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geo · New Member

ok
Here is my situation. I have a 9 year old and I think that I want to start his hunting career with an airgun as opposed to a .22 rifle.

Reasons:
1. Cost of and availability of ammo, (it isn't as cheap as it used to be)
2. Range, we live in a more crowded world
3. The possibility of setting up a backyard suburban range, I was raised on a farm and we still have one but it is 70 miles one way.... I drive a truck over the road and have a very limited amount of time home, I would like to be able to do this with my kids more than "once in a great while"
4. I am not what you would call a raving survivalist but the primary propellent being "air" appeals to my long range concerns

now for the bad, I am looking for 2 rifles, very similar in design for hunting squirrel, rabbit and paper.
My Budget would be about $150 each and I am not opposed to used. I am willing to cock the boys rifle for him until he is strong enough to safely do it on his own.

I know that this is an unorganized post but my head is swimming from reading too many posts!

Slavia · Moderator

The most important thing for a kid is that the gun fits. If it's big and uncomfortable, they will grow disinterested. With the butt against the crotch of his arm (opposite the elbow), the joint at the tip of his trigger finger should be right at the trigger blade:

On the other hand, it's like buying clothes. How big do you get it so he has room to grow? My college-aged son is a lot bigger now than when he got his Gamo Young Hunter:

Guns like the Daisy Grizzly and the Crosman 760 have small stocks, but they're smoothbore (BB+Pellets) and won't be very accurate. The Daisy Buck and Daisy Red Ryder are in the same boat (BB only):
http://www.airgunsbbguns.com/Daisy_BB_Gun_840_Grizzly_BB_Gun_Pellet_Gun_Youth_p/day840.htm
http://www.crosman.com/airguns/rifles/pneumatic/760B
http://www.airgundepot.com/rr1938.html
http://www.daisy.com/shopping/customer/product.php?productid=16139&cat=249&page=1

Some options in a rifled, break-barrel (spring-piston powered) gun would be the Gamo Young Hunter, Gamo Carbine Sport, Gamo Recon, and Crosman Raven:
http://www.collectiblecritters.com/commercesql/sw/index.cgi?pid=454459892
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/gamo-carbine-sport-air-rifle.shtml
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/gamo-recon-air-rifle.shtml
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/crosman-raven-youth-air-rifle.shtml

(I'm not endorsing those particular vendors; they're just the first example I came across.) Note that the Gamo Recon doesn't come with open sights - scope only. The Crosman Raven would be my last choice, because it has a plastic trigger housing. Also, you can get a $35.00 upgrade trigger for the Gamos that will transform them.

There are a lot of choices in break barrel (spring-piston powered) adult guns, and if your son had one of the rifles above you would at least have guns that operated in a similar manner.

Do you know if your son is right or left eye dominant? (Not the same as right or left handed.) Using the dominant eye will make learning to shoot a lot easier.

Griff1950 · Member

This probably isn't appropriate on an airgun board, but don't get a 9-year old an airgun for hunting. Get him an airgun for plinking and target practice, and buy him a full-choke .410 for rabbits and squirrels. Otherwise, you're liable to have one disgusted youngster, and a bunch of wounded game.

Slavia · Moderator

fritz · Silver Status Member

I like the smaller cat food cans, they are about 1 1/2" dia. And make a great loud pop sound when you hit them. Good training for squirrel and rabbit.

Make sure that if you recycle your targets (use cans and such) that your airgun is sufficient enough in power to punch through it, ricochets are not fun.

You may also have to use a powderburner to hunt game in your area, but 'ya can't beat the price to shoot an airgun. Especially with a springer, it will really build his (and your) shooting ability.

domer_pyle · Senior Member

go for a benjamin 392 or 397, cheap, accurate and durable. can't go wrong with a pump up for a noob since they aren't hold sensitive and don't recoil at all.

EricH61 · Member

The first gamo in the list above looks good. I started with a Daisy youth break barrel when I was young and I think that's a good compromise between power and cocking effort. Do find one with a safety. I'm actually eying that gamo up for my 9 year old. I wouldn't start him with a scope, start him with iron sights.

Watch the cocking effort in pounds. The more power, the harder it will be to cock. The multipump sheridans and benjamins require too much pump effort for small kids and the bolt cocking can be very difficult for them. My 9 year old can't manage either my Sheridan or the Anschutz 335. But he's getting very deadly with my Marlin rimfire.

Consider the Daisy match bb-gun (forgot the model, 499?). It's a great gun to start with for learning gun safety skills and proficiency. We have one and it's always a lot of fun to shoot because it's accurate and easy to manage.

I cut a grove in a 2x4 that holds saltine crackers. Fun to mow those down with any gun and the mess is biodegradable.

If hunting means blackbirds, sparrows, grasshoppers, etc then you're good. But rabbits and squirrels will require more firepower than a good youth starter gun *typically* puts out. Go for the gun handling and targetting skills first, then the hunting power in the second gun. IMHO.

Eatamoose · Member

I have to agree that an air rifle may not be the best thing to start a young hunter with, at least not the air rifles that you can run to wally world and get. Sure, there's many that will out perform a powder burning .22, but those can cost a pretty penny in short order. Serious and consistent small game hunting is generally something a hunter "moves up to" after they gain skills and experience by hunting with something more forgiving. Kind of like how most big game hunters start off using a high powered rifle and then progress to using a muzzleloader for a greater challenge. I fully agree that an air rifle would be a perfect tool to hone accuracy and practice safely, but a .410 shotgun would be the ideal small game getter without too much worry of wounded game from a less than perfect shot.

With that being said, there's no reason that it couldn't work as long as you properly cultivate the skills needed to obtain success (and it sounds like you're up to the challenge). A spring powered air rifle like the Beeman RS2 combo that they have at wally world would fit into your budget. It's plenty powerful and you get both a .22 barrel and a .177 barrel. Generally, a springer is more efficent for a hunting tool, since you can reload faster and quieter than many of the multi-pump pneumatic air rifles. The main draw back to the springers is that they can be hold sensitive and that can make them a little less forgiving to flaws in your shooting form. The Benjamin 392 is a great little air rifle with plenty of power for squirrels and rabbits at close range. It would also fit in your budget and they have a great reputation. They aren't hold sensitive, but since they're a multi-pump gun, can be a pain to reload sometimes. There are many other great air rifles out there, but the two I mentioned are the two models that I hunt with and they do an awesome job.

Find a good spot to sit in the woods, know your effective range, and have fun!