Introducing a teenager to shooting

[jgradyc]

A friend asked if she could bring over her 14-year-old son to introduce him to shooting at my range. (I live in the country.) I'm comfortable with teaching him gun handling and safety. I plan to start with an airsoft and pellet gun and then move up to 22. No need to shoot anything bigger... or at least that's the way I see it. I have enough 22s for some variety and a couple of shotguns for blowing stuff up!

 

My question is what would kids see as fun? I'm guessing that shooting a paper target would be a little stressful, since you're in effect grading his performance, so would be more fun?  Soda cans? Water jugs?  One of those suspended balls that twirl when you shoot it?

[wewoapsiak]

Spinner targets, soda cans, and golf balls on a string are fun for my fiancee. If I can get her to have fun, I'm sure you can get this young man to enjoy it. Sent from the blue lagoon.

[peejman]

Any sort of reactive target... water/flour balloons, cans, bottles, etc.

[Jax970]

I used balloons for my girls.  They are reactive, you can vary the size, and they move some in the wind.  Being 9 year old girls, they liked the pretty colors too.  But I wouldn't point out pretty colors to a 14 yr old boy. 

[10-Ring]

My earliest shooting memories involve a .22 and tin cans.  Some of my fondest are shooting old skillets hanging from trees.  My daughter isn't old enough to shoot yet but she gets a kick out of watching me shoot balloons with a pellet gun.  Old produce and eggs have always been a favorite of mine.  Soda crackers are good and cheap.  Once a kid is good with a .22 empty shot shells can't be beat, still one of my favorite .22 targets.  Won't work with a .22 but tannerite couldn't be beat for keeping it fun.

[NoBanStan]

Dress him up in digital camo and tell him it's Call of Duty. That's how every teenager I know works.....

[mike_f]

Clay pigeons on the backstop or hanging on a string have worked well for me.

[vontar]

I would even recommend he take the TN hunters safety course, even if he doesn't plan to hunt.  I took it when I was 10 and I feel it helped put  a good foundation under me.

[bersaguy]

I put both my boys through the Hunter Safety courses also and my youngest son put both of his boys through it before letting them hunt. It is a great course for the beginning shooter and like vontar mentioned above. Does not matter if he plans on hunting or not. Good course for sure.............jmho

[maroonandwhite]

I will echo what everyone else said and say some type of reactive targets. Heck I really hate shooting at paper period. It shows how bad of a shot I can be at times.  :rofl:

[Good_Steward]

I agree with the reactive targets. Clay pigeons are cheap and fun as all get out to bust (stationary for the .22, of course).

[Guest Keal G Seo]

Well my last ex (few years ago) had 13 and 15 y/o sons that she wanted me introduce them to shooting. This about a week after I introduced her lol. The 13 y/o was excited and eager to learn while the 15 y/o just wanted to watch...that was fine by me as I don't like to force stuff on anyone. His first shoot was at an indoor range and he had no problems with using paper targets. I just got silhouettes, not sure if they had scoring rings or not, I just wanted to get him on paper so he would have something to take home. Also started him on a 9mm with no problems. Doing dry fire until he learned to keep it pointed down range and finger off the trigger. After we moved up here to TN they moved into a house in the country so we shot there. He enjoyed water jugs and the 12 gauge the most I think.

That said I would do like you are suggesting but then have a grand finally of letting him hit a tannerite target or water jug with something larger. Given the explosion of a slug vs 1 gal of water, I think they enjoy seeing the destruction of a good shot.

[Pat]

I agree. Being a youngster myself, I'd say that some sort of reactive target is better for a first-time shooter... I'd recommend something like a two-liter soda bottle or a one-gallon milk jug. Then throw in some soda cans, one-liter bottles or half-gallon jugs, water balloons, etc. If you can set up something like an 8x8 sheet of plywood hanging from a tree limb or something, that would be good as well.

 

Once the feller's comfortable, then you can throw in a real ringed target - about 12 x 12, with only three or so rings... about a three-inch bull's eye.

[Murgatroy]

My seven year old has always been fine with Dirty Bird targets, she has been shooting at those for years.

[Guest TankerHC]

Splatter targets will splat with a pellet/BB guns. Sportsmans warehouse, has Zombies, Zombie Bears eating Zombie Deer, Zombie eating an arm and a bunch of other things. The ones I saw were around $11 each.

[Spiffy]

Short dbl barrel 12 with slugs and a 44 mag with some hot handloaded "bear" loads........start him out right!   :rofl:

[StPatrick]

If this is a normal 14 year-old boy, tin cans will be more than enough to keep his attention.