Me teaching my 8 yr old the basics of the AR -15

[plank white]

Welll when I was about his age My dad taught me now its my sons turn Thank god for video and cameras now days i was able to get most of it on video when i was little a few polaroids is all i have to look at. Anyways my son is 8 and has had his eye on a few of my rifles and other guns but i decided to start him off with a bb gun and let him carry it around the house , yard , etc. teaching him where to keep the rifle pionted at all times as well as keeping fingers off the trigger he had been doing great with that so we graduated him to his own AR 15 which I keep locked up except on Range Day ...I chose that because he really loves the rifle , its not got alot of recoil and a bipod works great with it plus the ever important cool factor to keep kids intersted is great so here ya go any thoughts on you guys and your kids and how you guys go about preparing your children ?

[Guest ArmyVeteran37214]

very cool and hopefully some day I will be able to do the same.

[kwe45919]

Congrats......I think it's a great thing to do. My dad taught me when I was 7.

I have a pink .22lr rifle for my daughter (who's 6) and I'm building a pink AR in .22lr for the wife, that way they have matching pink rifles. The little one thinks it's the coolest thing in her world and mom is tickled about it all. Great to get the family into the safe world of shooting.

[plank white]

Congrats......I think it's a great thing to do. My dad taught me when I was 7.

I have a pink .22lr rifle for my daughter (who's 6) and I'm building a pink AR in .22lr for the wife, that way they have matching pink rifles. The little one thinks it's the coolest thing in her world and mom is tickled about it all. Great to get the family into the safe world of shooting.

Thats really cool I bet your wife will love that

[Guest NYCrulesU]

Very cool. My daughters are 5 and 3. We talk about guns and gun safety and "the rules" all the time. "The rules" for right now consist of NEVER touch daddy's guns. Right now it's all about letting them watch and learn. If I'm eight...by the time they are 8 or so they will be g to g.

[MattCary]

Bad iPhone pic but that's my 12yo rocking the AR last range trip. He loved it.

[plank white]

Bad iPhone pic but that's my 12yo rocking the AR last range trip. He loved it.

Thats pretty awsome I bet he loves that

[Guest A10thunderbolt]

My boy is 7 (he is the one with Vampire teeth) I started him out with a Rossi .22 single shot with a thumb through stock. The first rule right now is don't touch it unless I hand it to you.

[Fivestring63]

I started both my boys out at 8 on a rented ar-15. They are 10 and 12 now. Watching them shoot the ar-15 in a textbook kneeling position--priceless.

[MattCary]

He does love it Plank.

He started with airsoft pistol and rifle with real gun rules. Was told if he learned and abided by the rules with those, he would graduate to bigger things. (A10, he got the same rule. Only touch if given express permission at the time.)

That was two ruger .22s (rifle and pistol) and he bulls eyes those all the time, so he got a shot at the AR.

I was tempted to let him give the 1911 a run, but I'm still thinking that's a bit much.

Anyone have experience with little ones and pistols? What's a good age/indicator that they can handle larger?

[plank white]

He does love it Plank.

He started with airsoft pistol and rifle with real gun rules. Was told if he learned and abided by the rules with those, he would graduate to bigger things. (A10, he got the same rule. Only touch if given express permission at the time.)

That was two ruger .22s (rifle and pistol) and he bulls eyes those all the time, so he got a shot at the AR.

I was tempted to let him give the 1911 a run, but I'm still thinking that's a bit much.

Anyone have experience with little ones and pistols? What's a good age/indicator that they can handle larger?

Sounds great Ive let my son shoot a few Pistols he Like my Fathers Small framed beretta 380 but ive let hin shoot bigger pistols I stood behind and helped him hold A Judge "My wifes" and man he didnt like that but thats fine .He has his own AR and we are gonna get him a 410 this summer and let him have a go with that either way it goes I keep his real gun locked up Unless its Range day and He has done good at school then Ill let him shoot pretty much anything I have with assistance .

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

I only started carrying and shooting a few years ago myself so my kids did not have the pleasure of starting early but I am doing what I can to teach them now.

We dont yet have a place to shoot long guns other than our inside range which is a good place to start but will not suffice much longer. I have found an outdoors range that I have to find a member of so that they can sponsor me before I can join. I have a 22cal AR on my list but until I can join somewhere that we all can shoot it one isnt that high on the list. I also have a 22 conversion kit for my AR's that we can use.

Currently only my 16 year old boy has ever shot and he was given a P22 for Christmas of 2010 which I do keep in the safe except when we go to the range. I recently acquired a Bersa Thunder 380 that I am thinking that I will let him earn since he really likes my PPK380. But the PPK was my first carry gun so he will have to wait until I am gone to get that one.

The younger boy 11 has not expressed much interest in going to the range but I am sure that he will eventually, he does ask pretty regular to hold things so I figure his time is near. I wont push any of them nor will I hold them back when they are ready.

My daughter who is 13 wants to fully inspect anything new that I get and will spend a good amount of time holding whatever it is and asking questions about it, but then once she does that she never asks to hold any of the guns again. She has so far turned down going to the range but I feel like one day she will be ready. She also seems to retain anything that I tell her about the weapons so maybe one day she will be the shooter of the family.

I have always let the kids hold the guns if they ask and they know to clear and check one before doing anything else with it. When they first started I would take a weapon away if they failed to check it. I have not had to do that in a good while with any of them.

I think that it is one of the coolest things in the world to see you guys and your young kids shooting together.

I wish that I had started sooner but at least I have started. My dad never owned a gun in his life and other than some older cousins getting a good laugh at a 12 gage knocking me down when I was about 9, I never even held a firearm until I joined the Army.

Seeing you guys and those young kids shooting really does ROCK and makes this old man feel all warm and fuzzy.

[Guest A10thunderbolt]

I am proud of how my son is doing with the single shot, but it will be a while before he moves up to anything Semi-auto. He is still very excited and is still building his safe habits. I did let him shoot my wife's AR But I only put one round in.

[kwe45919]

. Anyone have experience with little ones and pistols? What's a good age/indicator that they can handle larger?

I was 7 or 8 when I shot my first "big" hand gun......a .44Mag. Nearly knocked myself out with it.....all my dad could do was laugh. I'd shot .22lr pistols before but had never shot anything larger...when I say the .44 all I could think of was Dirty Harry...I just had to try to shoot it...