View Full Version : Kids and guns
Can anyone remember when you were just a hair too short for that cool ride at the amusement park? Trying to walk under the height stick on your tiptoes or sticking your chin out only to be told by the ride operator that you are just too small. Well, my son and I are pretty vertically challenged. My son is 6 and he just loves to go shooting with me. I bought him a Walther p22 and an M&P 15-22. His little hands are just too small to reach the trigger and his arms are just too short to shoulder the rifle. He knows how to load and work the actions but just can't get the sight picture. I get a tear in my eye when he goes to the line and runs off a mag in his guns. A true shooting buddy.
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Bubba/P1000781.jpg
That's awesome, when I have kids I hope to do the same.
ohiorifleman
05-06-10, 22:52
A family that shoots together stays together.
Please find him some eye pro- I think we can all agree if given a choice we would take our sight over our hearing any day.- Don't take that as anything other than face value It's nice to see a fellow dad taking the lead on educating his son in the shooting sports instead of relying on outsiders to do it for him.- I can't wait to get my four year old out on the line with me in a couple of years.:)
I just took my 8 year old son out last week. He's shot plenty of rifles (mp5's, ak74 and ruger 10/22's) but still can't keep an ar steady enough to let him shoot it. Last week was his first day with a pistol (walther p22 as well) and he shot a bullseye with his first shot, and kept the rest within about a 6" moa. I don't know who was more proud, him or me. Thanks to the fine mentoring from TheKatar and GutshotJohn I was able to teach him to shoot correctly from the start. Just keep trying, I had to wait for my son to be able to get a good sight picture as well but since he had already been used to shooting he handled it pretty well and knew how to act.
That's a great pic and story.
I was 6 when my father sat me on the bed and showed me the Ruger 10/22.
He taught me how to load the magazines, how to unload, how to charge the weapon and how to safely unload as well.
We went out in the back yard and shot soda cans and pie plates. It was a blast......I loved it.
Then he put a watermelon down range and shot it, causing pink stuff to fly. He stopped shooting and looked down at me and said "That could be you or one of your friends.....you never, ever touch this thing unless I'm there and say it's ok. Understand?"
I did, and that graphic example made an impression on me.
Kids who are exposed to guns and their safe handling at an early age tend to stay out of trouble with them. Those whose parents treat guns as a taboo, that's where/when they get into trouble when they're exposed to them.
Your boy looks like he know exactly what he is doing down to the T and dot. Just the way he holding it in that pic shows you taught him well. Get them while they are young. And better to knowledge them early and get their curiously little mind and unsupervised hands out the window.
My kids love the range. When they were too young to actually shoot, they were loyal range monkeys. Good memories.
When my oldest was six, he acquired a love of the MP5SD. There are better choices for him, but none better for cool points.
I taught all of my kids gun safety and how to shoot plus one grand daughter. I never had to worry about one of them playing with a gun they found out of curiosity. Only my son likes to shoot now. But they still learned. (3 girls)
We lived in a rural community for a few years and the school actually taught gun safety because of the hunting environment. I think more schools should do this.
That's a great pic and story.
I was 6 when my father sat me on the bed and showed me the Ruger 10/22.
He taught me how to load the magazines, how to unload, how to charge the weapon and how to safely unload as well.
We went out in the back yard and shot soda cans and pie plates. It was a blast......I loved it.
Then he put a watermelon down range and shot it, causing pink stuff to fly. He stopped shooting and looked down at me and said "That could be you or one of your friends.....you never, ever touch this thing unless I'm there and say it's ok. Understand?"
I did, and that graphic example made an impression on me.
Kids who are exposed to guns and their safe handling at an early age tend to stay out of trouble with them. Those whose parents treat guns as a taboo, that's where/when they get into trouble when they're exposed to them.
I sat my son down on the bed just like your dad. I feel it is better to do it inside so the distraction of just shooting the gun isn't there. Concentrate on basics and let the excitement kick in when he knows what he is doing.
Please find him some eye pro)
He has a nice set but we could not see the red dot because of the positioning of the sun. I make sure he is always wearing it when he has his pistol.
I hear ya about having a son that is short in stature. He is 10 1/2, a genius, and so far a dead eye. But he is too small to even hold a 10/22. So he is limited by his size to his "cricket". He can shoot my AR, but it has to be from a rest. He wants to go hunting so badly, but there really isn't anything that he can hold that will take down a buck.
thopkins22
05-07-10, 23:39
My early experience with firearms pretty much mirrors that of Templar, I could shoot anytime I wanted but was not allowed to touch anything unless my grandfather was there.
I think the recommendation for a Cricket is spot on, ideal for the 5-7 y/o size.
That is great. I have two boys just like that (5 and 8). Chips off the old block.
It is a great age to start. I was given my first real firearm at age 5. It was a .410 shotgun. I loved all of my rifles and shotguns as a kid and besides all of the hunting I did as a kid, it came in handy one day. When I was about 13 we had a guy show up at our house and try to break in. It was just me and my mom and this guy had been stalking my mom. She was pretty scared and called the police. I walked up to my room and grabbed a 12 ga. and some buckshot. I told the guy that if he made it through the door I would blow his F'ing head off. He decide he should leave and then I apologized to my mom for the use of foul language. Never too young to teach a kid not to be a victim.
FromMyColdDeadHand
05-08-10, 01:14
My son just turned 5 and this winter I started practicing with him with a nerf rifle. Not as cool as the 22s out there, but he is a little high strung and I wanted to work on his general understanding of safety rules. I simplified it to muzzle discipline, only shooting targets and finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot.
Nerf gun is a pump and has 5 round mags. Even it is too long for him and I had to take off the stock. Working with him on changing mags and keeping the gun up in his workspace. Got the setup to make Kydex, so I'm going to make some mag holders for him. Probably get him into some airsoft before we go whole hog.
Love to get him into three gun with some 22s.
Smuckatelli
05-08-10, 11:52
I picked up a CZ-452 Scout from Virginia Arms last Thursday for my 8year old. He has an internal port so contact sports are out of the question until he completes his leukemia treatment. The Scout is a pretty easy setup for kids to use, he loaded his magazines, worked the action, cleared the weapon which was good for me, I was able to work on his marksmanship instead of working the weapon.
Belmont31R
05-08-10, 12:03
Ive got about another year or two before my twin boys can go shooting with me. They already have guns, though.....just don't know it yet.
Then he put a watermelon down range and shot it, causing pink stuff to fly. He stopped shooting and looked down at me and said "That could be you or one of your friends.....you never, ever touch this thing unless I'm there and say it's ok. Understand?"
I did, and that graphic example made an impression on me.
I talked to a guy once that told me about how his father showed him how dangerous guns could be. His father took him out and made him watch as he shot the family dog. He said that it devastated him for a while. He liked to shoot but did not hunt much, he figures that was why.
My early experience with firearms pretty much mirrors that of Templar, I could shoot anytime I wanted but was not allowed to touch anything unless my grandfather was there.
When my kids were young the rule was you could look at any gun in the house with a couple of provisions:
1) The child had to ask
2) My wife or I had to be present.
3) They had to prove it was empty and follow the safety rules (which were gone over each time).
I always made a point to accommodate any "can I see that" request as quickly as I could. Actually the rules still stand. I always felt it's the forbidden fruit that is the most tempting.
When my kids were young the rule was you could look at any gun in the house with a couple of provisions:
1) The child had to ask
2) My wife or I had to be present.
3) They had to prove it was empty and follow the safety rules (which were gone over each time).
I always made a point to accommodate any "can I see that" request as quickly as I could. Actually the rules still stand. I always felt it's the forbidden fruit that is the most tempting.
I do the same thing. It quells the curiosity.
Smuckatelli
05-13-10, 21:23
I got the last of our three children to the range today, she's 6 and it now looks like I'll have to buy a pink CZ-452 Scout for her on payday.
It's an old thread but I took my girls out today and we brought a camera. My youngest daughter is more of the shopper type but my 11 year old is really getting into it once she is grasping the basics. My boy still is a better shot but I won't tell her that! My 11 year old now wants me to trade her Sig for my Gen 2 G19. No way! I'll buy another 19 before I do that! My younger daughter has trouble with leaning back instead of forward. I seem to have fixed that by making her sit on my knee.
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Girls/SANY0704.jpg
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Girls/SANY0701.jpg
My son is 6 and he just loves to go shooting with me. I bought him a Walther p22 and an M&P 15-22. His little hands are just too small to reach the trigger and his arms are just too short to shoulder the rifle. He knows how to load and work the actions but just can't get the sight picture. I get a tear in my eye when he goes to the line and runs off a mag in his guns. A true shooting buddy.
Good job.
I was about 7 when I got my first guns. He's doing pretty good from what I see. My first handguns were a German Luger, a Ruger .357 Security Six and a Colt 1911. Most of them were definitely "too big" for me but I learned to manage.
I couldn't pull the slide and the .45 to charge it without my small grip letting it sweep 180 degrees so I had to always pull the slide on an empty magazine to lock it open and then replace it with a loaded mag and drop the slide.
The Ruger .357 (which was usually loaded with .38s) required a 2 handed grip to hold and keep it pointed downrange and when I cocked the hammer my trigger finger almost always found it's way inside the trigger guard (much to my fathers frustration) but with my small hands it was actually the only way to have real control over it. Fortunately I never experienced a ND as I managed to keep my finger OFF the trigger once I began cocking the hammer.
The Luger and a Ruger .22 Single Six were the only ones that really fit me well enough that I didn't need to grow into them. I could wrap my entire hand around the Luger grip without a finger near the trigger guard and still hold the weapon securely enough to charge the action.
Here's a picture of me about 10 years of age on a typically humid night at a Ft. Lauderdale range back in the day with my Dad. For years we shot one night a week and I did martial arts classes twice a week. I'm really grateful my father took the time to do these things with me and that I had an interest in shooting with my Dad.
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/6898/00000000130.jpg
I had .22s but for some reason they held little interest for me, I'd rather shoot the Luger or the Ruger (with .38s, took awhile for me to want to shoot .357s and they were a handful for me). I liked the 1911 but it was just kind too big for me the manage on my own. As you can see a was a nerdy little 10 year old (complete with braces) and it would be a few years before I could comfortably manage the bigger guns.
But there was a benefit to having tried them over the years, I learned to be able to shoot pretty much anything. And yes I should have been wearing eye protection, but for some reason that wasn't heavily stressed back in the late 70s.
The first handguns I ever shot were the Ruger Single Six and the Colt Cobra. First Auto was a Gold Cup 1911. I too had little interest in the 22s.
My dad did the visual/graphic demonstration of why you had to be careful with guns as well. The first time he took me out with my new .22 rifle, after I had shot a few tin cans off the fencepost, he told me to shoot the muddy creek bank. It left a decent crater in the soft mud, and he said, "That's what that gun would do to your Mom or me if you aren't careful with it." Then he pulled out a .357 (funny, I never remember him carrying a revolver before or since, so perhaps he chose it specifically for this occasion?) and blew a head-size divot out of the creek bank, and said "That's what THIS gun will do. This gun is a lot smaller than yours, but it makes a bigger hole, and you can't tell what gun will make what hole, so treat them all like they'd do that."
That lesson sticks with me to this day; even after seeing first-hand what a .308 does to whitetail bucks, I still think first of that creek bank and the .357 blowing mud back all over us.
LowSpeed_HighDrag
07-09-11, 23:37
This thread really warms my heart. You guys seem like a great bunch of Dad's and I appreciate you passing on the torch THE RIGHT WAY to the next generation.
My wife and I have decided that children are not in the picture for quite awhile as life is simply too busy for the time being. But, when that day comes I welcome the opportunity to spend these quality moments with my kids.
Well my 11 yo son is still short and the Remington 700 in .243 is still too much (weight) for him. But he can shoot it. However this summer we took our Boy Scout troop to summer camp. Due to some administrative fouls ups we had to beg for range time and I had to serve as an RSO (gosh darn it ;) ). I had so much fun teaching the younger boys to shoot the Savage .22s that they had. Some kids whose parents are vehemently anti, and there fore have never shot before, managed to shoot pretty danged well. Unfortunately Jokey Smurf / Dr. Evil Jr. (AKA my son) decided to show off on the range.
I told him before he even stepped up to the range to just shoot his targets and not be a wise ass. They were shooting the 25M targets with 5 bulls eyes printed on it. The targets were held in place with 4 clothes pins which attached the targets to two clothes lines running across the range. The boys were supposed to place 5 shots in each target.
Well Lil' wise ass decides to shoot the shit out of one target making as small of a hole as possible. I decided to let it go and figured that he could have a little fun. Then it happened. Out of the corner of my eye, while helping another boy, I see a clothes pin go flying. I immediately looked at Alvin York and glared and he gave me a look that said "oops, not really". I told him to cut it out or there would be hell to pay. So I'm back to walking the line when suddenly I see another clothes pin imitating a ballistic missile. At this point I stomped over to him with an ass whipping on my mind. He starts to say that it was a flier and an accident. At this point the real RSO waves me off. He calls me over and says to let him have fun and that we will get even with him. At this point Im walking the line again and everyone is about done when, whodathunkit, a 3rd clothes pin disappears. I turn to look at him and he just looks and says "IT was my last round, did you really expect me to NOT take the shot?" Well then me and the RSO start to have fun.
The RSO says "Wow, you are a really good shot and must have lots of experience". My son is beaming and nods his head. The RSO then says "Too bad you have to pay $15 for those three pins you shot off." My son gets this WTF look. The RSO then goes on "Well you are obviously an experienced shooter and as such you should know that every time you come to a range you should rad the posted range rules before you come to the line. It says right there that shot clothes pins are $5 each." He explains that the clothes pins are hand carved to BSA standards by a retired WWII vet in the Philippines. Oh the look on the boys face as his jaw dropped to the ground. He finally goes "Wwwwhat range rules" and the RSO shoots right back "The ones on the other side of that sign." "Oh don't tell me you didn't read it"
Now keep in mind that the sign was a vinyl Dicks Sporting Goods sponsorship banner. But from the range side all you see is white. Now the boy is nervous. He tries to bolt off the line to get a look at the other side of the sign. He is sweating like a guy sitting in 'Ole Sparky waiting for the switch to be thrown. However the RSO tells him that before he leaves the line he has to police his ammo, then wait for the all clear, go retrieve his target, and only then be released from the line.
So we get to the point where all of this is done. The RSO makes a show out of ensuring that the line is clear and ready to be shut down for the day. Meanwhile my Audie Murphy wannabe is standing there at the line, waiting like a thoroughbred waiting to bolt though a gate at the Kentucky Derby. This kid is climbing the walls and the RSO and I are trying not to lose it. So we savor the moment of anxiety and then release the boys. The kid takes off down the ramp like the Enterprise in Star Trek going to warp bajillion. He finally gets out into the open ground, turns around, looks up....
And gives us the dirtiest look an 11 year old can manage. You'd have sworn that we were the grinches that stole Christmas. The RSO and I finally loose it and bust out laughing. Then the RSO kind of composed our selves and took him aside and made sure he learned his lesson about not being a show off and wise ass and always obeying instructions. The RSO was far wiser in his discipline lesson then my ass whipping could have ever been.
Thought you all might enjoy this story.
Gerat story HES!
Trident, thanks for the kind words but I think you are making me look old! :smile:
Great stories. :)
Got my son a Cricket when he was a Tiger in Cub Scouts. After my wife watched him at the BB range at summer camp, she green lighted the .22. He's in Webelos now and still shooting with me.
With lacrosse practice and games pretty much year round, range time is too infrequent for us both, but we'll sneak away when we can. He's still pretty little for his age (just turned 10).
These are my two favorite shots of him shooting.
First range session with the Cricket.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k158/mrbieler/cam_cricket_01.jpg
With some help from the RSO two years ago at a "Shoot for the Troops" event.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k158/mrbieler/shoot_for_troops_081509_2.jpg
woodandsteel
07-12-11, 23:41
Last fall my wife and I bought this Remingotn 597, http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/rimfire/model-597/model-597-pink-camo.aspx , for my oldest daughter. At first it was supposed to be a Christmas present to her. But, my wife and I wimped out. We decided to hold off on giving her the rifle until she grew up a little bit more.
My daughter is about to start the 2nd Grade. I was about her age when my dad took me out to shoot for the first time. After reading this thread, I think it is time to give my daughter her rifle and teach her how to handle, shoot and maintain it.
On a side note. When we bought this rifle for my seven year old, our three year old daughter was with us. While waiting for the paperwork to be completed, the three year old ran to a display cabinet containing an assortment of S&W M&P 15-22's and said that she wanted one of those. It was a proud moment.
Reading this thread got me really excited for my boy to get just a little bit older! My little guy's only 8 months old but I can't wait to get him out shooting.
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Girls/imagejpeg_2_41.jpg
Smuckatelli
10-28-11, 22:56
I took our youngest to the range yesterday for her first time shooting a pistol. The picture with her weak hand reaching back was because brass had gone down the shirt. She actually put the weapon on safe, kept it pointed down range and calmly removed the brass. Once the brass was gone, she calmly said "that was really hot."
It took me a while to figure out why she was so calm. A few weeks ago I let her and Tomas fire the 6920. During the first magazine I positioned myself close enough that I was getting hit with brass and a few went down my shirt. I waited until she had finished shooting, put the weapon on safe before I removed the brass from under my shirt.
Lesson learned, these kids watch you like a hawk, even after she has been shooting for 2 years.
She ended up with 5 burn marks from her neck to her stomach.
Since this is the place it seems for proud pops to show of their little (or future) range buddies, this is Costa. At 11 months he is still a little young to head to the range with me, but he already has a BCM carbine upper sitting in the safe, and as you can see, a healthy thirst for shooting knowledge. ;)
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f32/wyorca/IMG_0691.jpg
sandman99and9
10-29-11, 11:21
Last fall my wife and I bought this Remingotn 597, http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/rimfire/model-597/model-597-pink-camo.aspx , for my oldest daughter. At first it was supposed to be a Christmas present to her. But, my wife and I wimped out. We decided to hold off on giving her the rifle until she grew up a little bit more.
My daughter is about to start the 2nd Grade. I was about her age when my dad took me out to shoot for the first time. After reading this thread, I think it is time to give my daughter her rifle and teach her how to handle, shoot and maintain it.
On a side note. When we bought this rifle for my seven year old, our three year old daughter was with us. While waiting for the paperwork to be completed, the three year old ran to a display cabinet containing an assortment of S&W M&P 15-22's and said that she wanted one of those. It was a proud moment.
I got one of those remington 597's for my son years ago and have had magazine problems with it ever since.
I have tried several kinds and they all hang up if you put 10 rounds in them. I tried lubing the hell out of them but no luck.
They are all several years or more old and we quit shooting it. I wonder if remington redid the mags since then ?
Thinking of getting a new .22 for my 10 yr old to shoot with me.
He has already told me he wants to shoot my m4 :D
S.M.
nice.. teaching kids about guns IS responsible parenting, not to mention great fun.
It's an old thread but I took my girls out today and we brought a camera. My youngest daughter is more of the shopper type but my 11 year old is really getting into it once she is grasping the basics. My boy still is a better shot but I won't tell her that! My 11 year old now wants me to trade her Sig for my Gen 2 G19. No way! I'll buy another 19 before I do that! My younger daughter has trouble with leaning back instead of forward. I seem to have fixed that by making her sit on my knee.
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Girls/SANY0704.jpg
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Girls/SANY0701.jpg
That is awesome! The stance and body language in the last photo are outstanding. She is going to be a strong woman.
This Savage was my little girls first gun:
http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab160/usmcvet0331/cubpink.png
My son's first gun was this Savage:
http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab160/usmcvet0331/cub.png
My third child ended up with a Pink Daisy BB gun, that she can share with her sister.
They have been told since they were very small they can look at the guns when ever they want to they just need to ask Daddy. We practice muzzle and trigger discipline/control each time. It works well.
Earlier this year we bought a S&W M&P15-22. We quickly began to dry-fire on his spare time. We also started working on some basic drills.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r29/l_jimenez30/Agoge/th_IMG_0436.jpg (http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r29/l_jimenez30/Agoge/?action=view¤t=IMG_0436.mp4)
We then put all his hard work to use. He was stuggling at first but then the whole thing came together and his group really tightened up. He seems to enjoy it quite a bit and I get to use this as a motivational tool for him as well. His trips to the range and dependant on how well he does in school and sports. Since implementing this concept he has brought nothing but A's & B's every week.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r29/l_jimenez30/IMG_5117.jpg
After numerous trips to the range we then stepped it up a bit and began working on some more complicated drills.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r29/l_jimenez30/Agoge/th_FILE0006.jpg (http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r29/l_jimenez30/Agoge/?action=view¤t=FILE0006.mp4)
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