Teach your kids how to shoot

[sgtjosh]

Hi Folks: I think we often forget, or at least too many do, that as shooting enthusiasts it is critical to each the next generation. The AR 15 is a great platform to introduce kids to the sport. I have been teaching my daughter, I think she is getting pretty good. Have a look!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IRH_6CTAfs

Always stress the basics and SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY. We also do a safety briefing on the way to the range and before we start to shoot.

Take care.

I just bought my boys (10 and 11 y/o) a Davey Cricket .22 LR single shot bolt action rifle with a peep sight. Before going out shooting, they had to sit through a safety class and pass dads safety test questions. They did well and had a great time. We are going out again this weekend.

[evenodds20]

my wife and i took my son to a few gun stores just to get opinions and see if anything fit him. the cricket was pretty good, but the M&P 15-22 fit him better. so thats what we got.

[Surf]

Age isn't as big of a factor as is maturity of the child. It also depends on the exposure and the type of education that they receive on the topic. Also the child needs to show an interest.

My 7yr old son has more knowledge of the weapon, how it operates, how to function check them, about fundamentals of shooting, firearms safety and practical shooting skills than most adults. He started learning at the age of 3 with basic safety in mind and it all started with his toy guns or squirt guns. His progression then went into nerf guns and then airsoft. The next level might be air rifles etc, before the final progression into say a .22 caliber type.

[tealio]

My marlin 60's feel small to me, but maybe they would be too big for my daughter? She's at her G'ma's for 2 weeks right now so I can't check by letting her hold it. What would be an average LOP for a 5-yr-old girl?

[The_War_Wagon]

I envy you guys with boys you can shooting with. My sons all have Autism, and while they're VERY high functioning, I'm not sure they'll ever be able to handle serious firearms.

Here's two of them at Cub Day Camp last year, shooting BB guns.



My oldest likes archery better than BB guns, and that's OK too. #3 son (the younger of the twins by 2 minutes - he's much higher functioning than his twin brother, who DIDN'T go to Day Camp BECAUSE of that) thinks he's Audie Murphy. I'd brought him on Family Day when he was 4 a few years ago, and he got to shoot during lunch. He grabs the gun and says, "NO - Tommy do it by himself!!!" And of course, he can't keep his finger off the trigger.

We're having fun in Scouting, but they're the MAIN reason I own firearms - they CAN'T defend themselves, so if it ever comes down to it, I'LL need to.

[Bimmer]

What would be an average LOP for a 5-yr-old girl?

I'm guessing about 10" or so...

For reference, the Savage Cub's LOP is 11", and it's still awkwardly long for my little girl — her arms are still too short.

By way of comparison, if I collapse the stock all the way, then she can shoulder my AR and get her right hand around the pistol grip just fine (with me standing by, holding the weight), but she still can't reach the foreend with her left hand.

Of course, 5-year-olds come in different sizes, but mine is big: off the charts for height, and now five-and-a-half.

BTW, I looked at the Cricket, but the on-line reviews I read were right: the trigger is horrible. I don't like open sights, either. For a bit more the Savage has a sweet trigger and an adjustable aperture sight (it was $186, brand new, OTD).

[evenodds20]

I'm guessing about 10" or so...

For reference, the Savage Cub's LOP is 11", and it's still awkwardly long for my little girl — her arms are still too short.

By way of comparison, if I collapse the stock all the way, then she can shoulder my AR and get her right hand around the pistol grip just fine (with me standing by, holding the weight), but she still can't reach the foreend with her left hand.

Of course, 5-year-olds come in different sizes, but mine is big: off the charts for height, and now five-and-a-half.

BTW, I looked at the Cricket, but the on-line reviews I read were right: the trigger is horrible. I don't like open sights, either. For a bit more the Savage has a sweet trigger and an adjustable aperture sight (it was $186, brand new, OTD).

my wife and I checked out the cricket quite a few times. even though they had some pretty cool colors and packages, with the scope, i just thought adding a little bit more the this M&P15-22 was the best all around bet. i can load 1 at a time if i want, i can change the LOP, it can be shot my me or my wife as well and be fun and cheap to do so.

[a1fabweld]

My daughter is 6-1/2 & my son is 4. I stress to them constantly that if their water gun was real, they'd kill someone. I'm pushing the safety of firearms heavily. They really take it seriously but I'm going to wait until they are about 8 to start shooting. First with a Cricket. They each already own matching BCM AR's, 1911's, HK clones, GSG's, & 10/22's. They know it and ask periodically to see "their guns". I also have literally thousands of rounds for each of them to enjoy the sport of shooting in the event that laws tighten up or prices skyrocket. I want to make sure they enjoy shooting when the time is right.

I'm contemplating starting them shooting airsoft in the backyard to understand & get a feel for safety, sights, & position. I think this will make the transition to real guns much more pleasant.

[AMMOTECH]

My dad passed his love of hunting on to me and I started shooting and deer hunting at age 10. {Took my first buck when I was 12.} We started out with safety, operation of the weapons and some dry fire. I tried to do the same with my daughters but they do not want to hunt; my yougest does like to shoot which is a good thing.

Some shots of her on the G19 & AR. (first range trip)









.

[Harv]

Already on it... she is 7 in this pic.



Her pellet gun



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