I bought my son a previous generation Benjamin in .22 with the wood stock. They were a much more traditional configuration and less expensive, but excellent performers. He has his to this day and occasionally uses it for varmints. There are a lot more options, and now with the internet developed, I'd check out air gun sites.

 

I think you are on the right track. Just get her a springer and a non variable optic or iron sights. Personally, I would teach her to use irons first because I think it’s an important skill. An optic would make it faster to get good but it’s at a price
iMO. I have a PCP that I use for backyard target shooting. It’s a blast but with a PCP you have to buy additional stuff to get going. I have a high pressure air pump that I use. Here is mine

 

I spent too much on my kids first pellet gun, they out grew it in just a few sessions, then went right to the 22LR. That stage didn't last very long either.

 

Maybe I am in the minority but I shot 22lr my entire childhood and loved it. It made me a better shooter by allowing me to shoot more and at various distances and also with trigger control. I still shoot a ton of 22lr but in admittedly a 7k+ setup and a 3k Olympic style pistol with premium ammo. I also shoot 22 PCP in my yard and my brother teaches both of his sons to shoot on both the 22lr and 22 PCP. You learn to shoot in the wind and how to actually use a scope by using the reticle and dialing elevation. It’s great for learning basic marksmanship and even more advanced skills.

 

Those Gamos will kick like a mule and will be difficult to cock. I recommend a Beeman R7/ HW30 if she is younger or. HW50 if a mid teen. Airguns of Arizona is a good domestic retailer or you can order from Krale for cheaper - they will have it on your doorstep in 3-4 days.

Air Rifles - Shop Online | Krale

Shop our large selection of air rifles from top brands including Weihrauch, Hatsan and Gamo air rifles. ✓ Fast and secure delivery ✓ wide variety. Shop now!

www.krale.shop

 

those Krales are nice. I have shot a Gamo and I didn’t think they kicked but you can definitely tell when you pull the trigger. They are far from smooth and I heard their actions are hard on scopes. Thanks for the information. I might even get one for myself when I don’t feel like messing with my air compressor.

 

I have the Gamo Fusion Whisper linked below, and I've replaced the scope with an inexpensive Vortex with Vortex rings, and I've done a minor trigger mod that makes the trigger incredibly light. My thoughts are these in no particular order.

I've learned that shooting a break-barrel air rifle is almost nothing like shooting my AR's. The hold is completely different and came with a pretty significant learning curve in order to get respectable groups and to hit my target (often pesky yard animals) where I want to hit them.

The break barrel action (cocking the rifle) would probably be too hard for kids to do themselves (which may be a good thing from a safety aspect).

From what I've read, these rifles (and other similar ones) are fairly picky about ammo in order to achieve the accuracy you're expecting. Just like most "real" rifles, there is a big assortment of bullet weights, shapes, etc and you have to find the ones that your rifle "likes". No reliability issues, just accuracy issues.

Now that I've had it for a while, I'm a better shot with it, but I did consider selling it shortly after I bought it.

It's definitely not quiet...when I want to take a shot on a squirrel (in my suburban backyard), I stand inside my house and shoot from there to avoid attracting attention.

Not sure why I was surprised by this, but they're not small or light rifles either. I'm just under 6' tall and I feel like my Gamo rifle is only a few inches shorter than I am (slight exaggeration, but you get the idea). I have 3 SBR's and an X95, so I'm used to shorter rifles.

Hope this helps.

Whisper Fusion Mach 1 .22 caliber break barrel air rifle - GAMO

The GAMO Whisper Fusion is powerful, quiet and accurate. The IGT MACH 1 gas piston delivers higher muzzle velocity.

gamousa.com

 

Great info!!!
Some clarification, my daughter is 6, this will only be used with me in out back yard together. We own 7 acres, but still live in a town, so I’ve been thinking an air rifle would be a bit better then teaching her with a 22 suppressed lol.
Again, not really looking to spend $500++ just want a decent little ‘toy’.

I don’t want any c02 cartridges to buy. I do have a large air compressor, so I can easily fill a tank if that’s a cheap alternative.

 

I got a nitro piston elite and hate it. Eats scopes, hard to cock, and shoots at a faster speed than most pellets want to stabilize at. A good variable pump is much more fun IMO

 

I own one and highly recommend it. It's a copy of an old Crossman. It's Co2 and really quiet.

Beeman QB78 Deluxe CO2 Air Rifle | Pyramyd Air

 

PCP rifles use high pressure air (3kpsi up to 4500psi) so you would need a dive compressor or similar high pressure equip to fill. Alternatively you can but a hpa pump (think bike pump but with multiple phases to achieve high pressure) and pump to fill. A shop compressor won’t work to fill a pcp airgun. (Sorry if I misinterpreted what type of compressor you have)

Here’s another good one for a child to learn on- light weight and pump action. As she improves you can increase the number of pumps to increase the power. Crosman Drifter Multi-Pump Pellet Pistol/Rifle Kit | Pyramyd Air

There are airgun tuners like Mac1 that make higher power versions of the same/similar airguns for hunting / adult use Crosman 1322 AirPistol

 

RWS makes a great pellet rifle. Check out air gun depot.com they have tons of options.

 

Or you could start her off on the path of no return like the rest of us. This one is a hoot, fully functional, and has recoil lol.

 

LoL right, just looking for something simple ish at this point.

Looking atRSW now.