Teaching the Children to Shoot

[Uncle Grinch]

Our gun club (www.marionroad.com) recently had our first 22 rimfire pistol silhouette match and naturally my great-nephew wanted to participate. He's only 13 years old, but I have spent quite a bit of time with him and his older brother, so after getting the OK from our Range Director, we let him give it a try.

Well, he suprised quite a few of us. Shooting my Ruger Single-Six, he tied for 4th place out of 9 shooters in the iron sight class. Best of all... he was safe and had a GREAT time!

[RugerFan]

Very nice! Always good to see the youngsters getting involved in shooting. Nothing like a good, clean hobby to keep kids on the right path. Great job!

[buck1]

Good job! If you teach them from the start, safty is a second nature for life! ....Buck

[Topper]

Best of all... he was safe and had a GREAT time!
That's the best part of all ;-)

[Blackwater]

GREAT!!! This is something too many of us shooters don't pay enough attention to. I know it's a harried, hurried world out there, but all of us WANT to bring the kids along. Some of the liberal indoctrinated moms don't like this, but it's a chance to make inroads there, as well, if done right.

Great post! As packed as most of our lives are now, we need a reminder like this every now and then.

[Wayne Smith]

Yup, 13 is the age Boy Scouts can qualify for their Riflery merit badge. I've had them casting their own round balls the night before if they want to qualify with muzzle loaders! They love it, get to make their own balls and then shoot them.

We qualify them during a camping trip, so they are casting outdoors over a Coleman stove.

[deadpan]

Does anyone know if there is a program/Club available for young girls that teaches more of the skills generally taught to boys?? My daughter is only 6, but is very excited by hunting and fishing trips. I am knowledgeable about these activities, but I think that she would really enjoy a ' gang of girls ' learning and exercising wildland skills. If anyone knows of anything...please let me know.

[Scrounger]

Does anyone know if there is a program/Club available for young girls that teaches more of the skills generally taught to boys?? My daughter is only 6, but is very excited by hunting and fishing trips. I am knowledgeable about these activities, but I think that she would really enjoy a ' gang of girls ' learning and exercising wildland skills. If anyone knows of anything...please let me know.

NRA has the Eddie Eagle program for teaching youngsters gun safety. Most NRA Affiliated clubs have a Junior Shooters Program of organized competition, and NRA has shooting programs for women. All this information is probably available at their website where there are probably instructions on contacting NRA Reps or clubs in your area to get involved in them.

[kenjuudo]

deadpan, In Indiana the DNR has a one week summer camp exploring all aspects of outdoor sports. It's a great program, with many DNR personel volunterring their time. Maybe your state has something. The girls do seem to be more "social" in their activities.

jim

[bisley45]

man I like to see them kids geting started off right
I have two daughters one is 8 and one 2 here is a pic of my 8 year old geting reedy for deer season
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/lisa1lacy2/mis071.jpg

[David R]

My daughter has been shooting since she was 8. Mostly sporter rifle. This year she beat me in a 200 yard 22 rimfire bench rest match and a 300 yard prone centerfire match.

That is what I like!

David

[Bullshop]

Dontya just lovit!!!
BIC/BS

[swheeler]

Nothing makes you feel better than spending quality time with your children, the very best days of shooting are when they are spent with one or all of them. They started shooting about the time they started walking, with a little help from dad, and the twins started reloading shotgun ammo when in the second or third grade, now they are boolit casters, better "addiction" than alot of their friends have!
Samantha Colte Wheeler- or Sam Colt as we call her- chronoing some of her loads in the nagant revolver. Teach them to respect guns, keep em' shootin' and keep em' out of trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[deadpan]

Thanks for the info you guys....and the pics are great!! I just got a new digital camera today, and I am looking forward to posting some pics up of my daughter on our hunting and fishing trips.
I would love to post the pic of her dip-netting down on the Copper River....should have seen her face when that fish hit the net. (All I can say is, It's a damm good thing I had her roped off to a tree...LOL!!)
Anyway, I will look into the info that was offered on here........Thanks again!!

[schutzen]

Check out 4-H Shooting Sports. It is a good safe program and is open to all youths age 9-19. There are numerous girls that compete in Kentucky. Several years ago the 1st Place Pistol Shooter was a young lady from Southeast Kentucky. 248 out of 250 with 23X if I remember correctly.

[ihmsakiwi]

Can't help with the programmes being down under, but my eleven year old daughter has been spotting for me at IHMSA shoots for the last three years, and is a fair to improving shot with here Daisy 747 pistol. She has been hankering for a Buckmark .22 for the last couple of years. Gives one a great excuse for quality time at the range!! Peter.

[Uncle Grinch]

Our club (www.marionroad.com) is working on a Junior Rifle Match for kids 10-18 years old. We found out that quite a few of our members want their dependants to learn in a more formal environment and some are hopeing that they may accept teaching more readily or at least listen better when they are not under the parental umbrella.

Several of my Range Officers and Match Directors met last week and discussed the "action items" that we want to include in our Junior Rifle Match. From the looks of it , it may be several months, ie... May-June), before it materializes. I'll be glad to send anyone who is interested, our match info and overview when it becomes available. You can view our other match info now as it is posted on our website.

[swheeler]

Talking to our oldest daughter lastnight, she lives in Missouri, said her and husband bought an SKS, she will be teaching him and their two children to shoot, just like I did her 20 years ago. The gift that keeps on giving!!!!
Scooter

[Olivergaci]

Spending time at a gun club is a fun way to bring your family together. I remember when I considered adopting a kid due to my inability to have children and what we would do in our free time. As I decided to adopt a boy with the help of https://fosterplus.org, I asked him about what he would like to do together, and he said that shooting sounds gripping. We have visited different gun clubs since then, and the most exciting part is that my husband wasn't fond of this activity, but we somehow convinced him to try. Now we are having so much fun together.

[CBH]

Just saw this. Brings tears to my eyes. How blessed you and your son are to have each other. Mom, too.

[CBH]

Spending time at a gun club is a fun way to bring your family together. I remember when I considered adopting a kid due to my inability to have children and what we would do in our free time. As I decided to adopt a boy with the help of https://fosterplus.org, I asked him about what he would like to do together, and he said that shooting sounds gripping. We have visited different gun clubs since then, and the most exciting part is that my husband wasn't fond of this activity, but we somehow convinced him to try. Now we are having so much fun together.

Just saw this. Brings tears to my eyes. How blessed you all are to have each other!

[hoodat]

I started my youngest grandchick Sammy, with the Red Ryder in the back yard. The light weight rifle was about all she could hold at that age. I think maybe 6 years.
295533

First 22 action was with this little Remington #6 boy's rifle. It was a little heavy though.
295534

I put her behind a full sized Rem 511 with a bi-pod. Even though the scope was too far from her eye, she made it work, and really tore it up. This day really got her down with target acquisition and trigger control. She could literally nail anything out to 50 yds.
295535

FINALLY -- I got her a dedicated rifle of her own. Lil Cricket.

295536

The stock was still kind of low for her iddy-biddy face, so we made a redneck Monte Carlo riser, and the fit was perfect.
295538

Sam has been able to shoot this little gun pretty durned well, and this is where it all lead to. This is her first kill, at over fifty yards, and I just about cried tears of joy. I'm a lucky guy to have spent the quality time I have with her, and it's not over yet. Some day maybe I'll have a pic of her first buck. jd

295539

[GregLaROCHE]

The most important thing we can do for our hobby/passion is to get youngsters involved in it.

[shooterg]

Yup, 13 is the age Boy Scouts can qualify for their Riflery merit badge. I've had them casting their own round balls the night before if they want to qualify with muzzle loaders! They love it, get to make their own balls and then shoot them.

We qualify them during a camping trip, so they are casting outdoors over a Coleman stove.

fwiw- since BSA became Scouts USA , I thing the girls can join and participate in Scout shooting , something the girl scouts did not do.

[shooterg]

Awesome ! Reminds me of my daughter 30 years back at 8 with her little Chipmunk(peep sight only though) . Used the same one to start the grandboy out with when he was 6 . Good times !

[Wag]

Way back when, I had the privilege of teaching my 5-year old niece to shoot with a Beretta Minx in .22 short. She was able to operate the tip-up barrel on her own and was shooting very well at ranges up to about five yards. The smile on her face made it all worth while!

--Wag--

[warren5421]

deadpan: Don't know the area you live in but try these numbers, they are Single Action Shooting Society members that run clubs in Alaska. They should be able to help you with info and maybe a club to shot at close to you.

907-982-5017. Flaco Joe. Mat-Valley Sportsmans Shooting Range Palmer. Alaska 49ers

907-982-5097. Flaco Joe. Mat-Valley Sportsmans Shooting Range Palmer. Alaska 49ers Wild Bunch

205-616-9395. Derringer Di Old York Shootists Cowboy Action Shooting Range. Fairbanks. Golden Heart Shootist Society

907-500-9735. Coho Cowboy. Hank Harmon Rifle Range. Juneau. Juneau Gold Miners Posse