Rifle/scope combo for Christmas

[ruger35]

Thinking of buying my daughter (9 yrs old) a 22 for Christmas. Took her out to the range the other day and she really enjoyed it, and I have an application in to join the only local gun club around my area. I'm considering the Ruger Precision or the Tikka T1x, both bolt guns as I already have a 10/22. For non-competition use, which scopes would you guys recommend? Compared to the Ruger, is it worth it to get the Tikka and swap the chassis for better accuracy?

I was thinking of possibly something from the Athlon lineup or maybe one of the MeoPro's as I just bought an Optika 6 from Camerland and they were great to deal with. I like to try my hand and shoot out to 100 yards, but don't have a chrono or anything available to dial, so I usually just try holding. I do plan on getting more into long range shooting in the next year, possibly going take a beginner's 2 day course somewhere. Thanks for all the informative posts you guys have here and every other thread out there!

 

[acudaowner]

merry early Christmas , congrats for being involved with your child , which ever scope you choose I hope it will serve you well . you could always look into the apple seed program https://appleseedinfo.org/
whether they are in your area or not I do not know good luck .

 

[ruger35]

Thanks for the info. Will be checking it out tonight.

 

[littlepod]

Thanks for the info. Will be checking it out tonight.

I love my Tikka, but for a new child the RPR should be fantastic. It also re-uses your 10/22 magazines so it'll be similar for her to load her magazines, etc. And the stock RPR will allow for the customizations to fit the rifle to her, whereas you'd need to buy a separate chassis for the Tikka, making it almost twice the cost.

Finding a used Athlon Ares BTR for $400 would be a great buy.

 

[ruger35]

I started having the same thoughts about the magazines. Seems like the adjustable cheek rest on the RPR would also help as she grows without having to buy a chassis. Thanks for the recon the Athlon scope.

 

[Booner1334]

I purchased an Athlon Argos BTR 10-40x50 scope from MK Machining ( dot com ) a couple of weeks ago for under $400. The scope included a throw lever, bubble level, and scope caps. It may be too much of a scope for your daughter, but check their website for deals on other scopes. I've been buying Vortex scopes but have heard others talking about the Athlon scopes so I wanted to try one on my new Tikka T1. I'm very happy with the scope and found the bubble level very helpful as I didn't realize I was canting the rifle. I agree that the RPR would be a good choice for a growing child.

Tell Tyler at MK you're a "hide" member; he is too. He's a nice guy and a good old Missouri boy so I wasn't surprised by the service.

 

[MarkCZ]

Thinking of buying my daughter (9 yrs old) a 22 for Christmas. Took her out to the range the other day and she really enjoyed it, and I have an application in to join the only local gun club around my area. I'm considering the Ruger Precision or the Tikka T1x, both bolt guns as I already have a 10/22. For non-competition use, which scopes would you guys recommend? Compared to the Ruger, is it worth it to get the Tikka and swap the chassis for better accuracy?

I was thinking of possibly something from the Athlon lineup or maybe one of the MeoPro's as I just bought an Optika 6 from Camerland and they were great to deal with. I like to try my hand and shoot out to 100 yards, but don't have a chrono or anything available to dial, so I usually just try holding. I do plan on getting more into long range shooting in the next year, possibly going take a beginner's 2 day course somewhere. Thanks for all the informative posts you guys have here and every other thread out there!

You do not need to change the stock on the Tikka T1X, they shoot great as they come. I have a Athlon Argos BTR 10-40x50 on my T1X. I have a SWFA SS 20X on my CZ 455. They make them in 10x, 12x, 16x, and 20x with 110moa of adjustment. SWFA will have the on sell on Black Friday. Everyday they are $299. Last year they on black Friday the SS were $259 with rings and stuff. Great scopes for the money.
Mark

 

[brianf]

flip side
100 yards for a kid, any scope will do no matter how cheap
you not shooitng low light, for rain
if you are like me with my daughter (11) we only go on nice days
so the glass quality is not paramount
myself (prob a few more on here) just had a peep sight and post

stock with adjustments is key though
i took a saw to my marlin when she first started

 

[heartburn]

My step-daughter, 10 now, loves shooting the RPRR. In her mind it is more accurate than the 10/22's that she usually get's parked behind (I think this could be a combination of it being the rifle I usually setup and shoot and that the steps of cycling the bolt give her something to focus on rather than just pulling the trigger.). I have a 5 plate small steel rack that we shoot typically at 100 and she loves clearing the rack.

I have assorted scopes she has shot through and tends to complain more about eye fatigue with the tree style reticles. SWFA or even a Primary Arms 4-14x44 FFP both setup MIL/MIL work well for her. It was quick to explain the mil-dot/hash and that it is a ten click adjustment between the MIL sub-tensions (each dot, to her...) She can dial based on dope cards for each rifle and understands using the dot distance to dial correction.

Good luck, get her out there shooting some steel and I wouldn't be surprised if she is pushing you to get to the range more...

 

[Eoddave27]

My son competes in 22 PRS style matches with me. His is about to turn 11 but has been competing since he was 9. He started out with a RPR. The accuracy was okay but the LOP had a lot of adjustability in it. We put an Athlon Midas Tac on his rifle but he was shooting matches with it and dialing between 25 and 300 yards. It isn’t uncommon for us to have 5-6 dope changes in a match so the turrets and reticle were a big deal to us. If you are just shooting at one distance then like everyone else said just about any scope will do. My son has since graduated to a Tikka T1x in a KRG Bravo but the RPR served him well for quite some time. Here is a great article on the rimfire matches around here. My son is the kid on the boat simulator and the kid with the black hat on in the next to last photo. You can see bothe the set ups he shot with this year. We switched to the Tikka about half way through the season.

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