My son will be turning 5 in august and I think its time to start teaching him how to shoot. We stopped at Gander Mountain the other day and found two guns that fit him. A .22lr cricket and a 410 shotgun. I want to buy him both but I am having a hard time deciding which to get first. I want to take him for squirel on a mentored youth hunt when small game season starts. I was figuring I would much rather not let him shoot a .22lr in the woods yet, as the bullet can travel much further than a shotgun shell. Both of the guns are fairly cheap with the cricket costing $99 and the 410 coming in at $180. I got him a bb gun a couple months ago but the trigger is way to heavy for him to pull. Because the trigger is to heavy he never hits anything. I need to get him shooting holes in paper to build his confidence, plus my in-laws have him convinced the bb gun is just another toy for him to play with.
So my question is which of the two guns do you guys think would be best for him to start learning with. I will buy both of them before we go hunting but I am looking for advice on which one to buy now. The 410 will be what he will hunt with and will be easier to see instant results(more holes in one shot). The .22lr will help me teach him about using the sights and the basics of good shooting skills. Either way I will be teaching him gun safety, which he already practices with the bb gun.
So my question is which of the two guns do you guys think would be best for him to start learning with. I will buy both of them before we go hunting but I am looking for advice on which one to buy now. The 410 will be what he will hunt with and will be easier to see instant results(more holes in one shot). The .22lr will help me teach him about using the sights and the basics of good shooting skills. Either way I will be teaching him gun safety, which he already practices with the bb gun.