Teaching kids to shoot

I started my kids with an air rifle a few years back. Son was 5 and daughter was 8. This year they are getting in with a 22 for the boy, and center fire for my daughter. My daughter is showing a lot of interest in shooting and hunting. My son is as well, but not as ecstatically.
 
Pond said:
I know it's pretty individual, but generally speaking, at what age do you think kids have the concentration and manual dexterity (and strength/size) needed to shoot a longarm.

Specifically, when I've been shooting my new air-rifle , my eldest (5.5yrs) is very interested in what I'm doing. Seems she'd like to have a go and I have let her squeeze the trigger when I've sighted in the rifle on a suitable target.

A firearm is out of the question but a small break action airgun like mine could be an option, but I'm worried I may be over-estimating her abilities.

She's very smart for her age and is very conscientious and she's already familiar with the principles of firearm safety, but then again she's just a little girl and will have breaks in concentration etc and will struggle to hold a rifle, even if I look for a kid's one.

Thoughts?
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Maturity is far more important, and for that every child is different.
A child should be started with the fundamentals from a rested position (bench or prone).
Thus weight would be a non-issue and they can focus on the basics.
 
I got my own 22 at 5th birthday and had a dozen guns by age 8. This isn't like I was free to
run around with them. The one thing that was taboo was a BB gun. The 50s & 60s were the
era of the BB gun battles. Just or one little village had 3 kids with glass eyes, this isn't a joke. My dads theory is kids knew what a 22 or 410 could do. They were real guns but kids had no respect for BB guns. Young kids walking through town with 22s on the way to the dump would draw no attention. Kids with BB guns would be stopped by town cops and usually rode home. I don't think there was ever a accident with kids and 22s. My grandkids
having herd this story bought me a Red Ryder a couple years ago for my birthday. Of course
the card included " Don't shoot your eye out".
 
As everyone else has already stated, as far as age goes, it depends.

I don't have kids of my own, but I have 9 godchildren (I know, sounds ridiculous), and have to this point taught 4 of them to shoot. The youngest was 6. With all of them I started them from the bench, off a bag or bags. Always started them with a .22 rifle, my Henry lever H001L, which at first was never allowed to leave the bags. They'd shoot a round, then I'd pick up the rifle and lever a new round and put the gun back on the bags, and they'd shoot again.

Eventually, they'd graduate to the .22 pistol (Ruger, or now my Victory), again strictly from the bag with each mag containing only one round.

Kids are pretty quick, so it doesn't take all that long before they learn the basics of manipulation and safety procedures, so within a few sessions I let them run the lever on their own and drop/insert mags on their own. However, it was usually a dozen or more sessions before I'd let them shoot off-hand with either.

With my oldest godson I think he was 9 or 10 before I let him shoot one of my AR-15s, and again I started him off the bags only one round at a time. Which didn't matter much to him as he probably still wasn't strong enough to hold and shoot the gun off-hand yet anyway. But he'd shown by that time a solid understanding of safety protocols so I felt comfortable letting him shoot the AR. As I recall he put 20 rounds into a 6 inch bullseye at 50 yds using the irons right off the bat, and he's turned into a pretty good shot now.

My point here is to have a solid plan for safety when it comes to kids and things should work out fine. And be fun for you and them.

P.S. Something I should've mentioned near the top: when I take kids to learn to shoot or just to shoot in general, I go with the understanding that I'm probably not going to do a lot of shooting myself, if at all. My main priority is their/everyone's safety, which requires me to spend 100% of my attention and focus on them while they are hands-on a firearm.
 
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Girls are~~competent and likely have the physical dexterity _by 8-9.
Most important: Is appropriate to at least ask~~ if the young lady has interest in being taught?

Young boys on the other-hand. {Tutoring today's young fellows?} to shoot and other appropriate subject matter?~~Huh.~~ Leave it too the professionals!> Army Navy Air Force Marines Coast Guard or a Police Academy is my sensible thinking /way of.
 
I'm not sure why a firearm is out of the question because both my daughter and son got 22's when they were 4 years old. Pretty typical for Texans...
 
if the young lady has interest in being taught?
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Yep. She was being veeery patient to have a go whilst I was sighting in the rifle. I felt bad then because it was taking me ages to get sighted in due to a shifting crosswind!

As it happens I've just bought this.

I'm not sure why a firearm is out of the question because both my daughter and son got 22's when they were 4 years old. Pretty typical for Texans...
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Because the firearms law here states that if I get another firearm, I also need to upgrade my safe. So the fees needed to buy another gun, the gun itself and a new safe. That is a big expense for me and she may not even be that enthused in the future. So air rifle it is.

If she likes it there is my CZ 452 waiting for her when she's a bit older/bigger.
:)
 
Surveys I've read show many start shooting at about 7 years. But it's not just an but is the child mature enough ? strong enough to handle the gun. And in my thoughts the shooting should be with a single shot gun !! Then you have the idea etched in your brain -- I have only one shot ,make it count ! A magazine fed especially a semi-auto and your brain says if I miss the first I'll get it with the second .:)
 
Well, the little carbine I linked earlier is single shot, will have a RDS fitted and now has a bipod, so she should have the stability and her physical strength is less of an issue.
She quotes rules about muzzle discipline so she’s receptive to safety rules. And she’s eager!

Failing that I have a second rifle to shoot!
 
Getting there. I think the RDS will be too high since I need an 11mm to weaver adaptor. Shame as it’s a 1 moa dot.

So may need a new RDS. I’m not blowing 100s on one so 5moa is the best I’ll get!

Still 5MOA at 50 is 2.5cm so not too bad for a kid to learn aiming with.
 
Ended up with a new RDS. It’s no Aimpoint at €40 but it’s got a big lensand the dot is probably about 3 moa or a bit over.

I sighted in the open sights at 25m today and then did the same with the red dot.
I managed 1.5” groups with the open sights and about 2” with the red dot but the red dot is definitely the way to go for my daughter!!

So not amazing groups but all in all I really like this little thing. I see plinking in my future.
 
The first time I ever pulled a trigger on a gun I was 6 and it was aimed at a groundhog in the field on my Grandfathers farm. It was with a Mossberg Mod 341 .22 bolt rifle. My Dad was with me, and he had earlier that day simply showed me how to hold it correctly, how to load, cock and aim that rifle, and I remember him showing me the safety and telling me it should always be ON until I'm ready to shoot. But... we didn't fire it! FWIW, I missed the groundhog and it scurried into it's hole. Would have been a cool story to tell that the first time I fired a gun I shot a groundhog. Never had a BB gun till I was in my 30's shooting bottles for fun.

As many have said, I agree there is no set age, the proper time to start a kid shooting depends GREATLY on the child's maturity and motor skills. I've met 6 year old kids that were more than ready SAFELY at that age, and I've met immature 10 year olds I wouldn't feel comfortable being around with a loaded gun even after they've been "trained". Of course THAT said... I've met plenty of people at all ages I wouldn't feel comfortable around with a loaded gun even though they legally own one. It takes a certain amount of common sense some don't have. THAT said... I'm nobodies judge and jury. JUST my personal opinion of them.
 
I have a .357MAX single shot Handi Rifle with an M-4 type collapsible stock. It is sighted with a Weaver K-4. I start grand kids shooting when the stock in it's shortest position fits them. We start with .38 wad cutters shooting at tin cans suspended by string. Most start shooting at 9 or 10 and work up to shooting deer with full pressure MAX load when they are ready. Varies with each kid. One grand daughter killed a deer when she was 13. Another grand son is 17 and he is not ready to handle ANY firearm.
 
In my family there are certain birthday milestones. These make it special, I think.

Going to the range and shooting a long gun from the bench with a parent controlling the muzzle... that’s as early as the kid has interest. But then comes more responsibility.

At 6 years old, you can carry your not-ready-to Fire BB gun along with the grownups in the field. You show you are 1000% perfect with the safety rules. Six year olds are not yet perfect.

When you are 8, you get the little rifle/.410 for your birthday. The little savage bolt action 410 my dad and I learned on got lost as repairs would cost too much, it was traded in for a little Rossi single shot combo gun for my daughter. You can carry it, display your gun safety, but you are still under close adult supervision on making it go bang. My girl preferred CCI CB caps as they punch holes in tin cans just fine and make less noise than .22 shorts. You can handle and learn to clean a pistol and discover just how easy it is to lose track of where that muzzle is pointed.

When you are 12, you can wander around unsupervised with your low power BB gun. You are going to have errors in judgement. I still remember the day with Keith, Seth, Pete and Bill learned that if the boys literally “stand around shooting the bull” with keith’s Sheridan air rifle pumped all the way up... don’t stand too close. That, or don’t shoot a fresh one. (Dairy farm).

14 years old to go hunting with just your young pals, and 16 to hunt with your .22 revolver. By the time you can buy your own larger caliber pistol, you are old enough.

That’s just how we do it. My daughter is now 23 years old, I asked her if she still wanted the little handirifle. I was surprised how important it was to her. “Grandpa gave it to me for my 8th birthday! It’s special! Keep it safe for me!” That girl has put holes in many a tin can and pine cone. She’s a vegetarian, and that’s okay too.

It’s just how we do it... build your own traditions?

Oh, another tradition seems to be “don’t mention this to mom, she doesn’t like guns.”
 
I haven't taught my kids to shoot until they asked. Didn't want to force it on them, or have them uninterested, but polite enough to endure instruction. We have 4, all well into adulthood now and the two boys have learned to shoot well. One of the girls recently shot with their girls here. The other one isn't interested.

Two granddaughters were taught to shoot here one day, but I suspect have shot the pellet rifle I gave to their father, because when I let them shoot my .243 Win, each hit the deer target's heart twice at 200 yards, resting on a sandbag on the pickup's deck. They fired two shots each and their shots were about 1 1/4 inches apart.
 
I know it's pretty individual, but generally speaking, at what age do you think kids have the concentration and manual dexterity (and strength/size) needed to shoot a longarm.

Specifically, when I've been shooting my new air-rifle , my eldest (5.5yrs) is very interested in what I'm doing. Seems she'd like to have a go and I have let her squeeze the trigger when I've sighted in the rifle on a suitable target.

A firearm is out of the question but a small break action airgun like mine could be an option, but I'm worried I may be over-estimating her abilities.

She's very smart for her age and is very conscientious and she's already familiar with the principles of firearm safety, but then again she's just a little girl and will have breaks in concentration etc and will struggle to hold a rifle, even if I look for a kid's one.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Sounds like both you and her are on track! I would say start as soon as she is interested commensurate with her abilities to follow directions. I got both my daughters started early shooting with me whenever they would would come out to the range. I started them out with their own Avanti 750 air rifle with a pellet catch and targetry when they turned 8 years old. They learned safety, fundamentals, and ended up on their High School JROTC Rifle teams. The oldest is in college now and just got an ROTC scholarship.

I might have to put on the old uniform and salute my oldest daughter as she walks across that commissioning stage soon, LOL. :cool:

My youngest likes shooting but has found her passion in archery. Both have learned valuable life skills of independence thinking, good judgement, and responsibility that comes with any shooting sport.

Starting them early and right leads to a life long appreciation
 
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