chunk of dough.
Larry, I agree with you. However the Baikal is really inexpensive for such a great trainer, and a paper shooter. Read what Gaylord had to say about this gun for a beginner.As an adult I love pulling this gun out and shooting at paper in the house. Besides you can even find them used for about $80.00. Really a very underrated gun that will last a life time.JMO
Dave
QB22 or QB78 from MAC-1 with the Bulk Fill Adapter and Extention Tube
Great rifles, all metal, easy to cock, and really accurate.
Chris
When my kids were your kids age, we used Daisy 953s whose stocks they spraypainted themselves, but I pump and cock the rifles.
They both really really prefer'd my Crosman 160, of which the QB78 and QB22 are modern copies of.
If I were to do it again, I'd go the QB22/78 route. (or if you could find it at a flea market or pawn shop, a Crosman 180 which is a slightly smaller version of the same rifle, but which was stopped being produced decades ago)
First question I always ask is...how big are they?
Specific measurement is their measured Length of Pull.
Now this is only a STARTING point to fitting a rifle for them, but it gets you in the ball park.
What this exposes are that most rifles are size for adults, not kids.
The shortest rifle that I have been able to find at stores has a 12 inch LoP. Even my IZH-60 will only go down to 12".
To get shorter, you need to get a WOOD stock rifle, and cut the stock to the correct LoP. I say wood because it is a lot easier to shorten a wood stock than a plastic stock.
i think all that equipment is fiddley. i think self contained is better. you pick it up and shoot it. don't have to worry about do we have enough co2. its always ready to go on an outing with no trips to the store for co2 or for the need to have a bul fill tank around. i would get them springers.
Gary, I will go with the Baikal all day long. With the adjustable trigger pull which is better than any Diana, and the great accuracy and a adjustable stock, what more do you want? A overall length of 33 inches, cocking at a little over 10 lbs, a super accurate barrel, a trigger pull of about 1 and a half inches, As Gaylord posted:
"For my money, the IZH 61 is one of the most value-packed airguns available today."
You saw the link about training kids to shoot and the high recommendations for this gun as a starter gun, that is a great shooter for adults as well. I love this gun. It is really something special. If the child is still to small for this gun, then I suggest a Daisy BB gun to get started with.
At October 17, 2006 1:29 PM, Anonymous HErbert said...
Dear B.B.
I have read several information about the IZH-61, but I couldn't find direct answers for these questions:
A) Is it recoiless?
b) If not, is the recoil too hard?
c) Can a diopter sight replace the rear factory default sight?
d) If yes, what kind of diopter sights can be placed on?
The reason is I want to buy this rifle for my niece, he is 7 years old, and she is skinny, but God! she hits always in the black area of the 33 feet official bullseye! with a 753 Avanti (too large for her)
Would you recommend this IZH-61 for practice?
Please help
At October 17, 2006 2:57 PM, Anonymous B.B. Pelletier said...
HErbert,
A. No it recoils a little. I've seen 7 year-olds handle it fine.
C. It comes with a diopter adaptor for the open sight. That may be all you need.
