Guns for my Boys

[DRich]

I grew up in a small farming community in the South and every home had guns sitting behind doors or leaning in closets. I don't recall every hearing about any accidents because every kid I knew grew up with a deep-rooted fear of what would happen if they touched one of those guns without permission or supervision.

Guns weren't hidden from us and we weren't told that they were bad or evil. They were simply tools and we were taught to respect them. As we grew up, we received our first .22LR rifle under the Christmas tree, then a .410 shotgun, then maybe a .243 or .257 Roberts when we were teenagers. We blew our allowances on fireworks, candy and ammo. And we still knew that we'd get our asses whupped if someone saw us do something stupid with our guns. Worse yet, we knew the guns would get taken away...which was worse than the whuppin'.

Of course, times are different now. We have car seats in the truck and child locks on the cabinets. I have a pair of two-year old boys running around my house and I keep the guns locked in a vault. However, I still remember how excited I was when I got my first .22LR (Winchester Model 67....still have it) and I want my boys to know that thrill. As soon as I found out my wife was pregnant with twins, I began putting their "collection" together. Dealing with twins means I have to get two of each...it's like I'm stocking Noah's gun safe.

It took me over a year, but I finally found two excellent condition Winchester 67's. They are 70+ years old and still shoot great. Hard to beat a good single shot bolt action .22LR rifle and the Winchester is one of the best. The lessons they learn shooting these old iron sights will serve them for the rest of their lives.

I don't have the .410's yet, but I'm working on it. I have a while to track those down. I still have the .410 side-by-side that my grandfather gave me (and his grandfather gave him.) It's one of my favorite guns and has dispatched more pests than I can count.

For their first deer rifles, I bought them a pair of .243 Ruger #1's. The deer aren't too big down here and .243 is more than adequate for every whitetail I've seen in this area. A single shot rifle teaches a young hunter patience and discipline. It's the same reason my father only gave me one cartridge for my Model 7 when we went out hunting together. You don't risk a marginal shot when you only have one bullet.

For high school and college graduations, I just finished their AR's. Their HS rifles are C7/A1 clones built on Charles Daly lowers with Sabre Defense barrels. Their college rifles are 16" BCM midlength uppers on Noveske lowers. Hopefully, it will still be legal for them to own these rifles in 20yrs.

After that, they can buy their own guns....or wait till I'm dead and clean out my safe. :)

Any other fathers with similar projects out there?

[Rider]

That was a nice read. Thanks for sharing. I agree with getting them started young and keeping guns from being some dark secret that they would then be tempted to play with. I have 5 and 2 year old sons and am already preparing too. First a high quality pellet/BB gun to teach respect and marksmanship, then the 22's etc. Down the road I have a pistol and an AR for each. Well, they are mine now but will be their's later! That is what I tell the wife when she asks why I doubled up. I want them both to be able to defend themselves and have good fun but not glamorize the gun.

[hotwheelsjr]

Nice...my boy knows he has free reign on all my guns. He received his first .22lr around 11-12 years old. It's all about how you raise 'em, for sure. I was like you -- grew up with guns in the house -- never worried about accidents. I also grew up around cars and I took that approach with both my boy and girl. When I retired from the USAF, I handed them both keys to their first cars -- my boy, a '73 Plymouth Roadrunner, and my girl, a '67 Plymouth Barracuda. They both drive them as daily drivers and would kill anyone that tried to take them from them. My girl never had a fondness of my guns, but my boy did/does. We go out shooting when finances allow it. I have a plethora of guns and my boy is welcome to any of them. :D

[lindertw]

I picked up a Ruger MKIII 22/45, and my daughter started shooting with me last year @ age 7; for Christmas she got a 10/22.

She loves going to the range, and I try to get her out at least once per week. If/when an attitude arises she loses range privileges for the week, which has proven to be a very effective tool.

My 6yo son is showing a stronger interest, and we've been working a few nights each week at home on safety rules, sight picture, grip, safety rules, stance and dry fire with the 22/45 (and more safety rules). He may be ready for a trip to the range before too long :cool:

There's nothing more fun than spending time at the range with your kid...