Time to get the young'uns started.

[Guest peacexxl]

I've got 3 daughters, 15, 14 (today in fact), and 11 (in a week). Ofcourse this is half the reason I got into guns a couple of years ago. I have been promising them that I would take them to the range and teach them to shoot and I think I should stop putting it off and get to teaching.

Ofcourse we'll start at home with the 4 main rules and basic understandings long before we go to the range. Thing is that right now my arsenal consists of an XD-40 and 2 9mm Tauri. I am thinking I should rent a couple of 22s at the range to get them started and depending on how much any of them enjoy it, I may even buy a 22 for them to use if it's gonna be a regular thing.

What are your thougts on teaching the kids, especially girls if it matters. Timing, techniques, concerns, tell me what ya think.

BTW I would rather do this than teach my 15 year old to drive. I'm dreading that so I think she'll be in drivers' ed this summer.

[lowbud]

I started my girls early handling firearms. I think around 10. I started them on a .22 revolver, then to a 22 rifle, then to every other caliber incrementing in size & recoil until they could shoot anything they wanted.

Start out with the safty stuff first, then maintenance & care, then off to the range if they are still interested.

even today.. the look on my daughters faces when shooting my AR pistol is priceless!! any the youngest is 20 now.

Edited January 8, 2010 by lowbud

[Guest Traumaslave]

I think the biggest problem with kids today is ignorance. Teach them young and teach them right. My son will be 5 in a week and has been shooting since he was 4. My daughter will be 3 and will start at 4. They get a firearm every year for their birthday. Better than the stock market.

[MCSCOTT]

I think the biggest problem with kids today is ignorance. Teach them young and teach them right.

I couldn't agree with you more on that. My two nephews have never been allowed around firearms at all much and it drives me nuts. Me and my dad (their grandfather of course) shoot on a regular basis and hunt all the time as well, and the two nephews are itchin to go along with us but my sister simply wont allow it. I think this is completely the *** backwards way of doing it. I would rather teach them how to shoot, and how to be safe with firearms rather than just try to keep them away from something that they are definately going to come in contact with at some point. I would bet that if ever left along with a firearm in plain sight curiosity would get the better of them and they would end up messing with it, which can end disasterously if they aren't taught how to be safe with them.

What do I know though, I currently don't have any kids of my own. Sadly this also means that if something should happen to me, I have no one to pass my collection down too. Some of my rifles and shotguns belonged to my great great grandfather or maybe even further back in the family tree, and I would hate to see them sold off at auction or even left to someone outside the family.

[Mark@Sea]

I wish you weren't on the other end of the state. I've got a first series woodsman in the cabinet I'd loan you. It is the hands-down best choice because of the light recoil, good sights, light weight and unusually slim frame and grips. Unfortunately Colt stopped making them about 70 years ago.

When my wife (she of small stature and hands) first decided to learn to shoot, she picked out a new browning .22 at the funshop. It ended up not getting shot very much, as the frame and weight were uncomfortable for her. (Things change, she now carries a .38 snubby). A few months later I picked up the woodsman - the minute she picked it up it was "hers".

I understand the sig mosquito has a fairly small grip, compared to other modern .22's - but keep in mind that if the first experience is a pleasant one, they're much more likely to want to keep it up.

First and always, the four rules.

Second, the manual of arms for whatever they're shooting. They need to be comfortable with how to operate it, how to check it/make it safe.

Minor malfunction drills; for example, if it stovepipes, it doesn't mean its' broken, and this is what you do to clear it.

Once they've got this down pat, they can effectively concentrate on marksmanship. Until they do, though, I've found that new shooters tend to be so involved mentally with the mechanical details (with autos, revolvers are pretty much point-n-click) that they tend to lapse on marksmanship and sometimes safety.

Do lots and lots of dryfire drills at home if you can!

Best

Mark

Edit: The right age is a judgement call... I've seen 6 year olds I'd be fine with on the range, I've seen some 20-somethings I would not want to be within a mile of....

Edited January 8, 2010 by Mark@Sea

[Guest Drewsett]

I learned at age 7 to shoot a Chipmunk .22 rifle.

It has an added saftey mechanism as you have to physically pull the bolt back with your fingers to cock the gun once you have chambered a round. I still have that old rifle somewhere...definitely the best rifle for a young young'n to learn on...your teenagers might be a little different story though. It would probably be a little small for them.

[McAllyn]

Got my 4yr old nephew the Red Ryder for Christmas, and we had "the talk." Now, if it would ever climb above 30deg we'd go out and shoot.

Mac

[Jax970]

I have two girls. I bought each of them a single shot .22 when they were 9. One was a Marlin, the other a CZ. I've never been secretive about guns to them. I let them help me clean them etc. before they ever shot. When they got older (13-14) I bought them a Ruger 10-22. Had one stock pained pink and the other purple (such things are important to girls). They loved to shoot at ballons stapled to a target. My youngest (now 15) is my hunting buddy and my oldest (now 19) is asking to go shooting at the range more because i've already told her she is going to get a handgun and permit class for her 21st birthday.

The good thing about bolt action .22's with short barrels is you can shoot .22 LR, Long, Short and CB's. The guns are heavy enought that there is no recoil or sound with CB's. Then slowly work your way up to .22LR, then on to bigger stuff. Sound is sometimes as detrimental as recoil.

Important things to remember: Teenage girls are not manly men that naturally love to shoot. Their motivations, interestests, approaches, thought processes, etc. are very different. Let them learn their way at their own pace, but under safe and diligent (not overbearing) supervision and patient instruction. Also, to keep them interested, it must be fun!

Good Luck!

[Alleycat72]

I got my daughter a pink .22 when she was 4. She does not like it much. She does however love the suppressed SSK 300 Whisper AR. She is six now and loves to knock steel silhouettes at 100 yds. I have a Suppressed MK II she likes to shoot as well. The big thing is the noise that scared her. She gets suppressor + hearing protection = no sound. She likes to shoot what daddy shoots so there has been problems. I put a SBR together and she thinks it's just her big, but it's a 458 Socom. I had to explain that she would have to wait a wile. She decided she could shoot it when she turns 16. My wife and I exposed her to guns as soon as possible. She will ask to see a gun in the safe from time to time and I have never said no. She knows not to ever touch them with out me or her mother, but all she has to do is ask. She also sees me put my handgun on every day so guns are not the magical kid magnet to her. You need a lot of patients with them, but it pays off.

I would start her off with a .22 and some Aguila Super Colibi. The Crickett guns are hard to load so its a good starter gun. They shoot good too. The best part is that all the little boys in her class are a bit intimidated by her shooting skill. If I can keep it that way till she's say 40 I'll be happy

[Guest clownsdd]

Started my kids out real early. They were my "retrievers" for doves when they were 4.

IMHO..The most important thing aside from safety I could think of, is taking them out and killing a squirrel, dove etc.....then they know...hey, this thing is DEAD and I did it. Not like the movies where they jump up and run. THAT was a changing point (for the better) in my daughter's (now 35) life.

[E4 No More]

Start with a .22 for sure, but if you are at a range with lane dividers using an automatic make sure they wear a crew neck shirt rather than a V neck. As my wife can testify, having hot brass bounce off the divider and down between their breasts is not going to make them fans of shooting anything.

[kwe45919]

Ya know, most everyone here says to start out with a .22......

I tend to say BB or pellet pistols/rifles are the best. You can teach them saftey, accuracy, patience and shoot the crap out of em' everyday almost anytime. No more going to the range to try to teach where others shooters might "scare" the kids shooting thier ginormus boom cannons.

Why worry about what pistol/rifle to get. Go to walmart and let them pic from what ever is available, go home and get to teachin'. Since you don't know how your child will react, easier to get saftey basics down pat on something simple, yet deadly enough to get a "kill" point accross to your child. Later, if the child shows interest in furthering thier firearms knowledge and shooting skills, by all means go buy them a gun.

With that said, my daughter is 4. She has seen me clean firearms and knows I carry one everyday. Currently she has no interest in guns or shooting for that fact but when she does.....and she will, the pellet rifle will come out of the closet first.....

[Volzfan]

Wish my dad would have started me out young like you guys are doing. Great job!

[Guest VolDaddy]

I am teaching mine on a bolt action .22. Might I sugest using a supressor it eliminates the flinch factor for first time shooters.

[Guest rbl]

my dad started me off around 5 maybe 4. it was with a single shot .410 shooting cans.

I would say start a young child off as early as you think they can handle it and when you feel comfortable.

[JPS]

I have boys aged 10 and 11 - their first shooting experience was with a Henry 22 lever-action, then a Walther P22. They practice extremely safe habits, love to shoot, and are much better shots than their old man. They also disassemble and clean each weapon they shoot each time they shoot it.

I trust that they will know how to respond if they or their friends come across an unsecured weapon some day - that was a big concern for me. I think it's critical to teach them about firearms early on, and it's been a great experience for everyone involved.

[Guest malv1]

I was around 12 the first time I went out with my dad because my mom wasn't a big fan at any other age. I was shooting a single shot .22 rifle and an 19 shot .22 rifle which was a blast.

I now have a 8 month old and my wife DESPISES guns and it is a conversation I bring up a few times a month, trying to get her to be ok with me bringing guns into the house. I preach the safety over ignorance route as far as my son goes... It is going to be a LOOONGG battle to say the least...

[redneck]

I got my daughter a BB gun at 5 ,she is now 6 so time to move up to a (pink ) .22 .I started around 4 or 5 .Teach them to respect them not fear .If you could find some were they could shoot watermelons , that will show them realty of a gun . Video games is a big prob with kids and guns . EMHO

[Krull]

My first gun was a 511 Remington when I was 4. Thank God for a good father. Next was my model 94.

[crashgordan]

agree w/ KWE....

had the airsoft or paintball gun as a basic training tool for safety and muzzle awareness. don't have to drive out to the range to practice these things.

have a 1:1 ratio Airsoft M4 so the transition is easy.

then moved to the S&W ar15-22. Functional rifle w/ working charging handle, identical manual of arms.

the move to the M4 should be easy when it's time.

and FWIW, i'd be pretty happy w/ any one of my girls covering the front door w/ the S&W AR15-22 while i flanked. i know it would discourage the hell outa me from coming through that door...

[Ernest.T.Bass]

I Chipmunk and P22 are a great way to start. My 12 yo daughter enjoys a S&W 5904 also.

[K191145]

Started my kids out real early. They were my "retrievers" for doves when they were 4.

IMHO..The most important thing aside from safety I could think of, is taking them out and killing a squirrel, dove etc.....then they know...hey, this thing is DEAD and I did it. Not like the movies where they jump up and run. THAT was a changing point (for the better) in my daughter's (now 35) life.

Yep, take them on a hunt and let them take an animal. I believe they will natuarly have more respect for guns then. Really teach them that Hollywood is just play acting and nothing they see in movies is reality.

Love this video. Tough little kid.

[Harold]

My 6 year son and 9 year daughter both started shooting and love it.

We have two sets of rules for handling firearms.

The first set is what to do if they see a firearm and no one is around. (NRA Eagle Eddie) Stop, Don't Touch, Leave area, and tell an adult.

The second set is the NRA Safety Rules when guns are out and I with them. We drilled those for several days.

Third we talked about parts of a gun once they could tell me what they were and did.

Once they could do the above we went shooting to make it special we played up big and went and got them each their own safety glasses and hearing protection. Daughter of course picked a pink pair of hearing protection.

Once there started off by me firing one round through my walther p22 pistol just so they could see and hear what it sounded like.

Next took and loaded a single round first time they fired. That way if it scared them and they did something silly and dropped the gun or whatever everyone was safe. I helped them hold it first couple of times and only shot one round first couple of times. After they gained a litte confidence we slowly increased the rounds. By the end of the afternoon they could load mag, and then lock and load the gun and were firing on their own..

Hope that helps..

Main thing is to first be safe and have fun..

[Guest TnRebel]

at 10 my grandson was shooting a 12 ga. and a Win 30 -30 he is 16 now and has three nice deer heads and one boar hog heads on his bedroom wall.

[eapking]

I'd recommend the Youth class at Range USA...since I see yer from 'round these parts.