Good gun for a 13yrs old girl

[jashcroft]

So my daughter wants to take up Air Pistol. Recently at our local club Junior night she was invited to try 10m Air Pistol. She managed to put 10 of 10 shots on the target. To say she was automatically HOOKED would be an under-statement.
My back ground is in the shotgun world, I'm a Trapshooter. So this world is absolutely new to me. When we came home and I started to research the sport I was suprised by the price of the guns. Further research also showed me a quality Air Pistol is the same as a shotgun - buy quality and you will loose little to no value.
So after a few calls and web browsing my conclusion is a Steyr LP2. The gun she tried was a Morini. I am definetly up for suggestions and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. I'm a little unsure about compact sizes. Also unsure about right hand or neutral grips.
Is there any must have accessories? Hand pump or scuba tank or both?
We are off to Junior night tomorrow if she is willing to commit I will be looking for a gun. I want her to try a few times before we both commit. Once again any feed back greatly appreciated.
JohnA

[Richard H]

The lp2 compact or the Morini Short are good choices. I coach juniors and one of the factors that many especially the smaller girls struggle with is the weight of some of the full size pistols. The manufactures seemed to have recognized this and are making many compacts which are really nice.

I myself tried the LP10 compact and really liked the balance of it.

[Rover]

I think you're nuts to be thinking of buying a 10 year who has tried AP ONCE an expensive air pistol like that.

Beat the bushes a little to find a Pardini P10. It is light weight, easy to operate, does not require expensive air, AND is cheap. It will be more than accurate enough for any shooting she (or most of us) may do.

[orionshooter]

I think you're nuts to be thinking of buying a 10 year old . . .

Don't take offense to Rover.....he constantly barks. You'll be in good company if you just ignore him.

The Morini short is an excellent choice. Moreover, if you end up having to sell it because she loses interest, you'll be amazed at how well they hold their value.

Good shooting to you and your little girl John.

[david alaways]

The Morini short, a roll of pellets, scuba tank, pellet trap, targets,tank adaptor. and glasses, If she starts shooting alot get her a crank target. These items will someday help get her into a great college . goodluck

[jashcroft]

Thank You for your responses. Rover point well taken. I am trying to locate something locally to borrow or buy. I am lucky with the local Junior program they will keep her going for a while. As far as buying new I would rather be in a position of saying "I did" rather than "I should have". I have never regreted owning/buying quality, even when I can't really afford it.
As for "I think you're nuts", when it comes to my daughter I AM.
John A

[Rover]

I have a daughter of my own and I know exactly where you (and she) are coming from. That's why I can advise you as I did.

The CA guns are currently the MOST expensive and require costly support in terms of SCUBA tank, manometer, and fitting. High pressure air is not something that should be fooled around with by a child.

While you are absolutely right in terms of recovering your investment, that does not mean other equipment is junk and money down the drain. While the "best" is always delightful, it probably won't provide ANY advantage to your daughter. Our host, a dealer, states CO2 guns are not handicapped. I say SSPs are the way to go. Go figure!

I stand by my sugggestion as to equipment for her needs, both from cost and ergonomics. It should be no handicap for several years, if at all.

You could do a search of the For Sale here and find several sad tales of equipment purchased for a kid whose interest might have lasted for as much as a whole month.

[BorzoiDad]

Before going on-line, check with those running the program. It has been my experience they often know of locally available guns.

[william]

Rover isn't all wet on this one. The Capitol City Rifle and Pistol Club in Augusta, Maine, has a very active Junior air pistol program; and they provide equipment for the participants.

They have a some TAU7 and Alfa-Proj pistols which are more than adequate for the kids to develop their skills to quite a high level. They also have (I think) a Hämmerli and a Steyr for the ones who have "arrived." TAU7s frequently show up used for $3 - 400, and as long as you don't drop it in the ocean it will hold its value in case you ever want to sell it. The CO2 caplets are cheap and convenient and will easily provide a match + sighters per caplet.

If one of my granddaughters ever expressed an interest in shooting with me, I would absolutely seek out a TAU for her. My $0.02 only.

[Eurastus]

Yup.

TAU 7 Jr. is the way to go.

http://www.pilkguns.com/tenp/sptau7jr.htm

Small, light, decent quality trigger, uses standard CO2 powerlets available anywhere, and pretty darn rugged.

The hard part is finding a Jr. size. Regular-sized TAU 7s are to be had, though.

I started all my kids on one and it still shoots fine these many years later.

I'm saving it for the grand-kids now...

[david alaways]

A man opened a air gun business with a shooting gallery about 40 miles from me. I dropped by with my Morini ei . They where shooting rifles but had a few of the cheaper APs (no body really shoots those) I showed them how my gun worked and let fire it. The man who owned the store and his son where planning on buying another even better AR (they already had alot of nice rifles ,mostly for hunting). After shooting my morini the father asked his son what he thought, the son said forget the next rifle we need one of these. In my opinion there is nothing better than a great trigger and nothing more frustrating than a bad one(or even a medium one) My son shoot for 3 weeks in our Jrs program in the first week the club gun fit him perfect and he shoot great, the second week(he was eager to go back) that gun was broke so he shoot another ,he shoot poorly. 3rd week same as second week. I did say he only shoot 3 WEEKS! My opinion again... IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT BUY THE BEST. My son is now a college baseball player , even though he must have lost or had a dog chew his mitt everyother week I still NEVER bought him a cheap glove. I invested in a batting cage and a pitching machine, it all payed off. If you lose a few bucks (WTF) you tried and you will never look back and say " I wonder how good of shooter she would have been IF ? "

[tenex]

Hi John,
The solution is obvious. You clearly don't need a high end air pistol, you need two. I shoot bullseye with my son (now 16), and when he wanted to shoot air I got him the same brand PCP gun that I shoot, so we could share accessories.

Seriously, you should try it too, it's a lot of fun. My real suggestion is to try to find a used high end gun. Any of the co2 Feinwerkbau's, regardless of age would work great. you can get them in the $400 to $600 range, and they are great guns. My buddy bought a new Tau (which is nice) but the used FWB model 2 I got for the same price is a lot better.

In lieu of a junior model you could consider a full size model with a junior cylinder. In 2 or 3 years your daughter will be big enough to shoot a full size gun, and you may need to upgrade.

Just my rambling.
Cheers,
Steve.

[Richard H]

Steve is right, it's one of very few sports that parents and kids can actually participate in together.

[Gwhite]

I'll second (third?) the vote for a Tau-7 Junior. The MIT pistol team has a number of small asian women, and the Tau-7 Juniors are perfect for them, and shoot quite well. The only trick is finding one for sale.

[JoeG]

I agree of course if money is not an issue then a top grade Jr. model would be wonderful and yes they do hold their value well in case things don't work out long term. I also agree with Rover and some of the other respondents regarding good less expensive options that could work out well and/or be a stepping stone to a top model in the future. I know I did not start at the top and I do not regret any of my steps getting to the more expensive options. Attached will be pics of some of those mentioned. BTW, the Pardini P10 that Rover mentioned is very easy to cock and was the choice of one of our top women shooters not too many years ago. Good luck, Joe G.

[jashcroft]

Thanks everyone for the information. We just got back from Junior night and yes she is hooked. The instructor is willing to lend her his gun for a while. So I will see if her interest level keeps up. And yes while I haven't tried AP yet I definetly have an interest, so another may be in future. My daughter has grown up at Gun Clubs and she travels with me to all my trapshooting ventures. I wouldn't trade that time for anything. Reality of it all is if it's a $400 or a $1500 model if it keeps her out of trouble and keeps her head on straight it is money well spent. I will not mention how much my guns are worth. I'll take some time to absorb all the good information and hopefully get even more information. I'll keep you posted.
Once Again thank you
John

[william]

if it's a $400 or a $1500 model if it keeps her out of trouble and keeps her head on straight it is money well spent

True enough, but the $1100 difference can buy a lot of practice pellets, range time, instruction / coaching or is a nice addition to her college fund.

[tenex]

There is one problem with a PCP gun. My son isn't heavy enough to pump up the cylinders, so I have to pump up twice as many.

But who doesn't like to pump air....

Steve.

P.S. He seems to have forgotten how to clean guns as well, but that's another issue:)

[j-team]

There is one problem with a PCP gun. My son isn't heavy enough to pump up the cylinders, so I have to pump up twice as many.

But who doesn't like to pump air....

Steve.

P.S. He seems to have forgotten how to clean guns as well, but that's another issue:)

1. Buy a SCUBA tank.

2. PCP Air pistols don't need cleaning.

[william]

John, PM sent.