Best BB Gun for Kids


As you explore your options for your child’s first airgun, you should be wisely asking yourself, “Which is the best BB gun for my child?”

We’ll help you answer that question with 9 great BB guns for children and why they would work with a particular age group.

Daisy Red Ryder

The classic BB gun. This airgunOpens in a new tab. became and has remained a classic airgun because of a number of simple reasons. The Red Ryder is great for children, being easy to cock and easy to use, being sized down to fit a child (though there are adult models available) and having a lower power level make this gun great for children to start out on, suitable for many ages.

With an easy to use tab for oiling, and with little need to clean the gun, the Red Ryder is very easy to maintain, just put a drop of pellgun oil in that hole every now and again and you will be good.

This gun shoots at about 235 fps, which is just about the lowest power on the market, which is another reason that you might want your child to start out on this airgun. A young child should have no problem cocking this thing at all, though Daisy recommends that youngsters ten years and older handle this gun.

Be careful about ricochets though, because the BB’s are easily able to bounce around when they hit something hard.

Daisy Buck

The Daisy BuckOpens in a new tab. is a very similar product to the Red Ryder, but lacks the front grip like a Red Ryder has, giving it a different feel. This lever action BB gun boasts similar statistics to the Red Ryder, coming in at an fps of about 235, with a scaled down size for children, but is cheaper than the Red Ryder by about half.

The Buck is also easy to maintain, with little need for cleaning, and coming with the same easy access oiling hole.

Again, a young child like an eight year old should not have difficulty cocking this gun, though Daisy recommends that a ten year old or older handle this gun.

Suitable for backyard plinking, this gun may help your child make fond memories for years to come.

Daisy Model 25

Okay, you may be noticing a trend now, and that is because Daisy has a lot of great products for children. The Model 25Opens in a new tab. is a bit different than our other options so far, as it has a pump action. Yeah, kind of weird, but it gives the gun an entirely different feel.

Coming in at about 350 fps, this gun would require just a tad more responsibility than our previous options but is suitable for children about ten years old and older.

Equipped with a magazine that slides out of the front of the gun, cocking is a breeze. You may find that this gun makes a great addition to your son or daughter’s childhood memories.

Daisy Match Grade Avanti Champion

The AvantiOpens in a new tab. is a little different from our other BB guns in a different way than the Model 25. While the Avanti is a lever action BB gun of only about 240 fps, making its power level on par with the Red Ryder and the Buck, this thing is designed to be as accurate as a BB gun can be, making precision marksmanship practice a legitimate possibility.

Where most other BB guns are really only suitable for backyard plinking, and maybe close range target practice, the internal workings of this gun make it much more accurate than most others. This is a muzzle loading gun, there are no repeating mechanics inside.

If you want your youngster to be able to practice accuracy with a gun that can do it, then this is the gun for you.

Crosman Pumpmaster

Okay, now we are moving into a little different territory. ThisOpens in a new tab. airgun is a multi pump, requiring between three and ten pumps from the gun in order to ready a shot instead of simply one. This makes the gun harder to cock, but can give it some more power. You can also change the power level of this particular gun by pumping it different amounts, less for less power more for more.

Most children under about 12 would have difficulty pumping a gun like this, and with this particular one, I asked my twelve yer old sister to pump it to see what it would be like for her, and she was able to do so, but with some difficulty.

BUT, if your child is old enough and strong enough to pump it, then this gun would make a great airgun for your family. Maxing out at 537 fps with BB’s at ten pumps, and coming down to 315 at 3 pumps with BB’s, this airgun is able adapt well to your child’s needs.

This gun is also very light, weighing just two pounds.

The Pumpmaster is also the first gun on our list to shoot both BB’s and lead pellets, increasing its adaptability for you and your family. A thirteen year old may be able to enjoy this gun well.

Crosman Recruit

My brother started out on the recruit so I know well that it works for a child. It has many similar features to the Pumpmaster, coming with a magazine for pellets, and needing between three and ten pumps per shot. Being a multi pump, it has an inherent customizable power out put, similar fps ratings as the Pumpmaster, and the ability to shoot both lead pellets and BB’s.

I know my brother enjoyed this gun, and I know that any child strong enough to pump it might enjoy it too.

Daisy 880 Multi Pump

ThisOpens in a new tab. airgun is another great multi pump for a child, being easy to pump and handle. The 880 only needs two pumps to get an effective shot, but also will handle up to ten pumps in between shots.

This gun is also able to handle both BB’s and pellets, with a bolt action. We would recommend this airgun for children about 12 years old.

Remington Airmaster 77

I stared out on this airgun, so I know it well. I personally really enjoyed shooting this thing, and I got it on my twelfth birthday. I remember at that age that it was a bit tough to pump all the way to ten pumps, but manageable for sure, though I understand more now that I simply did not need to pump up that much.

My friends and I enjoyed shooting both pellets and BB’s out of this thing, and were safe while doing so.

I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed shooting this thing, but I would recommend that this airgun go to a child a bit older, like maybe 12 or 13, as it can be a bit tough, is pretty heavy for a child, and has a much higher fps rating, about 750 at max power.

Crosman 1077

Okay, we are cheating a little bit with this one, as it is a pellet gun, not a BB gun, but it is really quite fun regardless. Spitting pellets at about 680 fps, it comes out at about the same power level that our multi pumps do at max power.

Our first CO2 powered airgun on this list, the Crosman 1077Opens in a new tab. is the only semi automatic airgun, requiring no cocking effort. Instead, power is supplied by a CO2 canister inserted into a tube under the barrel, and pellets are loaded into a magazine from under the gun.

We’d recommend this one for a child about 12 years of age.

What Makes These Good Choices?

Understandably, you might not want to see your child running around with a firearm, and so the low power of these guns makes them good for just about anything that is not hunting or airsoft.

These guns are not airsoft guns, and are not at all intended to be shot at other people, but their low power level does make them safe, and that was the primary reason that we chose these guns.

In fact, the smaller powered airguns on this list have about half of the energy needed to break human skin. They can still leave a nasty welt, and I wouldn’t want to play around with getting shot at point blank range, but BB guns are quite safe, and only very rare and unfortunate accidents cause injury or death.

I have personally shot almost all of these guns, and I thoroughly enjoyed them, so I am confident that your child will too.

Any Safety Tips for My Child?

I do have some safety tips, thanks for asking! Something to remember of course is that BB’s are spherical and hard. Great, so what? Well, because BB’s are hard and round, they do not deform on impact, and are prone to ricochets. Be careful of shooting concrete and rocks, as that will almost guarantee a ricochet.

Lead pellets spend some of their energy on impact deforming themselves, and BB’s do not, just by virtue of being hard steel. This means that when a pellet ricochets, it has only a fraction of its energy, while BB’s hold on to a large amount of energy as they bounce around.

Wearing safety glasses can help to negate some of the danger from a ricochet or an otherwise errant BB, and I recommend this, as I may or may not have accidentally or on purpose without thinking fired a BB gun in my own garage and while hearing the thing ricochet on almost every surface hoped and prayed that my eyes were safe.

Also, BB guns are a great excuse to teach the basic rules of firearm safety, including:

  • Never pointing your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
  • Keeping your finger off of the trigger until ready to fire.
  • Always treat the gun like it cocked and loaded.
  • Keeping the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.

That first one could be especially important, as it may be easy for a child to forget that these are not airsoft guns. A colleague of mine was playing with his brother as a child and ended up taking a BB right between his eyes, which promptly knocked him out for a few seconds, so just be careful, and everyone will have a good time.

Tanner Rydalch

Hey there, I'm Tanner. I grew up in Idaho, where there is plenty of space for shooting. I think Airguns can be a lot of fun and are a great introduction to firearms.

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