Smallbore on a budget for a junior shooter

[Dragongnr]

My daughter is 14 is in her first year of shooting. She really enjoys it and I would like to find a smallbore that she can start with but I am on a budget. The investment in other gear for her air rifle and the gun has burned up my reserves but looking for ideas to keep my eyes open for in cse the opportunity arrises. All help is greatly appreciated.

[jhmartin]

Our club uses Izhmash CM-2 Cadets that were purchased from MT Guns.
http://www.mtguns.com/cm-2.htm
They are probably around the $550 mark now, but are accurate enough to get a kid into the JO Championships.
They work very well with the less expensive competition ammo (we use a LOT of STD+) and have a decent adjustable buttplate.

The only downside is that the stocks are RH, but I have a shooter using one left handed and does well.

Some of the mods done on ours:
1) Replaced accessory rail with a Daisy airgun (888/887 type) to use standard handstops
2) I knock off the front sight and extend the sightline with a Scott Medesha sight extension tube ... maybe that's a bit overboard, but the cadet has a very short barrel thus producing a short sightline.

I have a post in this thread:
viewtopic.php?t=22266 that has a photo of one of our rifles

[randy1952]

My daughter is 14 is in her first year of shooting. She really enjoys it and I would like to find a smallbore that she can start with but I am on a budget. The investment in other gear for her air rifle and the gun has burned up my reserves but looking for ideas to keep my eyes open for in cse the opportunity arrises. All help is greatly appreciated.

It would help to know what your budget is for the rifle. You can approach the problem from different angles. You can buy a cheaper rifle and save money now particularly if you feel there is a chance that your daughter may not continue to shot. The other is to bite the bullet now and buy a new or used rifle.

The one thing to consider that if you are planning on eventually getting a better rifle keep in mind that the price on these rifles are escalating at least $100 or more a year and even more if you take into count the dollar becoming more worthless every year and as the price on the new rifles increase the used rifles will also increase.

If you take care of the rifle you should get back at least most of your money if not all of it if you take into account that the price and resell of these rifles will only increase overtime. I have had parents make a few more bucks on their kids rifles then when they original purchase price of the rifles. They kept their rifles in good shape and had no problem in getting their money back out of their investment. I say investment because the one that stayed with the program got offered a college scholarship that more then made up for the cost of the equipment cost.

Their is another approach and that is contact MT Guns ask what an older Anschutz 1407, 1807, 1810 or 1813 is in your price range some of them like the 1813 may come complete with butt hook, sights, palm rest, and handstop.

[jhmartin]

Randy does have a good point. If she is "into the sport" and you know she'll be shooting thru HS, and you are willing to support her in the matches she'll need to hit in smallbore, I'll bump up the daddy dollar pot.

My personal opinion of rifles for gals is 1) a 1912 (probably no less than $2400 with sights), next #2) would be a 1813 (what folks, about $1800 min with sights?). For a gal I'd really recommend a "straight bottomed" stock rather than the angled ones. Much easier for them to use in Standing.

Just me, but I think the metal stocks are a bit much for the smaller gals.

Also check Neal Stepp at ISS if you are looking at that $$ range. he gave one of my shooters a super price on a new LH 1912. About a year ago he still had a few RH's in stock too

[randy1952]

...

Just me, but I think the metal stocks are a bit much for the smaller gals. ...

There might be some remedies arriving on the market in the form of three Aluminum stock makers in the US now making shorter LOP stocks. I and Newt bought one from MondardUSA last year. They will supposedly be making to versions of the stock with one being adjustable down to 8" LOP. A year later we haven't seen them, but says they are done and will get them to us after February. I think 10.9 will be at the JOs with their version of shorter LOP at the JOs. The vendor has one with a built-in tuner, but the price range for both these stocks is going to range from $1450 to $1600. However, I think neither of these vendors will have a LOP shorter then 11.25".

I have no idea what the Mondard stock final price is going to be as we got ours at an intro price of $500. All I got to work with is the picture of the final stock design from Monard and all I can say is that it looks that has the basic and functional features. It doesn't have the buttplate or other built-in adjustment of their more expensive cousins. It does have an adjustable checkpiece. They thought the final price last year would be $700, but that would be highly unlikely at this point. I would also say that he can't push the price up to much as then he will run into competing with his competitors.

[randy1952]

...

Just me, but I think the metal stocks are a bit much for the smaller gals. ...

There might be some remedies arriving on the market in the form of three Aluminum stock makers in the US now making shorter LOP stocks. I and Newt bought one from MondardUSA last year. They will supposedly be making to versions of the stock with one being adjustable down to 8" LOP. A year later we haven't seen them, but says they are done and will get them to us after February. I think 10.9 will be at the JOs with their version of shorter LOP at the JOs. The vendor has one with a built-in tuner, but the price range for both these stocks is going to range from $1450 to $1600. However, I think neither of these vendors will have a LOP shorter then 11.25".

I have no idea what the Mondard stock final price is going to be as we got ours at an intro price of $500. All I got to work with is the picture of the final stock design from Monard and all I can say is that it looks that has the basic and functional features. It doesn't have the buttplate or other built-in adjustment of their more expensive cousins. It does have an adjustable checkpiece. They thought the final price last year would be $700, but that would be highly unlikely at this point. I would also say that he can't push the price up to much as then he will run into competing with his competitors.

[skylark]

Just me, but I think the metal stocks are a bit much for the smaller gals.

Depends on your definition of "smaller". My daughter's 50m 3P scores went up instantly by 40 points when we took her Anschutz barrel out of its 1807 woodwork and put it in an 1813 alu (not the really new shiny all-metal one, the older one which is metal with coloured wood). She's 14 and about 5'4.

I'm a 5'2 adult female (so definitely "smaller":) ) and love my Walther KK300 - I tried it, the Anschutz, and the FWB, and it was the only one which was short enough for me, and then only just. But I'm a prone shooter only.

I think it's the heavy barrels which are too much for smaller shooters (regardless of gender), not the stock type. Once you get past the minimum size on the metal stocks of course, which your average teen does by about 13. I'm used to being the smallest shooter on a .22 range whether there are juniors there or not :)

[Levergun59]

Look for a used Izhmash 7-3. This is the junior version biathlon rifle and it weighs 8.5 lbs. It has an excellent two stage trigger. Altius has some new ones for $1750.00 but they can be found used for less. My son's is a 7.2 converted to 7.3. The 7.2 biathlon basic, before it was converted, would shoot consistant 1/4" groups at 50 yds if I did my part. That was using R-50 ammo. Cheap target ammo still shoots under 1/2". I bought the 7.2 for $270.00 new but they run about $450 used now. There is also a cadet target rifle made by Izhmash for juniors. Altius is about the only place one can buy a new Izhmash 7.3 and he is trying to import them direct. Hope this helps.
Chris

[randy1952]

Look for a used Izhmash 7-3. This is the junior version biathlon rifle and it weighs 8.5 lbs. It has an excellent two stage trigger. Altius has some new ones for $1750.00 but they can be found used for less. My son's is a 7.2 converted to 7.3. The 7.2 biathlon basic, before it was converted, would shoot consistant 1/4" groups at 50 yds if I did my part. That was using R-50 ammo. Cheap target ammo still shoots under 1/2". I bought the 7.2 for $270.00 new but they run about $450 used now. There is also a cadet target rifle made by Izhmash for juniors. Altius is about the only place one can buy a new Izhmash 7.3 and he is trying to import them direct. Hope this helps.
Chris

Those groups might be okay for biathlon, but they aren't very good for precision rifle.

[Levergun59]

Are you telling me that the Anschutz will shoot smaller groups than that. I'm pretty certain that a .250 group at 50 yds is pushing the accuracy envelope of the 22 rimfire cartridge. I don't think that a junior shooter will ever realize the difference, but your wallet sure will. Enlighten me please, I'm not trying to be offensive. Do Anschutz rifles shoot better than that? I also have a 14 year old who is shooting 99 prone scores indoors with a Model 52, but I will pony up the cash if the Anchutz shoots that much better.
Chris

[timinder]

Depends if the 1/4" is edge to edge or centre to centre I suppose?

[Levergun59]

Center to center, outdoors. I just can't believe that the anschutz is that much better.

[af_one]

My daughter is 14 is in her first year of shooting. She really enjoys it and I would like to find a smallbore that she can start with but I am on a budget. The investment in other gear for her air rifle and the gun has burned up my reserves but looking for ideas to keep my eyes open for in cse the opportunity arrises. All help is greatly appreciated.

CMP has Kimber 82's at a very reasonable price.