12 replies to this topic

[Bennie]

I am going to be purchasing an air rifle for a nine year old boy. He has been shooting my R-1 very accurately off of the bench or a rest. But it is really too heavy for him and too nice of an air rifle to give to a nine year old. I was wondering what you guys thought would be a good kids rifle as far as fit, durability, and accuracy for around $300.00 dollars. I have been looking for a used R-7 which is lighter and quite a bet shorter. Suggestions please?????

[ShooterJohn]

My suggestion would be a used R-7 also. They are very easy to cock and are extremely accurate. They are a bit shorter too which would be good but I also shoot mine with no problem.This is the same gun and is very close to your price.http://www.pyramydai..._Air_Rifle/2018

[ratassassin]

R7 without question. Then you can borrow it!

[THE KNOT]

I can say the r7 is a perfect gun he will grow into it nicely and it's accuracy will keep him intrested for ever heres a pic of mine in 20 cal

[airgunny]

I bought my nephew a techforce 6 side lever when he turned 10.for quality ditto on the R-7.

[ShooterJohn]

Here is another great youth rifle made by Weihrauch. Beeman gets their rifles from Weihrauch. The price is even better.http://www.pyramydai...hrauch_HW25L/22

[havoc]

I would like to put in a second vote for tech force. My first air rifle was a tech force sidelever, a 41 i think. I got it when I was 11 or 12 and I still have it to this day. Very rugged, accurate enough, light and very easy to cock. It may not the quality and accuracy of a beeman but I have killed 100s of nutters with it over the years. You wont feel bad when it gets all scratched up either. .

[Bennie]

Thanks guys I got some seconds and thirds on the R-7. I think I am going to continue to look for a used one. It helps me think I am making the right choice to have the people here agree with me. Will also take a look at a tech force, never seen one of them before. Thanks again.

[MikeNC]

A nine year old boy....A Sheridan / Bejamin pumper. Great value, good variable power and decent accuracy for most what a nine year old will be shooting and lightweight to boot. And when I was a kid and got my Sheridan...the magazine article plugged it with something about just the benefit of pumping the gun and developing the arms makes it a good choice. I'm sure he will enjoy whatever you decide on A pellet shooter at the age of 9 is a major coup in my book. I was just beginning to work on my first Daisy BB gun back then.

[DKOwen]

I am going to be purchasing an air rifle for a nine year old boy. He has been shooting my R-1 very accurately off of the bench or a rest. But it is really too heavy for him and too nice of an air rifle to give to a nine year old. I was wondering what you guys thought would be a good kids rifle as far as fit, durability, and accuracy for around $300.00 dollars. I have been looking for a used R-7 which is lighter and quite a bet shorter. Suggestions please?????

Without a doubt the R7 is a great gun, for big boys as well as small. A true joy to shoot. However, I'm of a mind that any springer is a bad idea for a young shooter. Too much chance of an accident that will wreck the gun or (much worse) the shooter. Adults have the discipline to hold the barrel and stay away from the trigger, kids don't.....yet.That brings us to pumpers and gas guns. The B/S series is, IMO, an excellent choice. I favor the 392. Being a slow gun, it encourages accurate shooting as a bonus. I also like the QB series of CO2 guns. A hundred bucks or so, usually very accurate and easy to use. They are copies of the Crosman 160 which was developed specifically to teach new shooters. As a cock on closing action it's instantly safe if the bolt is opened. Stocks are very cheap, you can cut it down for small arms and replace it in a year or two.Like a R7, either the pumper or QB is likely to get used as much by Dad as Son.Doug Owen

[Bobby B]

How about the Gamo Recon for under 100.00 bucks

[Bennie]

Well I looked and looked for a used R-7 and they are hard to find. People that have them just don't sell them and when they do they get top dollar out of them. I also could not find one with sights on it. Although he has been shooting my R-1 with a scope on it very accurately, I want him to learn to shoot with open sights first with his very own air rifle. So I bought him a Weihrauch HW50S Standard Air Rifle in 22 cal. I shot it about a 100 times last night in the back yard. It is a very nice little air rifle. Beautiful blueing and nice craftsmanship very well put together. The wood is not checkered and as nice as a Beeman R-7 but it is a very nice air rifle. I shot it 1 time and moved it 13 clicks to the right and then shot two more times. I then moved it up 3 clicks and shot 17 shots in to a group you could cover with a quarter at 25 yards. He was at his Grandma's last night. He would be mad if he knew how much fun I was having with his new air rifle. It is a little ruff when cocking, and I put a few pellets through it to try and break it in a little. I am sure it will smooth out after a couple of tin's. I let his mom shoot it also. She was also shooting it very accurately after some coaching and shooting lessons. I got the rifle from Straight Shooters and they were a pleasure to work with again. Paid a little less than $400.00 for it with the pellets I bought and shipping. They sent a free sampler pack which I will save until the rifle breaks in a little and and he learns to shoot it accurately. Then we will run those through it and see just how accurate this thing really is. I bought a 500 count of JSB Express 14.1 gr. to start him off with. I was not happy with the way the pellets looked. The skirts on a lot of them were not uniform and dented pretty badly. They did shoot great however, and the accuracy really supprised me considering how bad the skirts looked. I don't know if they were shipped real ruff or if they all come this way?? But so far I am very happy with the rifle.I know some of you think this is the wrong choice for a kids rifle and you are entitled to that opinion. But I think I made the right choice because it is a rifle that is accurate enough to keep him and me interested in shooting it for a long time to come. For instance he wants to go out side with me all the time and shoot his Red Ryder. I do not want too because that thing will not shoot in the same place twice no matter how I try and shoot it. I hate shooting any thing that is not more accurate than I am. This little HW-50 is going to be a hammer. I can tell that it is going to be super accurate. Matter of fact if he does not like it I know I will. It is also going to have enough power that he will be able to go on some ground squirrel hunts with me. I think this rifle will be capable of killing squirrel's out to 40 yards. We will see on that one. It is accurate enough that we can go in the back yard and have shooting contest that will make it interesting and fun for years to come. I will probably give it to him a little early. His birthday is May 2nd. If every thing works out right and I can I would like to bring him with his new rifle to the shoot in Sac. on May 1st., and let him and I meet some of the other forum members here. It would be very interesting for him and I, and he would really enjoy seeing other peoples air rifles. I do not think that he will be ready to shoot targets with this rifle starting at 50 yards though. As a matter of fact that is about the furthest I have shot mine as of yet and do not have my drops figured out on it yet. So I am wondering if there will be a range open there were a young shooter can shoot off of a bench at say 25 yards or so??

[ShooterJohn]

I think that's going to be a great gun for him. I wish they had had airguns like it when I was a kid. I wouldn't worry too much about the pellet skirts on those JSB's because they are so soft the air will fit them to the barrel just fine. It's hard to beat Straight Shooters for service and attention to details. I've bought several guns from them and all have been more than I asked for. He's going to be one happy kid when he gets his hands on that. Good for you in buying it for him and getting him started the right way.