What is the right thing to do here?

[Firecuss]

No cash, The gun would mean a lot more to him. Something he may can pass down later on in life.

[HeyMikey]

You sound more frugal than him. If he’s done that much for you then he deserves a good gun.

Get him a nice .22 with a scope. Sight in the gun, and take him hunting.

^^^ this right here.

[Big Lee]

Marlin model 60. Not too expensive and not a piece of junk.

My exact thought

[smokeless]

After you give him the rifle, do a little gun safety with him. Sometimes the sharpest crayons in the box aren’t the safest people outdoors.

[Pedernal]

Buy him a nice .22 and a couple bricks of ammo. Take him out shooting/plinking. A friend like him is invaluable.

[ElfEyes]

Buy him a gun and it will mean more to both of y'all. New I would go Mossberg 702 pinkster. If you don't mind buying used I would go Ruger 10/22 or marlin 60 and never look back. I have both and if my house was on fire and I could only take one gun it's the 10/22

[Fishndude]

Ruger 10/22

[BURTONboy]

I would go buy him the plain blued henry lever action 22. Fantastic guns and really arent too expensive. That would last him a lifetime no doubt.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/henry-classic-lever-action-rimfire-rifle

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[Smart]

What is the right thing to do here?

You sound more frugal than him. If he’s done that much for you then he deserves a good gun.

Get him a nice .22 with a scope. Sight in the gun, and take him hunting.

Yup…. Ruger 10/22. 22s are too cheap to go the cheaper route. Since you are buying, his wanting a cheaper one shouldn’t matter anymore anyway. Buy him a quality accurate 10/22, throw a scope on it and don’t tell him it’s more than the pennies he would have spent. He doesn’t need to know what it cost.

[Hogmauler]

If he has done everything for you that you said he had why go cheap? Sounds like he’s saved you much more money over the years than you’ll spend on a .22. If I’m gonna give someone a gift , I give them something I would like to receive myself.

[Jcjohnson]

Perfect opportunity to show him what his friendship has meant to you.

[Sackett]

Set him up for success.

[BOBSTER]

Up until recently, Ruger 10/22s we’re about $200. Gift him one.

This, because if he goes out and buys a cheap one that will not function properly after a few shots, and cannot hit the side of the barn, he will not want to participate soon afterwards.

[Uncle_Milty]

Ruger 10/22……reliable, accurate & affordable. I have quite a few guns and my 10/22 easily sees more action than all the others.

[Txtourist]

I was always so jealous of my cousins 10/22’s with “banana clips” when we were kids. So many fun memories with those and a brick of ammo.
I know a guy who’s given a few people guns that he claims to have “won” in raffles when pride may have been an issue.