Youth Stock Options for Short LOP

[SloppyJ]

Hello everyone. I'm about to order my son his first centerfire rifle for his 7th birthday. He's not a big kid but is catching up quickly. I'm pretty set on a Tikka Compact .223 but open to other options if it makes sense. Bonus for a threaded barrel to use a suppressor.

He shoots a Savage Rascal 22lr right now with a red dot and has really surprised me with his accuracy. The rifles are still a bit heavy for him so we've been shooting off of tripods.

The Rascal is still a bit too long at 11.25" LOP. What are the best options that aren't overly heavy to throw the action in? Looking for as much adjustibility as possible so he can get comfortable and use a scope. I'll probably throw my trijicon 3x9 on there for him and upgrade my optic.

I can cut the tikka stock down and im not opposed but at the rate he's growing I think it would only be good for this year. I'd hate to have to find a new stock every year or two so I'm hoping there might be a chassis or another type of adjustable stock that would work better.

Would love to hear how you setup your kid's first rifle. I have a couple months to gather parts before his birthday.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

once a kid hits 4' tall the tikka compact stock should work. if he's shorter than that it can be real tricky, i would probably look for a chassis that uses an AR style adjustable but

 

[Formidilosus]

Hello everyone. I'm about to order my son his first centerfire rifle for his 7th birthday. He's not a big kid but is catching up quickly. I'm pretty set on a Tikka Compact .223 but open to other options if it makes sense. Bonus for a threaded barrel to use a suppressor.

Tikka T3x Hunter .223 Rem 16.1" 1:8" 1/2"x28" Bbl Matte Hunter Stock/Blued 3rd Ranch Rifle JRTXAR312/16

Tikka T3x Hunter .223 Rem 16.1" 1:8" 1/2"x28" Bbl Matte Hunter Stock/Blued 3rd Ranch Rifle JRTXAR312/16 For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

He shoots a Savage Rascal 22lr right now with a red dot and has really surprised me with his accuracy. The rifles are still a bit heavy for him so we've been shooting off of tripods.

The Rascal is still a bit too long at 11.25" LOP. What are the best options that aren't overly heavy to throw the action in? Looking for as much adjustibility as possible so he can get comfortable and use a scope. I'll probably throw my trijicon 3x9 on there for him and upgrade my optic.

I can cut the tikka stock down and im not opposed but at the rate he's growing I think it would only be good for this year. I'd hate to have to find a new stock every year or two so I'm hoping there might be a chassis or another type of adjustable stock that would work better.

Would love to hear how you setup your kid's first rifle. I have a couple months to gather parts before his birthday.

With that wood stock, cut it down to fit cleanly, then you can add slices back as he grows.

 

[ARK_Ginger]

About to be in the same boat and I've been concerned about the LOP and the weight on the Tikkas as well.

I'll be buying a standard rascal here soon that will be threaded to add a can, but it looks like it'll need a red dot after since the irons aren't high enough.

@Formidilosus Do you see any disadvantage to starting out with a red dot on a hunting rifle to keep the weight down? Obviously the shots I'm considering will be well within 150 yards

 

[Kurts86]

Synthetic Tikka sticks will cut down super short quite well. I cut one down for a friend to 11” LOP and the screw pillars go at least 2-3” deep. I would drill in dowels before cutting any stock to get alignment back in the future. For what it’s worth I might just buy a full sized stock to cut down and then use the compact in the future. The full sized stocks are $75-100 all day long and compacts are quite a bit more on the used market.

 

[Formidilosus]

@Formidilosus Do you see any disadvantage to starting out with a red dot on a hunting rifle to keep the weight down? Obviously the shots I'm considering will be well within 150 yards

Yes and no. They’re certainly easier to aim initially, but they also are harder to shoot well with and people tend to get lazy and frustrated when they go to a scope after a red dot. What I’ve seen is that if someone isn’t able to learn to use a small fixed 4x scope, they aren’t ready to be shooting animals.

I also am very firm in that for someone to hunt they must be able to handle the rifle total by themselves with no help- if they can’t do that, you are just setting them up for failure.


I would highly suggest reading this in its entirety-

Kids rifle manifesto

I've chimed in on so many different "what rifle for my age XX kid?" threads that I thought I'd try to consolidate my thoughts here. My oldest son is 14 now, started shooting centerfire rifles at 9. My younger kids started shooting centerfire rifles at between 5-7 yrs old. 5 kids shooting now...

rokslide.com

 

[ARK_Ginger]

Yes and no. They’re certainly easier to aim initially, but they also are harder to shoot well with and people tend to get lazy and frustrated when they go to a scope after a red dot. What I’ve seen is that if someone isn’t able to learn to use a small fixed 4x scope, they aren’t ready to be shooting animals.

I also am very firm in that for someone to hunt they must be able to handle the rifle total by themselves with no help- if they can’t do that, you are just setting them up for failure.


I would highly suggest reading this in its entirety-

Kids rifle manifesto

I've chimed in on so many different "what rifle for my age XX kid?" threads that I thought I'd try to consolidate my thoughts here. My oldest son is 14 now, started shooting centerfire rifles at 9. My younger kids started shooting centerfire rifles at between 5-7 yrs old. 5 kids shooting now...

rokslide.com

Any recommendations on a 4x? I've got a 6x SWFA, but that with a tikka even cut down seemed to be a little heavier than I believe my kid is ready for. A howa mini is a bit lighter so I was throwing around that option as well, because I do want them to be able to handle everything themselves.

 

[JustiSmi]

My 11-year-old son is left-handed and there aren't many "compact" options for lefties. So I bought him a LH Ruger American Predator. I cut the factory stock down 1" and installed a "LimbSaver Ruger American Compact and All-Weather Compact"(that is the product name on Amazon) recoil pad that fits well enough. The stock, when cut, had places for the screws that lined up with the new recoil pad. It's not the prettiest thing, but I wouldn't have bought a Ruger American if I wanted pretty.

I also installed a Stock-Tek cheek riser for him to stay consistent and it's been great. We'll need something larger at some point, but right now this is great.

 

[Formidilosus]

Any recommendations on a 4x? I've got a 6x SWFA, but that with a tikka even cut down seemed to be a little heavier than I believe my kid is ready for.

I would find an old M8 Leupold or an old Weaver K4.

A howa mini is a bit lighter so I was throwing around that option as well, because I do want them to be able to handle everything themselves.

The Mini is lighter, but they feed rough, and the bolt lift can be heavy enough that children have issues with them.

 

[ThatDUDE]

The Mini is lighter, but they feed rough, and the bolt lift can be heavy enough that children have issues with them.

I can second kids having a hard time with the Howa mini's. My 8 year old daughter had a hell of time cycling the bolt on my Howa Mini. She couldn't do it from prone. My 12 year old manages it just fine.

 

[SloppyJ]

Tikka T3x Hunter .223 Rem 16.1" 1:8" 1/2"x28" Bbl Matte Hunter Stock/Blued 3rd Ranch Rifle JRTXAR312/16

Tikka T3x Hunter .223 Rem 16.1" 1:8" 1/2"x28" Bbl Matte Hunter Stock/Blued 3rd Ranch Rifle JRTXAR312/16 For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

With that wood stock, cut it down to fit cleanly, then you can add slices back as he grows.

I didn't know they made that model. Thank you! I can't find it anywhere but Europtic and not even on the tikka site. I'll call them tomorrow and see if they have any idea on how long it's on backorder. It would be perfect and save me some smith fees chopping and threading another model.

 

[Mountain_Life]

I have a new condition synthetic Tikka youth stock if interested. Was taken off the rifle immediately after purchase.

Edit to add: sold pending funds.

 

[MaraviaDave]

Home

Manufacturer of hunting stocks, competition and tactical rifle stocks. Designed with ruggedness, stability, accuracy and ergonomics in mind.

mannersstocks.com

Here’s an option that would allow you to use a Tikka barreled action, with an adjustable LOP and cheek piece that will accommodate a growing shooter.

I’ve got a similar setup for my 5, 7 and 9 year old kids. (Manners CS stock, Rem 700 SA mini-chassis) They primarily use the stock with a Vudoo 22LR barreled action, for practice, mostly from the prone and shooting from the standing using a tripod/Tac-Table/Pint Sized Game Changer. For hunting we’ll swap to a suppressed centerfire barreled action.

So far, they’ve shot close to 800 rimfire rounds through the gun. The ability to manage the rifle and shoot with a good blend of speed (follow-up shots) and precision has been very good for the 7 and 9 year old kids. My 5 year old is mostly practicing the fundamentals of shooting from the prone, while using a rear bag.

My 7 and 9 year old kids will be black bear hunting on POW island (Alaska) this fall. Focusing on bears fishing Salmon streams. Which should give them a low’ish pressure hunting scenario (lots of time to shoot, plenty of shooting opportunities, etc).

Shooting with kids is great!! Best of luck getting a set-up that will work for yours!

 

[Cannonball]

Bergara Stoke is an option I would have looked at if it were available when I got my daughter a T3x compact. It is threaded, cerakoted, and has adjustable LOP stock

 

[TheM1DoesMyTalking]

I can second kids having a hard time with the Howa mini's. My 8 year old daughter had a hell of time cycling the bolt on my Howa Mini. She couldn't do it from prone. My 12 year old manages it just fine.

Good to know! I had considered the Howa mini but it sounds like I'll avoid that frustration.

I didn't know they made that model. Thank you! I can't find it anywhere but Europtic and not even on the tikka site. I'll call them tomorrow and see if they have any idea on how long it's on backorder. It would be perfect and save me some smith fees chopping and threading another model.

I'm waiting for Tikka to release this model in stainless steel, then I'll buy one...or three of them.

 

[SloppyJ]

Good to know! I had considered the Howa mini but it sounds like I'll avoid that frustration.


I'm waiting for Tikka to release this model in stainless steel, then I'll buy one...or three of them.

If I could find the blued one I'd buy it but here we are.

 

[ryjack70ss]

Tikka T3x Hunter .223 Rem 16.1" 1:8" 1/2"x28" Bbl Matte Hunter Stock/Blued 3rd Ranch Rifle JRTXAR312/16

Tikka T3x Hunter .223 Rem 16.1" 1:8" 1/2"x28" Bbl Matte Hunter Stock/Blued 3rd Ranch Rifle JRTXAR312/16 For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

With that wood stock, cut it down to fit cleanly, then you can add slices back as he grows.

Anyone have thoughts on a youth lefty option? Ideally in 223 or 22 creed. Shoots the savage rascal well. He has been shooting left handed a few years now and would rather not have him learning on a right handed bolt if possible. Weatherby makes a new youth model that looks awesome but only right handed. Thanks!

 

[Alpha Echo]

Anyone have thoughts on a youth lefty option? Ideally in 223 or 22 creed. Shoots the savage rascal well. He has been shooting left handed a few years now and would rather not have him learning on a right handed bolt if possible. Weatherby makes a new youth model that looks awesome but only right handed. Thanks!

Is he actually left eye dominant? If he's right eye dominant, it might be worth ripping the bandage off and having him learn to shoot righty...take it from someone who suffers southpawitis (hand and eye) and has a bear of a time finding firearms.