My brother wants to buy my nephew the Rossi single shot 22 LR/20 gauge for his first gun.
My nephew turned 10 years old back in Oct. and is not a big kid for his age. My brother dosen't hunt or fish and my nephew loves to. I have been supporting his hobbies by buying him fishing rods/reels, BB guns, pocket knives and even a hatchet.
I don't want to discourage my brother by not buying him the rifle/shotgun but at the same time I don't want him to buy junk either.
Does anyone out there have one of these Rossi's? If so, what do you think of it?
Thanks

http://www.rossiusa.com/products/pro...ry=MATCHEDPAIR

I have looked at them and for the money I think it would be a good first gun. You will probably want to upgrade to a ruger 10/22 or other nice gun later, but for a first gun it will work very well.

I bought one of these combo's for my daughter as her first gun ( 22-.410) and I think it will be a great starter for her. But my only concern is the stocks on them are VERY small and if hes 10 already it wont be long until he outgrows it. I could not imagine that he would be able to shoot it for more than 2 years until it becomes too short for him, unless of course you have someone else in the family that is young to pass it on to. Just my opinion, from someone who owns one.

Mossy,
I would think you'd be able to buy and adult stock for it form Rossi. I like the fact that the 22LR barrel is tapped for a scope.

In my opinion the NEF combo would be better. I bought one of the Rossi's for my son and though it's ok I wouldn't buy another, I have several NEF though.

I handled a Rossi .410 at Gander Mountain, and the barrel reminded me of a piece of pvc tubing. I was really not impressed -- and I'm not anti-Rossi -- I own a Rossi pump action .22lr and love it.

The NEF Combo is a little more expensive, but still very affordable and I believe it has some benefits:

1. American made -- always good to support our economy.

2. Better barrels -- just my observation from handling both.

3. Good customer support.

4. Accessories available -- Stocks are easy to find, both OEM and aftermarket.

5. Community --Check out GraybeardOutdoor.com to see the support and commrodery between NEF and H&R owners.

I picked up a .22/18ga for my 7 year old. . .a marginal gun but for $100 it is a good single shot weapon to learn with.

yeah, you are probably right duck, but then a $99 gun turns into a $175 gun and then makes you wonder why you didnt buy an NEF.

It's a good thing it's drilled and tapped .... the iron sights are only adjustable for windage. The one my son has shot about a foot high at 25 yards no way to adjust it but mount a scope. Since this is for a beginer try teaching "Kentucky windage" to a new shooter.

Hey Mossy, I don't think an adult stock for that Rossi is going to cost another $75. At most I am thinking $25 + shipping. The only thing I didn't like about the Rossi is that it doesn't have a recoil pad. I know you don't need one for the 22 LR but it would be nice to have one for the 20 gauge shotgun barrel.
When my nephew gets bigger I have a 20 gauge Mossberg pump he can use. It served my 2 sons well as they were growing up.