Youth Gun Test: OL Reviews the Best Guns for Kids
We gave a crew of young shooters seven youth-model guns and cut them loose on a test range in Montana.
The idea was simple: Give a handful of young shooters and hunters a bunch of youth-model guns and a bushel of ammunition, then ask them to shoot all day and evaluate the firearms on the criteria that mean the most to them. AdvertisementRelated PhotosSUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSADVERTISEMENTAdvertisement |
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Comments (8)
I just read about the 5 year old from Kentucky who shot his younger sister while playing with a youth rifle he received for his birthday. Would have been nice to have some common sense advise to parents in this article over safety issues, not everyone is as smart or has as much common sense as we might like, and it could help save an innocent life.
Jerry - excellent information. Anyone else have other hits and misses in the youth-gun department?
Andrew McKean
I'm a father of two girls, 11 and 13 years old. My daughters have been shooting since they were five. Both hunt big game, and both have multiple youth guns, and we've sold off others which they struggled with.
Their favorites:
* Remington SPS 700 youth 7mm-08
* Browning Micro Midas 7mm-08
* Weatherby Vanguard Youth, .223
* Marlin 22 Win Mag
* Henry youth lever .22
* Rem 870 Youth 20 ga
* Mossberg 500 Youth 20 ga
Their least favorites, which have been sold off:
* Savage 11 Trophy Hunter 7mm-08 (bolt too stiff, tight chamber)
* Rossi single shot 223 (lever too hard to operate)
* Browning BLR (thumbs too weak to release hammer if not going to fire)
* Remington 7600 pump 7mm-08 (Even with a youth stock, the center of balance was too far out front)
A friend of my high school-aged son drove his pickup to school and "hunter-orange" garments were noticeable in the cab. This prompted a vehicle search by school authorities during which a box of ammo was found in the truck. The kid was suspended from school for having ammo on school property. No weapons were present just the ammo. This was nothing more than a witch-hunt by bullying school authorities.
You guys are right on with your request - demand, even - to hear from girls. Theirs is an important voice that was left out of this. I'm fully to blame. By the time we convened this panel, and the absence of girls was so obvious, we hustled to get a girl involved. But everyone we talked to was busy, so we decided to go with the group of 5 boys. You might notice a girl in the overview video, but she was too small to shoot the center-fire guns, so she participated only in the rimfire shooting.
Andrew McKean
I'm with Sam. Where are the girls' opinions? I'm getting ready to buy a rifle for my soon-to-be 9-year old and it would be great to hear from girls as much as boys.
No girls testing. We wonder why this is a male dominated sport. My four girls would have had completely different reviews and I would have like to know what a girl thought since I am buying for a girl not a boy. Poor effort at unbiased testing and reporting OL.
CZ for the win. Best grades and only 3 bills, they make great rifles both center and rimfire.
These are lucky (and impressive) young kids in the video. Where was OL's come-shoot-our-guns-and-ammo-for-free range day when I was a pup?
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No girls testing. We wonder why this is a male dominated sport. My four girls would have had completely different reviews and I would have like to know what a girl thought since I am buying for a girl not a boy. Poor effort at unbiased testing and reporting OL.
You guys are right on with your request - demand, even - to hear from girls. Theirs is an important voice that was left out of this. I'm fully to blame. By the time we convened this panel, and the absence of girls was so obvious, we hustled to get a girl involved. But everyone we talked to was busy, so we decided to go with the group of 5 boys. You might notice a girl in the overview video, but she was too small to shoot the center-fire guns, so she participated only in the rimfire shooting.
Andrew McKean
Jerry - excellent information. Anyone else have other hits and misses in the youth-gun department?
Andrew McKean
I'm with Sam. Where are the girls' opinions? I'm getting ready to buy a rifle for my soon-to-be 9-year old and it would be great to hear from girls as much as boys.
A friend of my high school-aged son drove his pickup to school and "hunter-orange" garments were noticeable in the cab. This prompted a vehicle search by school authorities during which a box of ammo was found in the truck. The kid was suspended from school for having ammo on school property. No weapons were present just the ammo. This was nothing more than a witch-hunt by bullying school authorities.
I just read about the 5 year old from Kentucky who shot his younger sister while playing with a youth rifle he received for his birthday. Would have been nice to have some common sense advise to parents in this article over safety issues, not everyone is as smart or has as much common sense as we might like, and it could help save an innocent life.
CZ for the win. Best grades and only 3 bills, they make great rifles both center and rimfire.
These are lucky (and impressive) young kids in the video. Where was OL's come-shoot-our-guns-and-ammo-for-free range day when I was a pup?
I'm a father of two girls, 11 and 13 years old. My daughters have been shooting since they were five. Both hunt big game, and both have multiple youth guns, and we've sold off others which they struggled with.
Their favorites:
* Remington SPS 700 youth 7mm-08
* Browning Micro Midas 7mm-08
* Weatherby Vanguard Youth, .223
* Marlin 22 Win Mag
* Henry youth lever .22
* Rem 870 Youth 20 ga
* Mossberg 500 Youth 20 ga
Their least favorites, which have been sold off:
* Savage 11 Trophy Hunter 7mm-08 (bolt too stiff, tight chamber)
* Rossi single shot 223 (lever too hard to operate)
* Browning BLR (thumbs too weak to release hammer if not going to fire)
* Remington 7600 pump 7mm-08 (Even with a youth stock, the center of balance was too far out front)
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)