The Ruger Explorer Youth Rifle features an all-weather composite stock. For those that care about color be aware that it comes in black.
One of the best features that many other air rifles don’t make mention of is the air rifle is ambidextrous, which makes it the perfect air rifle for just about any kid. Being an ambidextrous makes it comfortable for both right handed and left handed shooters to shoot, no more worrying about it being awkward to hold.
Click Here for Pricing, Pictures and Reviews on Amazon.com
In addition to both right and left handers being able to shoot this gun the length and weight are best suited for kids. When compared to other air rifles the Ruger Explorer Youth has a shorter overall length, coming in at 37.125 inches. The rifle also has a lighter frame than other air rifles, weighing in at just 4.45 pounds.
Reputation
One thing that people often look at when it comes to purchasing an air rifle is the reputation of the company. Whether it is by talking to friends or even reading stuff on the internet, people want to know that the company they are buying from is reputable. They want to know they are getting a quality product, not something that is going to fall apart after a few uses.
The Ruger Explorer Youth Rifle is a .177 caliber air rifle made by Ruger. Ruger is located in Southport, Connecticut and is quite a well-known firearm manufacturing company.
Not only does the company make air rifles for youth, they also manufacturer air rifles for more experienced shooters, as well as many other firearms. Talk to just about anybody who is familiar with firearms and it is guaranteed that they will have heard of the Ruger name.
Ruger has been around for many years and they are known to stand behind their products, to them quality is very important. Talking to other firearm enthusiast will solidify that fact for you.
Reliability
Even with a youth air rifle you want something that is going to be reliable, even if you are only planning to use it for target practice. The last thing you want for any type of air rifle is for it not to fire when you pull the trigger.
Not only will the Ruger Explorer Youth Rifle shoot every time you pull the trigger, you never have to worry about fingers getting caught in the trigger. The rifle comes equipped with an anti-slam trigger-barrel safety system to keep little and big fingers safe from harm.
Another factor that goes into determining how reliable an air rifle is would be the ability to cock the rifle. More experienced shooters might not have a hard time with a rifle that is harder to cock, but that doesn’t mean they want one that is nearly impossible to cock.
For beginners having an air rifle that is easy to cock is important. The Ruger Explorer Youth Rifle is one of the easiest rifles to cock; you only need 16.5 pounds of cocking effort.
The last thing that goes into the reliability of the air rifle is how easy it is to use. The Ruger Explorer Youth is perfect for teaching younger shooters how to shoot, but is also ideal for inexperienced shooters. The automatic safety ensures the gun will not fire unless you are meaning to fire.
The rubber recoil pad helps absorb the shock of the gun as it fires. The vented cheekpiece and the thumbhole stock make the gun both easy to use and comfortable.
Accuracy
Even though this is a youth air rifle it is still important to ensure that it is accurate when it comes to shooting. Nobody wants to purchase an air rifle that is inaccurate, even for kids, after all the reason you are buying an air rifle for a kid is to teach them how to shoot, which includes aiming.
Some reports say that the accuracy is off when it comes to shooting with any kind of aim, but if you make a few adjustments things should be just fine.
The Ruger Explorer Youth comes with both front and rear sights. The front sight has a single red dot for aiming, while the rear sights have two green dots, which makes the gun a lot easier to aim. The rear sights are fully adjustable to the millimeter, simply use the 2 knobs.
With the proper adjustments you should be able to accurately shoot from 40 feet away without experiencing pellet drop, as long as you are shooting correctly, including holding your breath as you pull the trigger.
Now the air rifle doesn’t come with a scope, but that doesn’t mean one can’t be added later on. The air rifle comes with a dove tail mount for scopes.
Power
Now when you choose a rifle you want one that is going to be powerful enough for your needs. The Ruger Explorer Youth Rifle is not the most powerful gun out there, but it is powerful enough to get the job done.
Many shooters report they have been quite successful with shooting small game, such as rabbits. According to the manufacturer’s specifications he alloy pellets shot out of the rifle barrel can travel up to 495 fps.
Value
If you are looking for the best rifle for your money, he Ruger Explorer Youth Rifle is an outstanding choice. The single shot youth air rifle will only fire one pellet at a time, which means you can only load one pellet at a time, perfect for those little ones learning how to shoot.
The safety automatically engages once the rifle is cocked, so before you can shoot you must flip off the safety. No risk of shooting yourself in the foot with this little guy. Plus it comes with a lot of other features that make this a great buy for a reasonable price.
Overall
In looking at the Ruger Explorer Youth Rifle you need to realize that you are going to come across some negative feedback, as like any cheaper end air rifle it is going to have its flaws. Some reports come in complaining about the barrel locking design, as it is a plastic holder holding a metal ball in place to lock the barrel.
Some claim it doesn’t last, but majority of users have had no problems with it. This air rifle truly lives up to the Ruger name.