I turned 70 days before I became a grandfather. Because it happened so late in life I had a lot of time to plan. The little guy was a gun owner before he even entered the world. (I bought him a fishing rod too, but that’s for another time.)
It’s going to be a few years before he can use the rifle, but I found out another truth: At my age, time goes by very fast. I’ll just blink a time or two and he will be ready for me to teach him important stuff, like shooting.
My well-thought-out choice to get him started is a rifle that was designed, priced and sized to fit a kid, the Keystone Sporting Arms Chipmunk. This diminutive .22 LR is a single-shot and is purposely built for this task. Its ergonomics fit young shooters, yet it requires that it be manually cocked for each shot. That means an adult must be present, at least in the earliest years. (I might note that I am pretty much a full-grown man and all 220 pounds of me enjoys shooting this rifle too!)
Because both of his parents served in the military and are patriotic Americans, I ordered the rifle with an American motif. The red, white and blue stock has the founding documents overlaid. I expect this to spark some curiosity about America’s history. My great hope is that he will also see this rifle as the entry into the gun-guy life. It’s a direction that has sent me down the path of a life well lived, and I hope for the same for him. It might be a different road, but if it’s part of the gun culture I know he will be surrounded with good people and on a path to a fulfilling life.
In my mind this is the best starter rifle on the market for an early entry-level youngster because it is scaled down in all dimensions. Still, it got me thinking about when he is a little older and a little stronger.
I don’t think there is a set timeline, and each kid is different. But for the sake of argument, let’s say when he is around a decade or so old he will be ready to step up to hunting something other than squirrels.
Today I suppose most folks just buy their kids a youth model rifle or shotgun. Okay, but I kind of like the way we boomers did it because our guns were a lot cooler.
Let’s face it, how can a modern, plastic-stocked youth gun made by the millions compete with a world-weary Winchester 1892 lever action in .38-40? One that had been cut down to fit a kid? (Possibly with a chain saw.) It’s what I shot my first deer with in 1966. It was, and still is, the coolest gun on the planet. I have no idea where it is now as my grandfather’s guns were sold off after he died, but I would pay a king’s ransom to own it today.
“Youth” guns were few and far between back then, and I am not so sure that wasn’t a good thing in terms of family values. When youngsters started hunting, someone—dad, older brother, uncle or grandpa—would help them by loaning or giving them an old gun to use. Usually a beat up single-shot, or an unused gun laying around. (I have a couple set aside for my grandson. I hope that he and I can modify them together.)
The length of pull was usually too long for a kid’s stubby arms, so the stock had to be shortened. Sometimes the barrel as well.
The most common length of pull, the distance between the trigger and the butt end of the gun, is 13 to 15 inches. For a kid you will do well to have it around 12 inches, more or less. This is a guideline only, and you are free to adjust as necessary. It’s always best to have it shade to the long side as kids tend to grow once they find out other people eat three meals a day.
You should save the wood you cut from the stock so that when that kid grows up the gun can be made whole again. Before you turn that table saw loose, though, it’s important to ensure the stock will go back together correctly. Just gluing the pieces together will not work as well as you might hope.
Remove the buttplate or recoil pad from the stock. Drill two ¼ inch holes, one at the top and one near the bottom of the butt end of the stock. They should be deep enough to go well past the section you intend to cut off.
Using a ¼ inch hardwood dowel, make sure this will go into the hole snugly and all the way to the bottom. Then remove the dowels and cut two pieces a bit longer than the hole is deep. Make the cut to shorten the stock.
Put the piece you cut off and these two dowels in a safe place for storage. Install the shortened stock back on the gun and take the kid hunting.
After a growth spurt or two, you will be ready to return the stock to full length. Coat the dowels and the ends of the stock with glue, put it all back together. A couple of recessed wood screws will work to clamp it tight. Cut the dowels flush and put the gun back together.
Now take that kid hunting some more.
*If you choose to also shorten the business end of a rifle, be sure to buy Bryce Towsley’s book. Gunsmithing Modern Firearms contains detailed instructions on cutting and crowning the barrel with hand tools. Signed copies can be ordered at brycemtowsley.com.
