First pellet spoon

[Aggie93]

My daughter has expressed interest in shooting. We are taking a short road trip tomorrow that will put us right next to a Cabela's and thought we could go look at pellet guns. Is there anything to look for? My assumptions:

rifle is better over pistol
rifled barrel over smooth bore

How about power? I think most shooting will be done in the backyard and will be limited to maybe 20 yards max. Would a pistol be better at this range?

I have not shot a pellet gun since I was a kid and I used the one my dad had as kid. I wish I had it. I'd rather stay on the lower side of the price range since I'm not sure this hobby will have legs, but want to get something good enough to learn on.

[fanaudical]

How old is your daughter?

My opinion only - I'd stick with a rifle with open sights. Benjamin used to make a fine air rifle (not sure about recent quality). If doing target only, look at .177 cal single shots. I'd avoid cheap Daisy Red Ryders. Whichever you get, drill first on safe handling before firing a shot.

[Aggie93]

Originally Posted by fanaudical

How old is your daughter?

My opinion only - I'd stick with a rifle with open sights. Benjamin used to make a fine air rifle (not sure about recent quality). If doing target only, look at .177 cal single shots. I'd avoid cheap Daisy Red Ryders. Whichever you get, drill first on safe handling before firing a shot.

Two daughters, 11 & 13. The elven year old is more interested, but I would like both involved. If for no other reason, but to teach safety and respect.

[ben parrish]

I have a Gamo that I paid apound $100 for. It's a serious pellet gun without the serious price.

[Don Ro]

A couple of us here on OT have the RWS brand (German) pellet rifle.
A thread or two just last week on them.
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I'd suggest getting a rifle...she will be far more accurate with that right off the bat and the chance of discouragement lessened...air handguns are not the easiest to shoot accurately.
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Do a search for airgun forums...ask your Qs there.
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This place has decent prices:
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Air Guns | Crosman Air Rifle | Gamo Air Guns | BB Guns | AirSoft Guns @ AirGunWarehouseInc.com
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Good luck & have fun.
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Ammo Shortage? Pfft... Another New Airgun
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New Webley Tempest
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[Cajundaddy]

I am sort of a fan of Air rifles. I taught all three daughters about gun safety starting with .177 Pellet, then .22LR, then 12 GA Rem 870. They all know how to shoot, clean and disassemble but none have chosen shooting as a hobby.

I own an RWS Model 34 "Diana" which is a nice gun.
Amazon.com: Diana RWS 34 Meisterschutze Pro Compact air rifle: Sports & Outdoors
It is probably heavy for a 11 yr old though. We used to live on a rural property that backed up to a 100 yr old Walnut grove teeming with rats. At last count I had well over 50 confirmed kills with the 34 and a night sight. Pretty fun shooting actually.

For a first air rifle I like these:
Amazon.com: Gamo Hornet Air Rifle, .177 Caliber: Sports & Outdoors

Break barrel, accurate, 4x scope, light weight at 6lbs. Build or buy a nice pellet trap to contain your shots and enjoy even at close range.

[chocolatelab]

I bought one those Gamo hornet 's at big five and that thing is a blast!

I took Bryce awhile to be able to cock it. Pulling the barrel requires some strength.

Super fun to shoot.

[aigel]

Too bad you could not get them started earlier on a red ryder bb gun. I like those things. You think it'd be too late now? They are great tools to teach aiming with open sights and general gun safety. At their age, it would also be mild enough where you could have them use it by themselves without you right there. Camping trips etc. come to mind.

G

[RWebb]

open sights; 0.177 pellets; pump gun - build her arms up a bit & make her earn the shot

[HardDrive]

I got my 9 year old daughter started with a pink Daisy Red Rider. Lots of fun.

[Les Paul]

I have all the major brands but this little Jewell is hard to beat. And all my hard core gun collector friends who have shot it are impressed. My daughter was shooting on at 10 and she was pretty little.

[Bill Douglas]

Pellet guns are fun. .177 seems to be the calibre. At pistol club a few of the "big boys" have taken their air pistol seriously and ave $2,000 guns so it's not just kids stuff they are real guns.

Umm, point to note... Some druggies around here killed a cop with a pellet gun. It was a Monsoon FX though. So gun safety required

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

I got my 9 year old daughter started with MY PERSONAL pink Daisy Red Rider. Lots of fun.

FIFY . That's a great way to start...my neighbor shot me with my Crossman pump in the shin when we were about 10 or so...I mentioned it to my parents' only within the past year, 'cause I figured my dad has mellowed a bit over the past 4 decades

ps: I've always been "anal" about gun safety...don't even recall why/how he had my Crossman at the time. "Kids will be kids"...yep, we used to put on motorcycle helmets and have "paper clip" wars too, M80s blowing up chit, you name it, we did it...but I NEVER ran with scissors

[scottbombedout]

Careful in your choice if you go for a rifle. Some are quite heavy.

I have just bought my lad (10 yr old) a couple, as the price of ammo is getting pretty high. Even being strong he finds it hard holding them. One is a CO2 rifle so easy to fit a bipod. A springer can be awkward.

Pistol the way to go every time. It will teach him great discipline.

[Aggie93]

Thanks everyone.

Looking over the selection online, I'm leaning toward the Gamo Hornet or Recon Whisper (smaller gun). My 11 year old is a small girl, only about 65 lbs.

[Jeff Higgins]

Great choices, Aggie93. Your daughters will love them.

As an aside, I believe it is always in the budding young shooters' best interest to begin with a rifle. Success comes much more easily and, with that, continued interest. No need to frustrate them from the get-go by attempting to start them with a pistol. That comes much later, once the basics are mastered and a continued interest is shown.

[Aggie93]

I ended up with the Crossman 760. All the other guns were a little too heavy/big for my youngest to comfortably hold. I figure it is better for her to be able to hold it steady over better quality gun. It is easy to upgrade when the time comes.

She got her first safety lesson while at Cabela's. There were about a dozen different rifles on display and I was having her hold it up to see how it felt. While everything had a trigger guard on it, I had her point it at the shelving. I handed her another one and she took a couple steps and pointed it down the isle where some people were walking. She got the message to never point it at something you don't want to shoot. Hopefully this starts a hobby for them. Now if I could just get them interested in cars and racing.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

As an aside, I believe it is always in the budding young shooters' best interest to begin with a rifle. Success comes much more easily and, with that, continued interest. No need to frustrate them from the get-go by attempting to start them with a pistol. That comes much later, once the basics are mastered and a continued interest is shown.

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I wish I had said this.

[Cajundaddy]

Sounds good Aggie. A 760 is a very light and easy gun to shoot to learn the basics. I have one along with a C2100. With 3 pumps they are pretty consistent and low enough velocity to shoot indoors with a good trap. Have fun!

[Jeff Higgins]

The 760 is a great little gun for not very much money. Great choice to test the waters with, without a big commitment. Hopefully they enjoy it and decide to stick with it.

"Reactive" targets are key to shooting fun with kids. When mine were young, we shot in the basement at a standard pellet trap. Instead of hanging targets on it, though, we shot little green army men. Just tough enough to hit to be rewarding when they did, and the pellets would do enough damage to entertain two little boys for hours. "You blew his head off!" "That had to hurt!" "That left a mark!" All the carnage and mayhem two little boys weaned on Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner could ever hope for.