Teaching my child to shoot

C

Cuz

New member
Hello all,
The reason im posting is that i would very much like to teach my daughter to shoot.She is 8 years old, very responsible, and loves to help me clean my guns, tries to help me reload,and keeps begging me to bring her along on a hunt ( she hasnt learned how to stop from yelling "LOOK DADDY A DEER!").In the last 2 years I have gone from shooting .22 rifles to shooting larger calibers at paper, when i purchased my latest rifle my wife TOLD me that my tricked out Ruger 10/22 was now hers, needless to say , I was prouder than a peacock and had a smile from ear to ear. Now I know why i married her, she's a woman who insists on walkin beside me, not behind me. But getting back to my original statement, I have an older .22 Norinco ATD that is small , lightweight, and seems to be
short enough for my daughter to shoot. At what range would it be best to begin teaching her? I was considering 25 yards, maybe even 10yds. to start, as it seems that the better she shoots from the start, the more confidence she may have. I plan on teaching her about safety before we even leave the house, and explaining to her that safety is the utmost concern when handling a firearm.
What i would like to hear are any suggestions
that would make this a delighful and memorable experience, and anything else that i may be forgetting. Thanks, Cuz from La.(almost Tx.?)
 
Cuz, start her off with shotshells at 10 *feet*, with reactive targets (old rotten fruit, or water balloons, are great). The nearly-guaranteed hits are an excellent confidence builder, and things that explode are a lot more interesting than punching holes in paper.

Once she's hitting consistently with shotshells, switch her over to standard JHP cartridges at the same distance. Then move back to 15 feet, then 25, etc.

HTH, and let us know how she does. :)

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"The evils of tyranny are rarely seen but by him who resists it."
-- John Hay, 1872
 
Easy Question... DON'T START HER ON A .22!!

Anything larger than a pellet rifle should be for trained shooters...

Start her on a well-made, ACCURATE pellet rifle...

Make sure she knows the FUNDAMENTALS of shooting and that she ALWAYS uses weapons properly... THEN graduate her to a .22.

The reason I'm an expert with weapons is that I shot a pellet rifle ALOT for years...
I think I started when I was 6 or 7. When I was a teen, I would carry my pellet rifle out to the fields at least 3 times a week...

... and I STILL have a pellet rifle... I bought a new one 2 years ago...

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Stand against evil, lest evil have its way...
 
Please be wary of ricochets and any possibility that a pellet or any part of the target (or support) may create an unintentional threat.
 
Animal Crackers make NICE reactive target and are EASILY vaporized by a pellet gun. ;) say at 10-15 feet. And if the shooting is bad you can always eat the targets.

I grew up shooting pop cans.

Dr.Rob
 
Cuz,

My 6yo daughter has been bugging us to teach her how to shoot as well (she also loves helping clean the guns). We were thinking about starting her on a pellet rifle, as others have mentioned. I think we may get one when she turns 7 in the spring. I want her to be proficient w/ that before I hand her even a .22. Just my HO.

------------------
"Liberty or death, What we so proudly hail... Once you provoke Her, rattling of Her tail- Never begins it, NEVER- But once engaged never surrenders, showing the fangs of rage. DON'T TREAD ON ME!!
 
BTW, i forgot to add in my other post.I already have a BBgun which she shoots under my supervision. She understands how it works, and the results of being unsafe. She was also taught that it should never be used and/or pointed in anger at anyone and that she is not to shoot any living creature unless she plans to eat it.I just thought that it may be time for her to start on something a lil bigger. I like the idea of using the rat shot to begin with..either that or maybe CB Longs for the noise..Thanks for the replies, Cuz
 
Cuz-
I feel that they are right, you should definitely teach your 8 year old daughter to shoot with a pellet rifle.My brother had a BB gun, and we would should cans and old GIJOE dolls in the backyard(approx 15-20ft away).As she gets older, then she should progress with shooting the bigger guns!
GG
 
Damn girl you know what those were WORTH??

Guess now is not the time to tell you what happened one summers day with barbie and twin d-motor estes rocket and a cruel bunch of boys. ;) First fashion model in space.

We shot up a LOT of plastic models in our day but we never EVER EVER shot up our gi-joes. We stained them and gave them extra scars and covered them with ketchup and damn near burned down the barn with our joe "flamethrower" (see we found out wd-40 was flammable and came in a tiny can that you could paint olive drab) luckily the only caualty was dumb ass ken doll and a bunker built against the garage. ;)

but MOSTLY it was tin cans and animal crackers. I'd recommend a single shot 22 like the chipmonk or a similar used rifle.

Have fun,

Dr.Rob
 
Cuz, congratulations on having a young one that is interested. As for 'reactive' targets, I sometimes use clay pigeons. All 7 or 8 or 9 of mine (I forget how many nephews) started with BB guns. So far, so good. She'll do well with parents who care. Safe shooting! TMoney
 
Well gee, your kids are lucky. I was 11 when I first got to handle a rifle.

Here is my early shooting experiences,
-Boy Scout summer camp, one more reason to join this politically incorect orginisation. Every summer I got to shoot 22's.
-Sixth Grade field trip. Yes they actually took us to an outdoor range and supervised us while firing 22's. Why can't more schools do that?

It wasn't untill I got to college and signed up for Army ROTC that I got to shoot again. And then I got to fire more ;) fun weapons.

I would buy your kid her own eye and ear protection. Teach her the fundamentals of firearm safety and why it is important as a shooter to be responsable. And when she has learned these lessons, give her the ear and eye protection making her understand that these are hers. That will give her something tangable for her efforts. You should also save any paper targets she shoots, that way she has some lasting reward.
 
Hi cuz,if you let her try a shotgun, it should be a H&R 410 gague single shot break action so as not to turn her off to shooting due to the recoil of those nasty old 12 ga.
Actually , any 410 would do, with... the proper safety training. After the 410, move up to the 22lr rifle and have mom try teaching her for a change of pace! I bet
mom will just love it!
Brush up mom's safety training before
she teaches daughter.
You are just so very lucky to have such a wonderfull family. Take good care of them!

[This message has been edited by ernest2 (edited December 10, 1999).]
 
I can't think of anything more influential in a child's life than when his/her parent's teach them how to shoot. The lessons you pass on to her today will stay with her forever.
 
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