a Christmas present for my son who will be 8 by this up coming target shooting season. Interested in buying him a 22 or something. Cheaper, it will be his first rifle but something that’s decent enough that will last. He is a big kid and think the small little youth guns will be to small, any recommendations would be appreciated
I bought my son a Savage .17wsm. He loves shooting it and it can be used for varmints as well. He also has a .243 but that would get expensive to target shoot with.
DT
I want to start him with a 17 or 22 and I have a old 243 he will move up to. My goal is for him to sit with me this upcoming deer season.
The Ruger 10/22 is a great rifle yet and will last a loooooong time.
I have a savage 17 hmr, with the target barrel and wood grain stock I think I paid $300 out the door for it. Love it and will buy my son one when he comes of age.
The Ruger 10/22 is a great rifle yet and will last a loooooong time.
^ Yep this.
For learning to shoot and plink. I trained 2 boys on A marlin xt bolt action with the tubular magazine. IT shoot shorts long and long rifles. It is full sized. They didn’t get a Ruger 10/22 till they were in high school. The one boy has also purchased a Ruger American .22 uses the 10/22 magazine He loves that rifle.
my Dad gave me a 10/22 in 1980. tens of thousands of rounds through it. Still shoots straight and at 50 yards I can consistently hit a 1 inch square. Tons of customizable options. He will have that gun for life. I was thinking the other day of buying another 10/22 Take down model
My vote goes to any bolt action .22 (or even a single shot)
Don’t get me wrong, a Ruger 10/22 is a great gun (every sportsman should have one, I do), but your kid will grow up to be a better hunter and better shot with a bolt action.
Instilling the muscle memory of a bolt at a young age will pay dividends later. Along with that, he will also be more accurate with his shots and more patient, since every one “counts”.
Once he gets proficient with a bolt, let him shoot a semi-auto for fun. Rapping off a 50 round banana through a 10/22 puts a smile on anyone’s face 
A single shot or bolt action rifle would be best. It will teach patience and lead to better accuracy in the long run. I learned on my grandfathers old pump 22. Every shot counts then, instead of just blowing through ammo. You can upgrade to a 10/22 or similar rifle later.
I wholeheartedly agree with the last post about staying away from an auto loader.
I was disappointed one Christmas was I received a lever action winchester .22. I like every kid wanted an auto. Dad was left handed and I’m guessing he didn’t want hot empties hitting him in the eye when he used it.
Turns out like others have said it slowed me down and helped make each shot count.
I bought a single shot savage bolt action for 119.00 at fleet farm this morning. Thanks guys.
No matter the weapon, each kid needs to be taught “every” shot sent down range is important… especially when your teaching Marksmanship. My first .22 was a Remington Nylon 76… only Lever action Remington ever made… still have it and worth a pretty penny too. 
Another vote for a 10/22. I get the single shot/ bolt action idea of making every shot count, but to me a 10/22 will get more use throughout his whole life. In my opinion it doesn’t take a whole lot of shooting, even with a semi-auto, to understand the value of making a good first shoot. Also if your introducing a kid to shooting I think a 10/22 is impossible to beat on the fun scale, which for a kid to stay engaged and retain anything, is important. Regardless of your decision, thanks for introducing another person to shooting.
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