Ok friends, my daughter is expecting a baby boy in May and this soon to be Grandpa ( for the first time! ) is gonna start making him a rifle. I was thinking about #2 or #4 Rolling Block converted to center fire and chambered in .25-21 Stevens. Shotgun butt, oct. bbl. Whaddya think? Any other ideas? What would you put together? Let's have fun and get creative here.

Scott

Longrider,

  Can't say I'd do much different than what you want to do. If you think the .25 cal. is the way to go I don't think you can do any better than the .25/21 you're purposing. It's supposed to be the best of that caliber class. With Ken putting on some engraving it ought to be one humdinger of a rifle!

PETE

All young boys & girls ought to have a good single shot as a first rifle, and I pray that Colton's grandpa gets to spend many years shooting with him.  I taught my sons and now my grandson with a couple of Winder muskets, and that brings me to an observation and a question.

First my observation.  Before kids (or anyone else) become familiar with guns, they have been exposed to a bunch of horror stories about recoil and tend to be somewhat shy of anything bigger than a .22.  Over the years, I have suggested to 4 different kids that maybe it was time to move from the .22 to my .32-20 low wall, and all 4 viewed the jump with a lot of fear.  So Colton's grandpa has a major education job ahead of him.  Now my questions.   

First, how old should a normal kid be before he or she is allowed to shoot?  That the shooting should be strictly supervised is a given.   

Second, how much ammunition should you expect to burn up teaching the basics; pointing and "aiming", trigger control, sight pictures, etc.?  I am just starting the 3rd brick of .22 shorts with the Winder musket for my grandson, and he is beginning to get a pretty firm grasp of the idea, but it took a lot of patience and a lot of tolerance for what looks like plinking.

FWIW, seems to me that along with building the rifle, a lot of effort should be put into casting good bullets & putting them away for future educational projects.  Same goes for cartridge cases.  Will we be allowed such things when Colton is 12?  Will RMC still be in business?  And powder & primers.  Remember the problems getting primers a few years back? Colton needs a hope chest full of goodies to go along with the rifle.

Longrider:

It obvious we have a dilema here. The .25-21  on a Remington #2 would be great. I recently obtained .25-21 on a 44.5 action and I can't wait until the glaciers recede so I can play with it.  As for the barrel,  I understand that Green Mountain is going to make a limited run of .25 barrels in #2 Winchester tapered octagon. You might want to get in line.

Howsomever, Dale is right.  A .22 rf is the ideal place for a young one to start. A light rifle and lots of ammo is the secret. Can't beat a .22 for that.

Fortunately I am here to solve this conundrum. I like the .25 caliber #2 but it is abit much of a gun for a youngster. Shucks, he will have to be all of 5 or 6 years old before he can handle it. What's he gonna do 'til then?

Build him a #4 in .22 rf  to start with and then get working on the #2 for when he is ready.

No thanks necessary, it is all part of the job...

Glenn

Guys, I'm thinking a #2 taper barrel might be a tad heavy for a boy's rifle...how about one of the barrels GM makes for lever action rifles?  I think they're 26" long, and taper from .875 to .750 or so, and are available in both .22 and .25 calibers.

I'm gathering parts for the same project, my little Grandpa's buddy will be 4 in June.  At the rate I work, the rifle might be finished by the time he's old enough to shoot it....

Scott, I'd be happy to donate a stockfitting to your project...heck, if you find a No. 2 action, I even have a pattern that might be persuaded to work.

Greg Pennell

Well, if you can't find a good low-wall action to build it on... 8)

Actually, if I were doing this project, I would look very hard at the slick side low-wall action and the little pistol weight lever gun barrel from Grn Mtn mentioned previously.  I would chamber it in the more-commonly available .25-20 repeater (WCF) so the kid could have LOTS of brass, teach him to cast bullets, buy Unique and primers in bulk, and tell the kid, "Here...wear this out!"

I have that very project in the works now except with a "grownup sized" stock and in .25-20 SS which I DON'T advise you try at home (I am a professional -  ) and it looks 'way cool with the "tulip" at the breech end made possible by Grn Mtn's grinding technique on that barrel...I highly recommend this barrel for a small shooter or if the rifle will be carried a lot.

I just wish MY grandfather had built this rifle for me about 55 years ago!   

Regards,
Charlie the Frog

I started my grandson Zach off with a Wn High Wall in 32-40 when he was 12 years old.  He is very small yet but had no problem with IMR 4227 and a 198 grn bullet.  He won 1st place from the bench at 200 yards at Eau Claire in his first year,  This year he is moving to a Wn High Wall in 40-65 and a much bigger bullet.  He loves it!  One of these days he will get big enough to stand up an shoot like a man.

Ed Tilford

Works for me, I have heard good things about this little cart.   Ken