Air rifle recommendation for 11 year old

[Badda]

My son has started shooting with the scouts and absolutely loves it. Naturally he wants his own rifle and we’ve got a decent sized plot so entirely appropriate for setting up a safe range, without danger of pellets leaving the area.
I’ve read up on regulations etc and am comfortable with that side of things and also have a shooting club a mile away that he intends to join.

However, there are so many brands out there now and am after a recommendation for an 11 year old. I’d consider a good pre owned one but he’s keen on plastic rather than wood for weight reasons. Budget around £100-150. Any thoughts appreciated.

[Mannginger]

https://www.theairguncentre.com/product/gamo-whisp...

Something like this I'd guess. Gamo is basically BSA nowadays so should be nice and simple and reliable

[DocJock]

If it's just for a bit of plinking by your lad, a spring rifle should be ok.

https://www.justairguns.co.uk/crosman-inferno-air-...

Bought my lad one of these for pest control and it does the job well enough. Cheap enough to add a telescopic sight and ammo keeping under your limit.

JAG were a doddle to deal with as well.

[the-norseman]

I had/still have a BSA Meteor when I was 11.

[bobtail4x4]

check what the law says about an unsupervised under 14 yr old with a "firearm".

https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/answers/shooting-answ...

[Cabinet Enforcer]

Some 11 year olds are quite big, you may need a .22 rather than an air rifle to ensure you bag your quarry.

[Dicky Knee]

There is a 'PH Gun Cabinet' thread running in Sports:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

A lot of shotgun content but you may get a few more tips over there.

[foggy]

Weihrauch HW99 all day long if he’s a bigger lad, otherwise HW30. Simple break barrel springers you can shoot on the open sights or with a scope.

From memory, all Scout shooting is .177 so that guides calibre. Flatter pellet trajectory in .177 too for easier sighting at various ranges.

Make it fun shooting ice cubes, sugar cubes, pasta, conkers or acorns etc. Explodes nicely and minimal clear up required. Although blasting a queue of old toy cars was fun too! And of course tin cans.

Edited by foggy on Sunday 21st January 21:30

[Badda]

Mannginger said:

https://www.theairguncentre.com/product/gamo-whisp...

Something like this I'd guess. Gamo is basically BSA nowadays so should be nice and simple and reliable

Over budget but thanks.

[Badda]

DocJock said:

If it's just for a bit of plinking by your lad, a spring rifle should be ok.

https://www.justairguns.co.uk/crosman-inferno-air-...

Bought my lad one of these for pest control and it does the job well enough. Cheap enough to add a telescopic sight and ammo keeping under your limit.

JAG were a doddle to deal with as well.

Thanks, we’d looked at that and so great to hear a recommendation!

[Byker28i]

foggy said:

Weihrauch HW99 all day long if he’s a bigger lad, otherwise HW30. Simple break barrel springers you can shoot on the open sights or with a scope.

From memory, all Scout shooting is .177 so that guides calibre. Flatter pellet trajectory in .177 too for easier sighting at various ranges.

Make it fun shooting ice cubes, sugar cubes, pasta, conkers or acorns etc. Explodes nicely and minimal clear up required. Although blasting a queue of old toy cars was fun too! And of course tin cans.

Edited by foggy on Sunday 21st January 21:30

Consider springer vs gas fill, especially if plinking at home.

HW99 as well. I have one, brilliant bit of kit, although I bought my lad a BSA scorpion because they are very easy to shoot low recoil so easy to get good results, but you do have to fill it If away from the club, then the stirrup pump van get tiring, but you get about 60 shots per fill.

I'd probably start cheap second hand and then buy better if he continues with it.

Consider a sandbag to help with aiming, plus they do really nice chalk targets now, little disks that pop when you hit them. Fun at distance and easy to see when you hit.

[Badda]

More good tips thanks

The hw30 and 99 look lovely but at 3x the budget…not really relevant.

[Byker28i]

Check Guntrader for second hand
https://www.guntrader.uk/guns/air-rifles

Most of the cheap ones will be break barrels

Edited by Byker28i on Monday 22 January 09:32

[Johnspex]

A friend gave me a springer so my 10 year Old grandson can shoot it under my supervision.
The best bit is he can't cock on his own because it's too stiff/strong .
That means he can't possibly shoot it without full supervision.

[croyde]

Mannginger said:

https://www.theairguncentre.com/product/gamo-whisp...

Something like this I'd guess. Gamo is basically BSA nowadays so should be nice and simple and reliable

I've had one of those for years without the whisper. Nice rifle and pretty accurate.

[PH5121]

the-norseman said:

I had/still have a BSA Meteor when I was 11.

I still have the BSA Meteor that I got when I was 8, although these days it's used by one of my sons, the other has a BSA Comet Evo Silentium, which these days costs a touch over £150.

Edited by PH5121 on Monday 22 January 12:53

[ATG]

croyde said:

Mannginger said:

https://www.theairguncentre.com/product/gamo-whisp...

Something like this I'd guess. Gamo is basically BSA nowadays so should be nice and simple and reliable

I've had one of those for years without the whisper. Nice rifle and pretty accurate.

I've got a Whisper X ... break barrel 22. Good bit of kit. Quite light. Accurate and reliable in my experience. I think they're around £190 new, so a secondhand one might fit the bill. Just under FAC power limit. Need to be treated with respect.

Break barrels take a bit more skill to shoot accurately than an air rifle running on compressed air or a rimfire 22, because you have to deal with recoil while the pellet is still the barrel. You can see that as part of the challenge and the fun, or it can just be frustrating. Depends on your mentality. Worth keeping in mind.

[the-norseman]

PH5121 said:

I still have the BSA Meteor that I got when I was 8, although these days it's used by one of my sons, the other has a BSA Comet Evo Silentium, which these days costs a touch over £150.

Edited by PH5121 on Monday 22 January 12:53

My mate currently has my Meteor stripped down although were having issues identifying what MK it is, the serial number starts with a H and everybody is saying it should be two letters ie TH for MK5 .22

Hoping to convert it to gas rather than spring, some Australian company does a gas conversion kit.

[BrettMRC]

I'd join:
https://airgunforums.co.uk/

Plenty of knoweldge and help, plus once you get to 50 posts you can access the classifieds and save a bit of money where people pass on rifles their children have moved on from etc.

(I'd also echo HW30 in .177 as mentioned above)

[TGCOTF-dewey]

Another consideration might be an air soft sniper rifle.

I considered an air rifle but opted for an air soft as they're less powerful in case they decide to use it without supervision.

They still get to learn about zeroing a weapon and gun safety, and there is less chance of them hurting themselves, their friends, or a neighbours cat.

My son has a 3/4 accuracy international arctic warfare rep. It's surprisingly accurate too given fires biodegradable balls.