I have taken each of my kids shooting once before, but each was young. My daughter was maybe six at the time and my son was maybe five. And since they are now 13 and 9, that was years and years ago. I took them both yesterday and they were grinning from ear to ear at the end of the day.

They started with a Savage bolt action 22lr suppressed with subsonic ammo. No hearing protection needed, no recoil, they kept coming back to this gun. We also shot an AR in .22lr, Ruger Mark III supressed, Sig 226 suppressed, and a few rounds through the AR in .223 suppressed.

As we were finished a fellow range member came over and let them put a few rounds through an old gun. No idea what it was, but it was very similar to a Ruger 10/22. And they loved it.

So, after a 10 year drought of not purchasing a gun, I think I need to get the kids a 10/22, or something similar.

I would prefer a threaded barrel so we can shoot supressed. Since my other rifles have optics, I think iron sights would be fine, and probably good for them to learn on.

What do you recommend I look at? And will I even be able to find it in this market?

Edited to add;

I picked up this beauty yesterday. Bergara BXR with carbon fiber barrel.



I was in Tampa on business and swung by Shooter's World. I was surprised how many .22LR rifles they had in stock. I looked and looked and I kept coming back to this one. It was kind of an impulse buy, since I had never even looked at one of these before, and I went in thinking they would have nothing. But a buddy has a Bergara 6.5 rifle and he loves it. So I took a flyer on it. Now I have to get the kids back to the range to give it a whirl.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: holdem,

Ruger’s timeless 10/22 is of course a great option but has it’s limitations.
The bolt hold open and release can be difficult for some to operate ( I have never had a problem but some do)
The threaded muzzle variants can be hard to find and are certainly more expensive ( start going north of $300 fast)
Also consider savage. Much less expensive but similar in quality and my interaction with the company has been excellent.
They have multiple models with threaded barrels in both semi and bolt, and for the price could get one of each for the cost of one ruger

A 10/22 is a great gun and choice.The Takedown seems like it should fit the bill but I have no idea on costs or availability now with this market. I had a 10/22 a little while back and put on a bull pup stock, which made it a bit smaller/compact and easier to hold. Looked like a FN PS90.

Not to sway you but I found a Henry Lever .22 that my son and I enjoy shooting more than the 10/22. It has that "nostalgic" feel and a lot of fun to shoot. The action is very smooth and much easier to load,especially for younger shooters. When I take it to the range, I have a few other people wanting to shoot it as well. They can still be had for around $300 or so. I bought mine at Bass Pro and they usually have some around. The only downside to getting a lever gun-it will make you want to get more of them.

I had an old non-takedown 10/22 that I have used for years. Very fun and reliable.
At the beginning of spring 2020 I saw the writing on the wall and began searching for the particular 10/22 takedown model I wanted after researching their various models. (They have a number of takedown variations including bright colors). From reading and talking to friends the 10/22 takedown Lite (also threaded barrel) was the model I wanted. Among our group of friends it is said that the Lite model is slightly more accurate than the base model, but mileage may vary.

In the Pittsburgh area at the time there were TWO of these rifles across all of the local stores and I was able to get one of them. A friend shot my rifle and immediately wanted one and he found his on gun broker and had it shipped in. I have not seen one of these in any gun store since and most all of the online searches say “out of stock”. You will occasionally see the base model but they vanish quickly.

You can likely find whichever takedown you prefer on gun broker, but many models have been going for around $200 over pre-covid pricing.
My sons are already very fond of this one-

Here's the completed rifle-

I like how the TCR22 is set up. the only thing I would change would be to include the mlok slots that the full Magpul stock has. Weapon lights are good, especially for late night pest duty.

You didn't mention a budget. If there is not one, anything from KIDD would be just dandy. Or you can build your own "ultimate"

I went down this rabbit hole with my daughter. The only pieces left of the original 10/22 is the receiver and bolt. Kidd barrel, Volquartsen trigger group, Tacsol Vantage RS stock, all topped with a Nikon scope. Fun little plinker...

I have a Marlin Papoose that my kids shoot.
Small and light it's just about the perfect size for them.

All the alternative suggestions really miss the point of a 10/22 and frankly are off the mark. It is truly the most ubiquitous gun there is. So buy a basic one and then change to what ever the future brings. Somebody says they don't like something...there is a vendor that addresses that on the ruger. Literally for every single part. Try that on anything else. It simply does not exist. Get a 10/22.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
All the alternative suggestions really miss the point of a 10/22 and frankly are off the mark. It is truly the most ubiquitous gun there is. So buy a basic one and then change to what ever the future brings. Somebody says they don't like something...there is a vendor that addresses that on the ruger. Literally for every single part. Try that on anything else. It simply does not exist. Get a 10/22.

While I fully agree, sometimes a plethora of aftermarket options becomes overwhelming and it not always an improvement ( looks at all the various forums these days where someone needs help troubleshooting a gun they dropped whiz bang aftermarket stuff into that then doesn’t work - glocks seem to be the most afflicted with this)
When starting kids out keep it simple

Well, maybe that idea will wait a little while. Went to Bass Pro and Academy yesterday. While Bass Pro had a decent amount of guns overall, they only had two semi-auto rifles in 22LR, and I did not care for either. And Academy looked liked locusts had been through the store, they had nothing.

quote:

Originally posted by captain127:
The bolt hold open and release can be difficult for some to operate

As a range officer, I find MANY shooters with Ruger 10/22s that do not know how to lock the bolt open. Some say it's not supposed to stay open. What is the common problem here? They haven't read the damn instruction manual!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 229DAK,

I really like my 10/22 breakdown. I stuck a romeo 5 on it with a removable mount, and installed this magpull hunter take-down stock. I love that it holds three spare rotary mags in the buttstock, and captures the forend for storing in a smaller space. It's my survival gun, and my 17 year old enjoys plinking with it. My 9 year old is a lefty, and still a bit small, he enjoys the BL22 much more.

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:
I really like my 10/22 breakdown. I stuck a romeo 5 on it with a removable mount, and installed this magpull hunter take-down stock. I love that it holds three spare rotary mags in the buttstock, and captures the forend for storing in a smaller space. It's my survival gun, and my 17 year old enjoys plinking with it. My 9 year old is a lefty, and still a bit small, he enjoys the BL22 much more.

Sounds like you have the backpacker stock not the hunter stock don’t want someone to order the wrong stock

Captain, you appear to be correct....based on the wording imprinted on the stock as seen in the image. That I got the terminology incorrect, is not too surprising...and I apologize if anyone was confused or misled by that.

This one is now wearing a Holosun red dot but it's perfect for small shooters. It's light which is key, the fact that all the weight isn't out front is even better. The side folding collapsible stock allows it to adjust for length of pull.

When its all said and done you can break it down into a kid size hiking pack.

As to iron sights, while all my kids can shoot with irons, they all started with a red dot. Starting with a red dot allows them to better focus on the other aspects of shooting. Once they are comfortable operating the gun and are making consistent hits at distance, I start to work in iron sight and have found its when everything else in shooting is 2nd nature, they master the iron sight faster as they are primarily focusing on sight alignment. Teaching them trigger control, sight alignment, body position, control manipulation etc all at once can be overwhelming for young shooters.

The 10/22 Takedown is a great .22 and my kids both enjoy ours. I also have a much older Target 10/22 that is too heavy offhand but they like on the bipod or rest. The take down does get nice and compact. As alternatives, the Browning SA-22 breaks down but is more $$ - do not own one but may one day . I purchased Henry Lever action carbines for my kids at different times and they have been able to polish their skills and enjoy them. They are quite small and light/handy but do not breakdown - and require some training since tube loaded (don’t put hand in front of muzzle, etc.). They also shoot .22 Short or .22 LR. Good luck and whatever you get, I’m sure the kids will enjoy.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
All the alternative suggestions really miss the point of a 10/22 and frankly are off the mark. It is truly the most ubiquitous gun there is. So buy a basic one and then change to what ever the future brings. Somebody says they don't like something...there is a vendor that addresses that on the ruger. Literally for every single part. Try that on anything else. It simply does not exist. Get a 10/22.

I have a carbine and never changed it and it's a great gun as it is. But, I like this idea as you and your kids can agree on what to change and do it piece by piece and make it a fun ongoing project. If you just wanted one to buy and keep stock, a take down would be first on my list.

Sounds like a Ruger 10/22 Takedown with a threaded barrel would be perfect.

I know I pretty much row my own boat on this one but the Ruger 10/22 is absolutely my least favorite gun.

I don’t know I am just not very fond of it.

I have a boat load of tube fed .22s most being Marlins and I’ll take any of those over my 10-22 all day long.
My Remington 550-1 is an absolute treat as well.

I am looking forward to finding new production Marlin Model 60s as I need 3 for my boys.

Nope, no threaded barrel. But they are .22s. 3 boys = 3 cans I’d have more in tax stamps than just the guns if we wanted to shoot them suppressed.
$600 + 3 cans will buy a lot of .22 ammo when one can find it again.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
I have a boat load of tube fed .22s most being Marlins and I’ll take any of those over my 10-22 all day long.

I love my Marlin 39A but would not give up my 10/22 either. But I do get it. 10/22s are the Honda Civic of firearms.

quote:

$600 + 3 cans will buy a lot of .22 ammo when one can find it again.

Probably, but maybe not as much as you might think anymore, much to my regret.