Let's talk about youth packages and training

[303Native]

So as I'm building my precision build I'm also looking at getting my kids into it.

What are people putting together for their kids? I've kinda been just waiting for a good sale at sheels/cabela's and was going to go find a savage or Ruger 22 but I'm also seeing stuff from keystone? and start there. But if anyone knows of other packages/ starting points that wont break the bank ( I'm thinking sub $500) i would love to hear it.
Also what's out there for youth precision clubs / organizations? When I Google it I keep coming up with either trap / skeet or air rifle so I'm not having much luck finding much organized stuff, if it's not there that's fine I was just curious if I'm missing something.

 

[LuvDog]

I started my son with a CZ Scout, but he quickly outgrew it.

I got him a 457 Varmint that I put in an XLR Element 3.0. He's had that for years and many growth spurts and will never "outgrow" it.
I wish I would have started there instead of wasting the money on something he quickly outgrew.

Then I built a 6.5CM off of a R700 ADL, that I pulled out of the crappy plastic stock and got a remage barrel. It didn't last long, because feeding from mags was problematic. I didn't feel like putting money in to notching the feed ramp, so it got parted out and sold, and I put an Origin together for him. Again, I wish I would have not wasted money on the R700 and just gone straight to something that he won't "need" to upgrade.

 

[MO Fugga]

CMMG .22 conversion kit for AR15 was one of the best things I ever got for the kids. Throw it on a tripod and train away.

 

[anon]

One of the great things about the proliferation of chassis with adjustable buttstocks and cheekpieces is that many can fit both children and adults with simple and quick adjustments.

 

[mark5pt56]

If a .22, maybe a CZ in a chassis that you can adjust easily with growth. Easy to upgrade with barrels, triggers, etc. Centerfire? I would do the Origin, start with a .223 bolt head and same with the chassis. Down the road, barrel length, weight, caliber, triggers, even the chassis can be changed, modified, etc. All modular with a market for new and used.
I personally would go .22 as the venues for training, recoil, ammunition cost etc are easier on you and the young one. Down they road the loose interest, you are not out but so much and it's a gun you can shoot and keep around if the desire resurfaces.

 

[smcfarland]

Above your price point, but well worth it in my opinion, is to get a quality 22 and chassis that both the kids and you can use. I put a Tikka T1X in a KRG Bravo and a cheap 22 suppressor on the end. Daughter has been able to grow with it, and enjoys shooting in the backyard at 25m when she gets off the bus from school. Great training doing 20 round dot drills to build fundamentals. Even better when her older brothers come home from college/military and she crushes them on the dot drills. Also capable of ringing steel out to 300m. I can change spacers and then use it myself for positional work and wind effects. Probably my favorite rifle in the fleet at this point. More money up front, but a great lasting investment for both you and the kiddos.

 

[303Native]

Above your price point, but well worth it in my opinion, is to get a quality 22 and chassis that both the kids and you can use. I put a Tikka T1X in a KRG Bravo and a cheap 22 suppressor on the end. Daughter has been able to grow with it, and enjoys shooting in the backyard at 25m when she gets off the bus from school. Great training doing 20 round dot drills to build fundamentals. Even better when her older brothers come home from college/military and she crushes them on the dot drills. Also capable of ringing steel out to 300m. I can change spacers and then use it myself for positional work and wind effects. Probably my favorite rifle in the fleet at this point. More money up front, but a great lasting investment for both you and the kiddos.

I've really been looking at a build like this. Honestly my problem is I'm not sure if she will stick with it yet, so I will probably put her in something cheap like a ruger, or keystone. If she sticks with it more then a year I can hand down whatever she is shooting to her brother and build her something to really get serious with.
Most of the replies have been exactly what I was looking at. But with my new build this year and theirs.........I really want to just keep it cheap until I see if they stick to it.

 

[hlee]

If you buy her a cheap gun and she doesn’t stick with it, you’ll have a cheap gun. But, if you buy a nice gun and she doesn’t stick with it, you’ll still have a nice gun. And, nice guns make shooting more enjoyable. They’re also more likely to be more precise, and hitting your target is better than not. The irony of pretty much every skilled persuit is that really good tools disproportionately benefit noobs.

My vote is a Kidd Supergrade…

 

[jbuck88]

I've really been looking at a build like this. Honestly my problem is I'm not sure if she will stick with it yet, so I will probably put her in something cheap like a ruger, or keystone. If she sticks with it more then a year I can hand down whatever she is shooting to her brother and build her something to really get serious with.
Most of the replies have been exactly what I was looking at. But with my new build this year and theirs.........I really want to just keep it cheap until I see if they stick to it.

I know there are a lot of options and lots of opinions, but for my kids and their friends the ruger precision rimfire is a great option. It's a good enough option to feel like they are shooting real guns and accurate enough to reward them. I have a bunch of the youth 22lr out there (cz scout, keystone, ruger 10/22, and others) and the ruger precision rimfire is the top choice.

 

[6.5SH]

If it wasn't for the fact the barrels are such a crapshoot the Ruger Precision Rimfire has a lot going for it as a kid's rifle given the out of the box adjustability.

 

[GTOJOSH]

(As a precursor- none of the kids I taught had a keystone, so I have no knowledge on thise)
+1 for the rpr overall for double digit aged kids as stated above.
I was a 4h shooting sports instructor for years, and depending on the kids size, there are some great choices nowdays.

For a small kid- I don't recommend the cricket- the pull the bolt back feature is just poor shooting mechanics- a much better early shooter is the savage rascal (think preschool kids).

It's hard to beat the classic 10/22 for- well everything. Learning to load, positional shooting, function, etc. For an all around gun. Everyone should have 1 or more.

A more accurate and "deliberate" version of the 10/22 is the rpr. There are some bad ones (all built around covid time from what I saw) but the majority are great shooters.

For the serious kid who catches the fever we get that Will always keep them poor- there is the tikka, kidd, cz.
And, if you secretly hope they won't stay in it (and you'll end up with a fun plinkster and want to blow a little of their college money), the christensen arms ranger, the vudoo, and rimx. ( all of which will be limited more by the cartridge, and especially the shooter than anything else).

If you need ideas for doing fun kids games/ etc once they've gotten settled with safety and start hitting things, let me know.

 

[buckleboy]

For a small kid- I don't recommend the cricket- the pull the bolt back feature is just poor shooting mechanics- a much better early shooter is the savage rascal (think preschool kids).

This. I got the Savage Rascal for my boy and appreciated it for the more realistic bolt, and the fact that it is single fed. He did not shoot it as much as I would like, but we still enjoyed it.
Once I receive my RimX, I’ll probably say the Bergara in an MDT TIMBR is “his” rifle to shoot.
We plink in the backyard for fun.

 

[hlee]

This. I got the Savage Rascal for my boy and appreciated it for the more realistic bolt, and the fact that it is single fed. He did not shoot it as much as I would like, but we still enjoyed it.
Once I receive my RimX, I’ll probably say the Bergara in an MDT TIMBR is “his” rifle to shoot.
We plink in the backyard for fun.

The only thing I didn’t/don’t like about the rascal is that the extractor is savage reliable.

 

[GTOJOSH]

Yep- prepares kids for the future in more ways than one as someone who also owns another savage.