TargetTalk

hi, I was wondering what anschutz you would recommend for a junior that is fairly short 5'1, and why you would recommend it. I havent been shooting too long. If you would recommend a different brand other than anschutz, thats fine but please state why.
thnxs.

Take a good look at the 1912. It has a lot of adjustment, and can have weighs added later if you grow and can handle the heavier gun.

How old and how wide? 1912 might be a bit heavy if the junior is a skinny 12 year old. A 1903 might be the answer; the stock is not so fiddly as a free/sport rifle, but they are lighter and can shoot very well.

You might want to consider finding a used match 64; this would be cheaper than new; especially if the junior is likely to grow substantialy.

Tim S

Exeter UK

You really need to give consideration to the weight of the rifle. You didn't say how old is the junior. The younger juniors cannot handle the weight of a 1912 or any 54 action target rifle for that matter. The progression for my kids has been FWB P70jr, then at about 10-11 start with a 1903, then at about age 13 a very light 1907. My older daughter is now 14 1/2 and is now shooting a 1912. The bad news is that is a lot of guns. If you wind up starting at the 1903 stage one option is to find a used older anschutz 64. You can shorten the stock and use a riser block for offhand. This setup can be had for $400 or a there abouts (sights included).

i am fairly small, i am 13 years old and i weigh 95 lbs. I will be doing mostly prone though so weight is not much of an issue than if i were standing or kneeling.

Really the best advice is to go some place where you can try one. I know this is easier said than done sometimes. Almost any shooter young or old would be glad to let you give their toy a try assuming they have the time and are not in final preparation for a big match. If I were you I would go to a decent jr. club or somehow seek out someone with a 1912 to see how it feels before buying. At 13 though if you can't handle one right at first then I bet you will be able to soon. And as I think TWP has said in other posts if the stock 1912 is too heavy you can have the barrel shortened by a good gunsmith and that goes a long way to making the weight more managable. Then as you can handle the weight you can add more on the end of the stock later.

My daughter is 13. She's 5'7" and I'm not going to post her weight on the internet.

Her air rifle was a P70jr until last year as well. But we swithed her to a heavier gun and her scores went up. Found a used Anschutz 2002CA that seems to fit her perfectly.

She started out shooting a 1451 Achiever club gun, but outgrew it last year. I got her a 1607 barreled action in a 1613 stock, it weighed about 12 lbs. I thought it would be ok and she would grow into it. But she's been struggling with it. I sent it off to Neal Johnson's, they cut 6" off the barrel (from the chamber end) and put an aluminum bloop tube on it. It took about a pound off the end of the muzzle. It balances much better and her scores are going up.

We have another girl in our club who is very small, her dad had her rifle cut down to a 16" barrel and the stock shortened.

The 1912's are popular in our club. But I wouldn't be afraid to buy a used rifle and have it cut down. You can always add weight back on.