Mehul,

Sorry for the late reply but I have had other things on my mind.

You could buy Mehar the most expensive rifle on earth or have it customised by the best gunsmith but neither option would mean as much to her as having a gun that 'daddy made for me'. Not only will she cherish it but you can be certain it will get passed down to her children.

Now, I know you have been meaning to learn a bit of amateur gunsmithing and I cannot think of a better reason to do so. You also have a lot of time to make something exceptional.

You can forget about a 5 year old shooting a heavy target rifle, except from a bench or some such support. It may not work and if frustration sets in you will end up driving her away from the sport.

What you present her with and what you start her off with needn't necessarily be the same thing. I agree with John303 about starting her off with a BB gun. Something like a Daisy Red Ryder would be ideal. If the rifle isn't a tack driver make the targets bigger and/or the ranges shorter. What is important is that they must thoroughly enjoy themselves (they love reactive targets rather than shooting at paper) and feel a great sense of achievement. At 5 years old she isn't going to understand the sentiment behind your presenting her with a super custom rifle. By all means make one or have one made but start her off with something she can easily use. Even a pop-gun if it comes to that.

Here's a pic of Shubaair and Shane with the air-rifles I cobbled up for them during their recent summer vacation. Shubaair who was never interested in shooting is the exact opposite once he started hitting the tin cans consistently.