lever action 22 for a short-cake

[leverfan]

My five year old daughter (that's an old picture of her in my current avatar) shot a 22 for the first time yesterday, and now she's all smiles.  She's ready to graduate from her BB gun, and I was wondering what some of you folks think Santa should bring for her.  Obviously, I like lever guns, and while I know they're not ideal for a new shooter, they aren't too bad, either.  Her BB gun is a lever action, so she's familiar with the general idea.  Despite my fondness for leverguns, I've never owned a lever action 22lr, so I'd like some advice from folks that have actually used the gun they're recommending to me.  I can read a catalog, so I'd like to hear real experience.

The gun must be inexpensive, yet sturdy.  It doesn't need to be a tackdriver.  The stock must be wood, for two reasons:  1.Plastic is ugly.  2.I'm going to take a saw to the stock (her ideal length of pull is not made in factory guns, being about 9.5").  It would be nice if the gun easily accepts a scope, but that's not really too important.

If all else fails, the market teems with cheap single shot bolt guns that I can take a saw to without shedding a tear over them.

[Mikey]

leverfan:  I shot one of those new Henry Lever actions, the ones that look like the old yellow-boy, at the range the other day.  We were just shooting standard high speed 22 lrs at 25 and 50 yds and the rifle was functioning just fine.  I do not recall any ftf or fte or jams.  Our targets were apples that we picked off the ground at the range and we had a lot of fun busting them up for the squirrels and whitetail that would come along later for them.  The rifle was pretty accurate, too.  I don't think either one of us missed even one apple, although sometimes ya'll couldn't tell exactly where you hit it.  HTH.  Mikey.

[Steve E]

Lever Fan

          I have one of the first Henry Lever Action 22's that came out and it has not given one minute of trouble. I will keep it till it wears out. I will never get rid of my Marlin 39 but the Henry is actually more accurate and also it is a lot lighter. Groups average 1 to 1 1/2 inch at 50 yds, sometimes less although CCI Mini Mag went into 4 inches at 50 yds. and all that was with iron sights. My recommendation for her is for the Henry, can't beat them for a Lever Action under $200.00. All the Henry's I have seen have great wood. I'm actually thinking about one in 22 Magnum. Hope this helps.

                                                       Steve E..........

[Wilbe Lead]

Leverfan,
Next trip to the range or when you make it out my way.
We can drag out the goldenboy.You do not have to get a goldenboy.
A blued one is cheaper and should shoot the same.
Maybe we can find another stock somewhere and chop it down.For the kids to shoot with,we will have four of them to teach.
Later
Wilbe Lead

[Graybeard]

I suggest you put your preferences aside and think of the child. There is no lever action rifle suitable for a five year old. She is too young and almost assuredly too small and weak to use any lever rifle on the market. I think the Browning is likely the lightest but is still way to big and heavy.

It's not just the stock you need to consider but the entire length and weight of the gun for such a young child. There are several bolt action rifles made just for such youths. Henry also makes one of these. Others are named Cricket and Chipmunk among others.

They all have some things in common. Short  and light barrel to keep it from being front heavy, over all light weight and very short stocks for short armed people. One of these is what you need to buy her. Later when she is big enough buy her a lever rifle if she stil wants one.

Now is the time to think of her and her needs not your likes and preferences in rifles.

[leverfan]

GB-

The weight and action style of the first rifle my daughter uses are actually almost non-issues.  To start with, she will be shooting from a rest, one shot at a time, while I operate the action.  Her job will be using the sights and trigger.  She will not be carrying the rifle, or hunting with it, or even shooting it off-hand for quite some time, although she's very good at shooting her lever-action BB gun off-hand.  Length of pull and comfort at the bench are the main factors.

The Chipmunk, Crickett, and Henry Mini Bolt are all about 2" too long in the length of pull for her to shoot comfortably (we've checked).  Taking a saw to the synthetic Henry is out, so that one is not a current option.  Even the tiny Crickett/Chipmunk rifles would have to face the saw.  Henry does offer a lever action youth model that's lighter than the Browning.

One upside to buying a lever gun would be that the gun can grow with a child as the child's shooting ability grows.  The chopped butt stock can be removed and replaced with a new, full sized piece of wood.  It won't be left in a closet after 10 years or so, unlike a single shot mini rifle.

Many of us learned to shoot on less than perfectly ideal firearms, but I don't think that a lever action 22lr with a bobbed butt is too far out of line.  It will be far easier for her to shoot than my first rifle was for me (full size model 88 in 308 with a hard plastic butt plate).  

She has shown that she's mature enough to handle it by handling her BB gun very well, and very safely.  She has also shot a (single-loaded) Ruger Mark II very well.  She has also shown some aptitude for archery.  

In the end, I may very well give her a few rifles to choose from, and let her pick her own favorite from a selection of small 22 rifles.  It'll be chopped to fit her, and we'll go have some fun at the range.

[Graybeard]

OK, makes more sense now. If you had previously mentioned you were going to confine her to bench shooting I missed it. I made the assumption you were planning to allow her in the field with it also. I would concur that from a bench rifle weight is of little importance.

[leverfan]

I should have been clearer about the end use.  Maybe I could have at least mentioned how she'd be using it. :oops:  

You're right, of course-if I were looking for a field gun for her, one of the 2.5 lb mini-bolt single shots would be a top choice.

For safety's sake, I figure she should be able to at least open the action to leave it open for inspection.  Not having a 22 lever gun handy, I let her try the lever on my 444 Marlin.  She can slap it back and forth pretty handily, so I guess we're good to go.  It's easier to use than the lever on her BB gun.

[Jerry Lester]

I've shot a couple of the little Henry youth lever actions, and they both shot pretty good. It's the same action as their other 22 lever action rifles, but just with a shorter barrel, and slightly shorter stock. They're a decent little rifle for the money in my book.

A big plus is that the Henry's(at least the several I've owned, and shot) feed everything. They'll feed shorts, longs, long rifles, and birdshot very reliably.

[ButlerFord45]

Browning-short lever throw, trigger travels with lever so no finger pinch, accurate and if you plan on replacing the stock anyway, get an extra now, and just swap them out, cause your going to be impressed enough with this little rifle, you're going to want to use it too.

[handirifle]

I have the standard length Henry blued 22LR and LOVE it.  Customer service with Henry is nothing short of amazing!  I had ejection probs with my first one.  They tried to fix it twice, they paid shipping both ways, and had the gun bad to ME one week after they got it, as prommised.  When thet didn't work, a third email got me a brand new gun.  ZERO problems with it.

Very accurate and butter smooth.  All this for $179 at Wal Mart.  I did send them an email and mentioned that the front sight seemed too short cause the rifle zeroed at about 100yds and they zipped me off a new front sight for the 22 Mag.  Prob fixed.

HIGHLY reccomend the Henry.  Oh yes, the wood stock is very nicely finished too.

[papajohn428]

I'd also recommend the Henry, I got one for my son a couple years ago and I like it better than he does, he likes my big bores better!   :eek:   The only complaint I had was the cheesy plastic front sight, too wide and flat for precision shooting, so I filed it to a point and now I can shoot bottle caps at 50 yards with it.  It's also light, slim, and carries very well.  And while I haven't had to use the customer service, I did send them an e-mail with a few comments.  I got one back the next day from the company president!  Bet that doesn't happen with the other gunmakers.

Papajohn the Little Levergun Lover

[tallyho]

Both my kids started shooting at about 5 as well. With a Ruger Bearcat and a TC .22 Contender Carbine... plus a bunch of other things that didn't really fit them.

Both started, as did leverfan's shortcake, from a supported rest. Both required help with loading and unloading and cocking (though the did manage after awhile to cock the Bearcat without my help).

It wasn't until this year when I got them each an NEF Sportster single shot. My daughter (14) manages the adult stock, and my son ( has the youth stock.

Interestingly they both fell in love with my wife's Henry, and my daughter with my Marlin Mountie ("Can I shoot the Henry now dad?" was a common refrain this summer.)

It was okay for my daughter to shoot either lever gun, but both were a bit too long in the stock for my son, and the Marlin was a bit heavy for him.

So emailed Henry asking about putting a youth stock on a standard gun. They said "no prob" and a youth stock would cost $50.

So I started looking for a "reasonably priced" Henry to equip with a youth stock... I never managed to find one after a couple of months of looking, but a couple of weeks ago I found what I considered a bargain priced Youth Henry (16" bbl and youth stock) so I bought it and I should have it in my hands tomorrow.

My son doesn't even know I have it yet, and chances are he won't be shooting it until next summer (both kids live with their mother, far from me) but I have no doubts it will be a perfect fit for him... only problem is my daughter is going to want her own too! My wife is lovely and kind, but there's a limit to her sharing her Henry.

Cheers
Kerry

[handirifle]

tallyho
I was just hunting in your state last week.  Elk on the AZ state line, unit 23.  No luck!   Darned animals seemed to have left that part of the state entirely.

[ironglow]

Leverfan;
 
  Although you are a lever fan...here's another avenue to consider:
 
   I got my 5 yr old Grandaughter one of those Rossi "Matched Pair" setups.
   It is youth size of course in .22 lr and .410 shotgun.

    When she gets to be a teenager, her Dad can get the adult size stock and put it on for her.

   Owning both models, if I had to do over, I probably would have gotten the NEF "Versa-pack" ...better sights and more likely to be there when the new stock is needed...

   Either one at Wally-world would be in the same cost range as a decent used bolt action.

   Just my two pennies..

[leverfan]

ironglow-

I've taken a look at those Rossi set ups, and the NEF too, if memory serves.  My daughter is coming with me to a gun show today, so she'll have lots of chances to check out different guns, and then let me know which one she likes the best.  If it meets with my approval, then she'll get to pick her own.  Her eye wanders a bit, though.  The last time she was in a gun shop, she ignored the rifles and told me she wanted "that gun," while pointing to a Colt Dragoon reproduction.  Hardly a good starter gun, so that got vetoed.

[Wilbe Lead]

But her uncle got it .So when she can hold it up and aim it she will get her dream gun.
Wilbe Lead

[ironglow]

Sure Leverfan...
   And when she rolled those big, beautiful eyes.....she almost got that Dragoon...
 
    My grandaughter can get almost anything she wants from "Poppa"..
  What else can you do?...

[leverfan]

But her uncle got it .So when she can hold it up and aim it she will get her dream gun.
Wilbe Lead

I'll pass that on.