First Rifle for a 12 year old - HW30?

[Weasle]

A good 'non shooting' friend of mine, has asked for a recommendation for his 12 year old son's first Rifle.
I immediately thought about all of the good things I've heard about the HW30....although I have never shot one personally.
Can the knowledgeable members offer advise from their experiences, and do both .177 & .22 shoot equally as well (?) - although I would imagine that the .22 will have a softer shot cycle.

Many thanks in advance

Steve

[Segata]

I've never got mine going but the Diana/Original 25 is supposed to be a real good choice for a younger shooter and the stocks certainly a good fit for a smaller frame.
It will probably be a good idea to have him shoulder a few though and see what fits him best (and maybe gives him a few years of growing too although you can often just change the stock between junior and adult rifles with a slip on Butt pad extenstion working in the intrim).
Just make sure your friend knows that legally the lad can't own the rifle until he's 18 so it'll be officially your Mates until then (just if he takes it somewhere etc although I'm sure he'll be responsible) and he needs an adult present when shooting.

[les allam]

The Hw30s would definitely get my vote in either cal.
I used my one in .177 to good effect on the bell target,at the recent Boinger Bash event,using open sights.
I also shot a nicely tuned.22 version that was a scope only version,and enjoyed the experience .
Les..

[ashf9999]

Both calibre HW30s shoot softly - at least my .177 and a mates .22. Others reckon they can do with a strip down immediately from new, but it seems we were therefore ‘lucky’ with our ones as they were both very smooth right out the box (and no graunching on cocking).

I’d certainly recommend one for an 11 year old. It’s still great fun even for a 47 year old…

[crowbar]

The Cometa 220 is a sweet shooting rifle with a one piece cocking link so it does not chew the comp tube and a angled breech so the barrel closes cleanly and the transfer port is shorter than most at 12mm .

[TonyL]

I would also fully endorse the HW30. Very easy to cock and use. Superb trigger and accuracy. It does shoot very softly in both calibres. The only potential Achille's heel is the possibility of the cocking lever "galling" on the cylinder and might need attending to. But the quality nature and performance of this terrific little rifle would outweigh that hugely for me.

[gsxrman]

BSA Ultra JSR!

[tinbum]

An HW30s (not the mkii with perfekt trigger) in .177 for cheaper pellets, and German (sub 5.5 ft-lb) spring for easier cocking and even milder firing cycle, is the perfect first step on the shooting ladder

[AdeC]

I hope this 12 year old has adult sized arms as the HW30 pull length and trigger reach are not junior size!

[Mach 1.5]

Could also have a look at the remington express compact. Mach 1.5

[ashf9999]

I hope this 12 year old has adult sized arms as the HW30 pull length and trigger reach are not junior size!

Yes it is. Are you thinking of the 35?

[32:1]

The Cometa 220 is a sweet shooting rifle with a one piece cocking link so it does not chew the comp tube and a angled breech so the barrel closes cleanly and the transfer port is shorter than most at 12mm .

Excellent choice

Absolutely brilliant little gun, light, smooth and slick out the box and at 9.5ftlb perfect for plinking and pesting, I bought the grandson one and was so impressed Ive bought two more for myself, one of each barrel length options offered by Cometa.
He’s 10 and gets a weekly allocation of one tin of pellets which he gets through over most weekends 😂

[ashf9999]

Again, the HW30 has the Weihrauch Rekord trigger - the best you’ll find on any production junior gun. A decent trigger being incredibly important when teaching a young person how to shoot, and it helps reduce the chance of flinching on firing. Power of this gun is 7-8 ft/lbs, and it is consistent and excellent. Plus they hold their value.

Take a look at this review from across the pond (it’s in 4 parts and pretty thorough) https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2021/04/hw-30s-part-1/

[TonyL]

Excellent choice

Absolutely brilliant little gun, light, smooth and slick out the box and at 9.5ftlb perfect for plinking and pesting, I bought the grandson one and was so impressed Ive bought two more for myself, one of each barrel length options offered by Cometa.
He’s 10 and gets a weekly allocation of one tin of pellets which he gets through over most weekends 😂

The Cometa does sound to be an excellent little rifle and it's apparent from your many positive posts that you are enjoying your experience with a good few rifles from the range. That grandson of yours must be getting to be a very competent shot now, getting through plenty of pellets.

[TonyL]

Again, the HW30 has the Weihrauch Rekord trigger - the best you’ll find on any production junior gun. A decent trigger being incredibly important when teaching a young person how to shoot, and it helps reduce the chance of flinching on firing. Power of this gun is 7-8 ft/lbs, and it is consistent and excellent. Plus they hold their value.

Take a look at this review from across the pond (it’s in 4 parts and pretty thorough) https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2021/04/hw-30s-part-1/

Absolutely.

It was after seeing many glowing reports from across the pond that really spurred me on to get my first one in early 2010 (I have four now!). Todd Cooper's review was very thorough indeed. And there'll be one to be found from Dave's Airgun Reviews that's also very good. My thinking was that if the shooters over there can be so impressed with this little, low powered rifle when they have easy access to much higher powered rifles, this little rifle really must be something special. It is. And I know a good many grown-up shooters who own them (mainly attendees at the Boinger Bashes) who own them and are well and truly smitten.