Would You Scope a Pistol for a Young Beginner?

D

DeadCalm

New member
My almost-14 year old son has taken a sudden interest in firearms. He has supervised access to a number of my rifles and handguns, but would like to have his own pistol. He's handled various models and favors a Ruger .22 6" barrel. So that may be his birthdaqy present next month. Here's my problem: he really wants it scoped. Should I insist he master iron sights first, the way we old-timers were taught, or just go ahead with his request? Most of my rifles are scoped, but none of my handguns are.

Do you have any thoughts on this?
 
Rusty scooped me. Get him schooled in the fundamentals first. That way *when* his scope breaks, he'll still be able to aim.
 
Have you thought about a C-More or Holosight?
Better yet, shotguns teach you to shoot with minmal use of sights(the way I learned). Think front sight.
 
Not on your life. Do the kid a favor, teach him how to shoot over plain old iron sights, without the opti-crutch. Tell him when he can shoot tight groups that way, he earns the scope for Christmas or Chanukah or whatever you celebrate.
 
I don't know. First instinct is to agree, and say no, but I think on second thought, what could it hurt. A scope, or red dot sight is no different really. Still requires control and aim ablity. Still requires not to flinch when you shoot. Maybe it is like a crutch, or perhapes a learning tool instead. Iron sights and scopes still have wiggle because of hand shake, and the scope will be worse if he gets magnification. Just a thought.
 
I have to vote for iron sights too. After he masters that, maybe get him a nice scoped Ruger 10/22. :-)
 
Start with irons and teach him to watch his front sight when he pulls the trigger so he can learn proper trigger control - he can see the sight jerk or wobble when he releases the trigger. Once he has the trigger down and is outshooting you with irons, get yourself a scope :)
 
Of course you start with irons!
Thats the begining of pistol and rifle fundamentals... Optics are great but you have to start at the begining.
 
You would be doing him a great diservice if you did not teach him to become really good w/ the iron sights first. Let the scope become his reward after mastering safety, knowledge of the weapon, how to sight properly, rules and manners at the range, and proficiency w/ the iron sights.
To do otherwise would be comparable to letting him have a hot rod before he truly understands the basics of how to safely drive a car. Not neccessarily from a danger standpoint but from a learning standpoint.

Let your son walk, then run. The same should hold true w/ rifles.

By the way, congratulations on raising him w/ a respect for things that are real instead of just computer games.


Good Luck,
Dave
 
Iron sights, no question about it.

Nobody was ever handicapped by a thorough knowledge of basic fundamentals.
 
Please take this in the constructive/concerned manner that I intend. Lets lay the iron sights vs. scopes issue aside for a little bit.

I was 14 once. I have two sons (three and two). This whole guns & kids thing is staring me right in the face. Giving a 14 year old (Im picturing my son 11 years from now) a pistol scares me. Not so much because of my son, but of his friends (two boys together do stupid things that a teenager by himself would never do)

For myself I prefer buying myself a pistol & letting my son (or DeadCalm Jr.) shoot it whenever/as often as he likes (supervised).

If it is "his" pistol.... does it stay in his room, in your room, in the safe which he has access to, or in the safe which he does not have access to?

Another thought.... Would a Ruger single six be a safer first handgun? Or would the "cowboy" thing cause more problems than it is worth.


[This message has been edited by RustyRP (edited June 22, 2000).]
 
Don't give it to him as a gift. Make 'him' earn the money and then buy the gun for him. That's what my parents did for me when I was 16.(I'm 18 now)

IRON SIGHTS. MAKE him learn how to use them. You can't(easily)mount scopes on some pistols, if he ever gets one of those he'll be a square one again.

At least he's only asking for a .22LR, I asked for a 9mm and didn't get it til I was VERY good with my colt cadet.
DW
 
I think I detect a consensus developing here. . . .

My $.02 - iron sights.

After playing around with BB guns, I really learned to shoot in the old NRA Junior Marksman program when I was about 12. 50' range, targets with 5 or 10 circles the size of a silver dollar with a 10-ring the size of a .22 bullet. Lots of neat badges and pins for your shooting jacket.

And Oh, Yeah - Iron sights only.

It was a really great accomplishment when you got to the point where a majority of your shots were in the 9- or 10-ring from the standing position.
 
I was surprised at how much I improved my control using a scope. Now when I go back and forth between iron sights and a scope I notice an improvement using either. The 2x scope I have on my Ruger MKII lets me see how much my hand is wavering better than the open sights. I spend more time working on my grip, concentration and breathing. I did spend some time shooting open sights (actually a lot, but with .22 rifles.) I would give the kid a .22 rifle long before a pistol. Just my two cents.
 
Here's another view: I have a Ruger Mk I all set up with a red dot sight for my son when he gets old enough, if I need it. I say "if I need it," because if he's luke-warm about shooting, and I want to get him involved in the sport (and I do), then I want him to do well initially. Nothing breeds interest like instant gratification, and nothing breeds instant gratification like putting the red dot on the clay target and watching it vaporize. No esoteric discussions about sight planes and where to focus. Just keep both eyes open, put the red dot on the target, and squeeze. Now, with interest piqued, we can always move to "Dad's gun," with different sights and different techniques.

Great comments about "earning" privlidges, by the way, and keeping some options as holiday presents. Teaches responsibility and safe gun-handling.

BTW, many are showing their age with comments about "new-fangled optics" and "gadgets/gizmo's." Sounds like, "If man were meant to fly..." :)

Scott
 
Obviously most think that you should start with iron...so do I. Here's my reasoning: Suppose the scope is damaged? Any idiot can shoot with a scope, but iron sights require more discipline, and will not be learned quickly enough when the scope is broken and a shot must be made.

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Frontsight!
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And on the 8th day, GOD shot an AK-47. He Saw that it was good, said that it was good, and it was good. He then went directly to work retrofitting his Son's white horse with one!
 
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