How old do you start your kids shooting?

[C. Latch]

I guess the title explains the point of the thread pretty well. I don't remember *not* shooting. I can remember my first dove, and first squirrel, and can remember going to the abandoned gravel pits to shoot dad's .38.

My oldest girl is almost 3. No, I don't think it's time to teach her how to shoot, but she's already had a very small amount of exposure to firearms; if I leave the house with a gun she'll say 'dada go shoot the gun'. She's been trained - for a long time now - not to touch any guns (she isn't allowed access to them anyway, but, still....). She's watched me bring dead critters home and she understands that the venison we eat comes from deer like the ones we see in the yard sometimes.

I'm sure she's at least a year away from starting to shoot. I have AR lowers sitting around to be built up into something appropriate for her, but have also considered a .357 handi-rifle.

So....how and when did you start your kids?

[popper]

Unfortunately, never got to. My folks didn't either. We learned on our own, generally unsupervised. NOT GOOD.

[Love Life]

Much like you, my daughter sees me grab the guns and knows I'm headed to the range.

She started with archery at 4 years old. I moved her to a BB gun when she was 4 and she has been shooting it ever since. We are currently waiting for her to grow into her Crickett rifle and will start her with CCI Quiet 22. I'll move her up from there. I hope to have her shooting the fat lady in .243 by the time she is 7 years old unless she feels ready sooner. The fat lady is 17 lbs so recoil is about nil.

[texassako]

I believe it is more of a maturity level rather than age. I have some nephews that were calm, collected, and followed directions well at 4 and another that may not ever be safe with a firearm. My 5 year old daughter hates loud noises, but is ready for a lesson with the pellet gun.

[Love Life]

I also use monster targets so it is fun for her to go and battle monsters. Old cookies are great as well for reactive targets, and the lowly coke can will keep my young girl entertained for quite awhile with the BB gun.

Why, just recently she helped me fit pieces together for a rifle build to check fit. I almost caught a tear.

[SteveS]

Wait until she shows an interest. When she does, start her with a .22 shooting shorts.

[6bg6ga]

Somewhere around 7 or 10 if she is interested ortherwise wait. No 9mm full automatics please. Start her with a BB gun then a 22 but wait on the larger calibers.

[texasbilly]

I started my daughter around age 10. She would sit at the bench with a 22lr rifle and try to hit tin cans at 25 yards before I would hit them with my 45acp pistol. We both had to load single shot. She learned to shoot accurately and efficiently. She really got a kick out of beating her Dad.

[DHurtig]

My kids were probably 10-12. I've help my 6 year old grand daughter shoot my Ruger Single
six. She loved it.

[Pinsnscrews]

For me, it is based on how focused the child is. How well do they take direction, how well do they pay attention to the task at hand. Can they concentrate well on what they are doing. My 2yr old Granddaughter is exhibiting those solid traits at her age. However, the chemo treatments have left her very sensitive to loud sharp sounds. So I may never be able to take her shooting. We have her fit with custom ear plugs with a 33db reduction because aerial fireworks can cause her extreme pain.

Both of the Grandchildren I have inherited, 9 and 11, are prime candidates for never being taught. Much to their other Grandfather's solemn dismay. He was very glad when my daughter became part of the family as he now has another family member to discuss guns and hunting with.

[dragon813gt]

Old enough to hold the gun and listen to directions, age doesn't matter. Start w/ a BB gun and work up. As soon as their focus fades take the gun away and move onto something else. When they're really young five minutes or less is about the norm. The sooner they start the stronger their skills will be.

[USAFrox]

I started the kids out on an air soft gun modeled after the beretta 92FS when they were about 6 or 7. By the time they were 8, I'd let them try anything they wanted and thought they could handle, with me right there at their shoulder. My youngest just turned 10, and by the time he was 8 he'd already shot a .410 bore, a 20 gauge, a .38 spl, a .40, and a .45, a .223 and of course plenty of .22 lr. He is very serious and obedient, though. Not all kids are ready at that young.

[Duster340]

Santa brought my twin daughters red rider bb guns at age 9. Both progressed to .22 cal at 12 yo, now at 13 they are shooting .40 S&W and midrange .44 mag. Gun safety training trumps all else before any shooting takes place.

[Love Life]

Gun safety training trumps all else before any shooting takes place.

This should be blasted far and wide across the forum.

[koehlerrk]

Agreed on multiple counts listed here.

1. You need to base it on maturity, not calendar years. I've met 5 year olds I'd rather hand a firearm over some 20-somethings I know.
2. Safety training before the first range trip.
3. Started my kids with airguns, then 22s, then bigger stuff.
4. Always made sure that range day #1 started with some graphic demonstrations of the power of "an itty-bitty 22". Soda cans filled with water blown to bits are effective at demonstrating why safety is so important. Same with holes drilled through multiple 2x4s, or fist-size holes blown in the clay berm. Ask them what part of their body they'd like a similar hole put in... that's a great attention-getter in my book.

[leeggen]

PinsNScews PM sent.
CD

[BK7saum]

Both my 6 and 7 year old daughters have been shooting a bb gun for almost 2 years.

I'm a proud Dad today. We went to western days church near home today. They had horse and mule rides, tomahawk throwing, goat roping, chicken scramble, and a BB gun shoot for the kids. My oldest daughter took first out of about 15-20 kids in the BB gun shoot. There were some older boys ,but most were boys and girls about her age.

The competition was 3 shots at a dot on a paper plate. Some contestants had a shot or two closer than her 3, but she had 3 clustered around the bullseye. Just gotta say that she made me proud today.

Brad

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee467/BLK7mm/2014-10-19232351.jpg

[BK7saum]

On an additional note, the youngest daughter wanted to do something with Dad later in the evening so we got out the 300 whisper bolt gun and fired about 15 rounds of old ammo that needed shooting up. She hit about 10 out of 12 shots on a 2/3 IPSC steel at 80 yards. Of course she was using a rest but she aligned the scope and controlled the trigger all on her own.

Neither one has shown interest in shooting a deer yet even though both can keep all their shots in the kill zone on a full size photo paper target of a deer. Whenever they do decide they want to hunt, I'll feel sorry for the deer.

Brad

[BK7saum]

On an additional note, the youngest daughter wanted to do something with Dad later in the evening so we got out the 300 whisper bolt gun and fired about 15 rounds of old ammo that needed shooting up. She hit about 10 out of 12 shots on a 2/3 IPSC steel at 80 yards. Of course she was using a rest but she aligned the scope and controlled the trigger all on her own.

Neither one has shown interest in shooting a deer yet even though both can keep all their shots in the kill zone on a full size photo paper target of a deer. Whenever they do decide they want to hunt, I'll feel sorry for the deer.

Brad

[Pinsnscrews]

I won't BK7saum, I will want an invite to the BBQ celebration ;-)

[southpaw]

I started mine at about 3-3.5. The older 2 are 7.5 and 5 now (the baby is 1.5). It was pretty much me holding the butt of the gun and pointing it at the can and them pulling the trigger but after a few sessions they picked up on what the cross hairs are for (didn't matter how much I explained it). My boy picked it up faster than dughter number one. He is a pretty darn good shot (hits the 3" swinging steel every time at 50yards!) but his sister isn't far behind. I let them load and unload the gun but they are not alowd to pick the gun up off the bench unless I say they can.

Before we shot we went over safty (obviously) and then I set a milk jug full of water about 25 yards out and shot it with 223, 308, 3030 or what ever I had with me. I explained that it would do the same to a person. That drove the point home.

There is nothing wrong with starting them out real young or with a 22 for that matter. Take them out and see how it goes.

I have always told mine that if they want to see any of my guns that all they have to do is ask and I will stop what I am doing and get it out for them. On several occasions they have, and I did. They have no need or desire to touch them when I am not around (tho I don't leave them laying all over the place either).

They also learned real quick not to run their head into Daddys left hip :).

Jerry Jr.

[C. Latch]

They also learned real quick not to run their head into Daddys left hip :).

Jerry Jr.


I'm laughing because my oldest has already learned that daddy has hard metal things around his waist and you can't just run up to him.

[nagantguy]

Maturity is key, so is strength, my niece was frail until 10 or so my daughter was fairly hearty at 5. She got a bb gun at 5 and followed all the rules and I never saw one spot of rust on it. So at 7 she got a 10/22 that we built from parts and made a real shooter! She can shoot real well and has hunted much small game with it. This year she will deer hunt with the 94/44 trapper which she also shoots well.the 12 is to heavy and the 20 is light but kicks like a mule! Even for me. Anyhow watch them.and when you think they are ready or they show an interest take em shooting! Air soft is a great training aid as well all the mechanics and none of the noise. When they learn muzzle awareness and trigger breath control and grip and controls of the fire arm take them shooting!

[MT Gianni]

My son was shooting at age 5, my daughter held no interest but was gun savy and knew how by age 8.

[quack1]

No kids, but I knew how shoot a 22 by the time I went to first grade.
Dad took me to the range pretty near every time he went.

[pworley1]

My son started with a .22 at about six. He was quail hunting with me using a cut down 12 gauge single shot and light loads by 7.

[shooterg]

The daughter had a Chipmunk .22 at age 6, learned the safety/parts/cleaning stuff, but showed no big interest in shooting until 8. She read an Annie Oakley book that said Annie took her Dad's old gun off the mantle and shot something at 8, so she figured it was time !
Did the soda can trick as mentioned above to demo the destruction even a .22 can produce.
After a while, I'd give her a box of .22's(50) every day to shoot at targets and pay her a penny a point. Kept moving the target back so it didn't cost me so much(.22's were cheap then, remember !). After I paid up, we'd shoot a couple of Blammo exploding targets - she loved that. At 12 she went to a service rifle clinic, but then the teenage thing set in and boys became the priority. She's still solidly pro-gun though and has no problem with the grandson(4 now) being interested in guns. He better be- he's getting all of 'em some day !

[MtGun44]

We started a friend's boys at about 5-6 on BB guns, and by 7 they were shooting a VERY
cut down .22 single shot. Boys are seniors in HS now, and I just put the last piece of
the stock back on that .22 recently. I had made a new walnut buttstock in full length,
and then cut off two 2 inch pieces and saved them. I put one back on when they were
about 10 or so, and then recently put the other back on. There is a line, but the grain
flows because it was originally one piece. The love that old .22 and they are very safe
shooters, and pretty good shots, too.

Bill

[Ajax]

Cody started as soon as he was able to hold up the cricket. He is a dang good shot now in my opinion he is 17 and has aspergers so focusing is hard for him until it comes to shooting, Then his is single minded and very safety conscious. He has corrected many adults at the range and i have never been prouder.

Andy