What age to start shooting?

M

mercracing

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
    • Feb 9, 2013
    1,960
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    Green Bay, WI
    #1
    The time has come in life(I think) to start the nieces and nephews shooting. I plan to start with some suppressed .22. Some of the parents don't seem to be super on board with my idea, claiming their kids are too young. So I'm curious, when did you learn? Or what age did you start shooting/teaching gun safety to the next generation?

    HAPPY EASTER!!!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    #2
    Started at 6 and still have the Remington 572 FieldMaster that was my Fathers Squirrel Rifle. I remember very well not being even able to hold the damn thing up for a few years. Just told the story to a friend about having to buy the damn thing back from a Step Sister after returning to the States and finding out Her and Her POS Sister took all my the Fathers things when their Mom died and never told me or my Sisters. Anyhow, my two Sons started when they were 7 and both had passed Hunters Safety by age 9.

    This is a very personal type of thread dealing with kids n family so I'll do what I normally do and be "very" brief and leave it up to your good judgement. I think kids should be given the opportunity to be exposed early and to have it made fun, not a pretext to something bigger in a week or two. Slowly, briefly, then move on to something else. Meaning not to make it the end of all things or portray that attitude. Understanding that there are different levels of maturity and interest, even at these young ages, some kids may do better not to be exposed till say 10 or so. Case by case.
     
    #3
    My very first gun I shot was an SKS when I was only 3 years old. Obviously that's too much gun for such a little guy. Both of my sons learned at a much slower pace. One thing you have to realize when introducing kids to ANYTHING new is that you can't rush them and don't turn it into a contest with other parents because it will always be the kids in the end who suffer and the last thing you want is to accidentally turn a future shooter into a future anti gunner.
     
    #4
    One thing I will need to try and remember is it's all about fun at that age. I was shooting with a friend and his son a month or so ago. His son was shooting a 22 at a steel gong 20 feet away. Hitting it every time. I asked his dad why he didn't move it farther back and his dad responded that it's not about the challenge at that age, it's about having fun!
     
    #5
    I got a bolt action .22 repeater and single shot 20 ga on Christmas morning shortly after I turned seven. But I had already been shooting for a quite a while. I'm sure it depends on the kid. And, obviously, the parents.
     
    #6
    Started my daughter at 5 with a Red Ryder bb gun . Let her shoot my .22 and at 12 she got a .17HMR . She is 18 and doesn't bother much with shooting these days . My son started at 8 with bb gun and bows . At 9 shoots my .22 his sister's .17 and shoots the Ar . Maybe getting him something for Christmas this year to call his own . Started both my kids with the talk that if you ever see a gun don't touch it .Tell your friends don't touch it , it may kill you , get a parent , teacher or an adult . Both of my kids have come to me when they were small having found the neighbors toy guns in our yard and followed the above rules . Very proud of them .
     
    #7
    1J04 said:
    I remember very well not being even able to hold the damn thing up for a few years.
    Click to expand...

    This is a heartwarming and inspirational story. A lot of folks would look at a kid like I was, breaking targets shooting trap with 16 and 20 ga shotguns at age six or seven, and look at AJ not being able to lift a .22 until he was eight years old, and think a runt like AJ would grow up to be a fruity, squishy, snowflake. But NO! He grew up to be a real man who loves to shoot and even sired children. Amazing. So even if your kid is a sickly little weakling, keep the faith. They might grow out of it. I'm so proud of 1J04 I'm wiping away a tear as I write this. I'm going to write Lifetime now and see if I can't turn this into a tv special. Thanks for sharing bro. And rest easy knowing buds like me are there to support you.
     
    #8
    Had a BB/pellet gun since about the time I could walk. Once I was 9ish I had free access to it and was encouraged to keep the starling population in check as best as possible. I never did a BB/Pellet gun for my daughter as the housing situation doesn't really preclude shooting in the back yard. As a kid I had a lot of room to roam.
    For my daughter I got her a cricket 22lr for her 6th Birthday. She has 3 22's and a 9mm AR to take with her when she moves out. She really likes pistols while myself and my wife prefer long guns. They just passed a "limited CCW" for 18 years old to 20 and I have been pushing her to get it.
     
    #9
    Cartman said:
    This is a heartwarming and inspirational story. A lot of folks would look at a kid like I was, breaking targets shooting trap with 16 and 20 ga shotguns at age six or seven, and look at AJ not being able to lift a .22 until he was eight years old, and think a runt like AJ would grow up to be a fruity, squishy, snowflake. But NO! He grew up to be a real man who loves to shoot and even sired children. Amazing. So even if your kid is a sickly little weakling, keep the faith. They might grow out of it. I'm so proud of 1J04 I'm wiping away a tear as I write this. I'm going to write Lifetime now and see if I can't turn this into a tv special. Thanks for sharing bro. And rest easy knowing buds like me are there to support you.
    Click to expand...

    Dude, that's not even funny. I was a Preemie that should have never lived. I had two strikes against me before I even entered the world. Ended up with the Umbilical cord wrapped around my neck on top of being 8 1/2 weeks early. It's believed this played part in my neuromuscular disease which still plagues me from time to time. This place can be so insensitive at times and this isn't one of them. That whole story is BS but I hope you still feel like shit. :p lmfao

    Look, it's a heavy ass full size mans gun. Hell, I still have trouble not only getting it up, but holding it up. Wait, I didn't just say that either. :eek:
     
    #10
    Started my boys at about 6. Mostly .22s, moved them up as they proven proficiency and desire. They took hunter safety at 8 and 10. Now 13 and 15, they shoot everything I will let them. The two of them shot 17 snow geese with 14 rounds in about 10 seconds last fall. They hunt, shoot matches in several disciplines and have some wins to their credit as well. Shooting guns and hunting is just a part of their life.

    But all kids are different. In 2015, I had to tell 3 sets of parents I could not let their child continue in a competition. They obviously had no interest and lacked awareness making my ROs uneasy. One Mom blew up, one Dad thanked me and the other set was just "Okay". From that I derive that the "trainer" is just as important as the student to asses and and not push too far too soon.
     
    #11
    I should add that we have a 5YO daughter and my wife is asking when we should take her. The range we belong to won't allow it and my part of SoCal has open field options that are limited or a hassle. Cricket .22 for sixth birthday sounds about right. I may follow in your footsteps there.

    Anyway, my point was that my wife is on board and already thinking about it. Then again, I married an Israeli who already owned four guns when we met. Makes me think of the guy here posting because his gf was anti-gun. Got to think ahead son. If you think it's bad now when it's just you, how do you think the fights are going to go when you have kids and want them to learn to shoot?

    My advice is to take girls you're dating on shooting dates and see how it goes. I know I've done that many times. Then you'll know.
     
    #12
    I was 8-10, can't remember for sure.
    Dad bought me a marlin 39m.
    Had bb guns before this.
    Got a mossberg 500a around 12.
    That shotgun could ingest any shitty reloads we threw at it.
    So on and so on.

    Started my kids around same ages bb gun wise.
    Bought them Crickket 17's around 10ish.
    They learned to smoke small clay birds at 100 with these.
    Later came 22 pistols, little beretta and a mark 2.
    They shoot most of the old man's guns now.

    R
     
    #13
    MarkCO said:
    Started my boys at about 6. Mostly .22s, moved them up as they proven proficiency and desire. They took hunter safety at 8 and 10. Now 13 and 15, they shoot everything I will let them. The two of them shot 17 snow geese with 14 rounds in about 10 seconds last fall. They hunt, shoot matches in several disciplines and have some wins to their credit as well. Shooting guns and hunting is just a part of their life.

    But all kids are different. In 2015, I had to tell 3 sets of parents I could not let their child continue in a competition. They obviously had no interest and lacked awareness making my ROs uneasy. One Mom blew up, one Dad thanked me and the other set was just "Okay". From that I derive that the "trainer" is just as important as the student to asses and and not push too far too soon.
    Click to expand...

    Obviously I don't know those folk's stories. But I'm reminded that kids, by and large, don't get brought up with the gun culture focused on safety and responsibility we did decades ago. And for those who shake their heads at the situation living in the country, think about what it's like in the cities. Most grown men, let alone kids, learned everything they know about guns from the movies.

    And for the record, I'm not a hunter (need to change that) but still took a hunter safety class at age seven. That's not typical in 21st century America. A large chunk of the population comes from countries where private gun ownership is illegal.

    As a personal aside that no one but me will care about, at that HS class they brought me to the front for a demo. I was not used to the spotlight and was pretty nervous and didn't really hear a thing they were trying to tell me. Well afterwards and I had relaxed I was told I totally screwed up the demo. Apparently I was so young they were trying to get me to turn and spin around fanning everyone with the muzzle as an example of what little kids and dangerous people do wrong. But all I could think of was my step dad -- a genuine bad arse -- telling me you NEVER point the gun at what you are not ready to destroy -- NEVER. So I kept that muzzle down. Which probably also highlights the warning that in a crises you revert to your training.

    So if kids aren't getting training when they're young, I think it makes them less safe as adults when they think they alredy know everything and it is tougher to teach them good habits and correct bad ones.
     
    #19
    Cartman said:
    This is a heartwarming and inspirational story. A lot of folks would look at a kid like I was, breaking targets shooting trap with 16 and 20 ga shotguns at age six or seven, and look at AJ not being able to lift a .22 until he was eight years old, and think a runt like AJ would grow up to be a fruity, squishy, snowflake. But NO! He grew up to be a real man who loves to shoot and even sired children. Amazing. So even if your kid is a sickly little weakling, keep the faith. They might grow out of it. I'm so proud of 1J04 I'm wiping away a tear as I write this. I'm going to write Lifetime now and see if I can't turn this into a tv special. Thanks for sharing bro. And rest easy knowing buds like me are there to support you.
    Click to expand...

    i,m so glad he pulled out of it, the poor fella, like the little engine that could...
    three cheers for jimmie...
     
    #21
    I have started all of my grandchildren shooting 22lr at about 5. Teach them early so they will be safe and comfortable with firearms. You never know, you could end up with new, young hunting- shooting partners. I got 3 solid one's. They love it.
     
    #22
    awonder said:
    I started around 5 and my son was started around 6. Killed his first buck on youth day at 8. He is mature for his age.
    Click to expand...

    That's awesome. What did he shoot it with? My two both killed theirs with a .243 Winchester Youth Model. Eldest popped his cherry on his first opening morning. Had to kneel down and shoot off my shoulder. :eek:. Buck was steep downhill with tall grass and scrub along the side of the logging road we were hiking. Shot thru both front elbows and turned him into a wheelbarrow. :rolleyes:. I shot'm in the head after that. The boy said Dad shoot'm please cuz he was facing downhill ass up in a draw. I was gonna do it anyhow. Great memorires we'll never forget.

    Here's the next paragraph. So let's hear some back story. These are the hunts that will be told over and over for a lifetime. Love it !!! ;)
     
    #23
    BB gun @ 6, .22LR shortly after, 20 ga. double @ 8, 12 ga. 1100 @ 12, .30-06 @ 13. From there on it was just variations of similar things.
     
    #24
    He shot it with my .308 with a can and reduced loads. Shot him looking at us in a bean field in the ole white patch on his neck. The deer dropped in his tracks.
    It was around 80 yards. Boy was I proud that day. I got him a .300 blackout (NEF handi rifle) and he has killed several the last few years with that little rifle.
     
    #25
    awonder said:
    He shot it with my .308 with a can and reduced loads. Shot him looking at us in a bean field in the ole white patch on his neck. The deer dropped in his tracks.
    It was around 80 yards. Boy was I proud that day. I got him a .300 blackout (NEF handi rifle) and he has killed several the last few years with that little rifle.
    Click to expand...

    I can picture it!! Awesome experience!! And thanks for sharing. These are my favorite stories. Just like taking people fishing, especially kids, my selfisj ass gets more outta guiding than anything else. You get to sit there as a spectator and watch the whole thing from a different angle. So much fun.
     
    #26
    well the little basterds can be drafted into teh militia at twelve so work your way back from there, I think 5 with a 22, the 7 with a bilt 308, then 10 with various large and small frame AR's, 11 with their first 50 cal. by 12 you should have them ready for duty.
     
    #27
    I started with a BB gun at 2 or 3 probably, not sure, shooting has been part of my life as long as I can remember, but a family member who kept me while mom and dad were at work got me started shooting, and she stopped keeping me before I went off to kindergarten..... so had to be around 3 or so.

    I started my nephew a free months ago at 5 with a pellet rifle.... he shot about 4 shots before his ADHD took over and we had to put it up.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

     
    #28
    I just got my daughter a cricket for her 5th Bday. She made 20-25 shots first trip. She was pretty excited making all those holes in the cardboard. The area we were shooting has some nice boulders to climb and lots of rocks and sticks to throw so a little distracting.
    She never did ask when we were going in or when she could watch cartoons so I call it a major success. Future purchases will depend on how she does with shooting this one.
    Her goal is to go deer hunting and shoot her own when old enough.
     
    #35
    I had a red rider bb gun at around 5, and was tromping through the woods (solo) with a Ruger 10/22 by 7 or 8. I started my elder son on a Savage rascal single shot 22lr at 6 or 7, and I have a picture around here somewhere of my younger son with the same rifle at 3. Start them when they are ready, not when you are ready. If the parents object then cut your losses...
     
    #36
    I started at 8 or 9 with a Winchester Model 74 22LR plinking, hunting rabbits, etc... Even though it was a semi, dad would send me out with ONE round, that's it. Expend that round and it was a long walk back to the house for another!

    Started my kids about the same age with a Kimber Hunter bolt action 22. My son would get irritated because his sister could out shoot him (she was 2 years older).
     
    Last edited:
    #37
    tnichols said:
    I started at 8 or 9 with a Winchester Model 74 22LR plinking, hunting rabbits, etc... Even though it was a semi, dad would send me out with ONE round, that's it. Expend that round and it was a long walk back to the house for another!

    Started my kids about the same age with a Kimber Hunter bolt action 22. My son would get irritated because his sister could out shoot him (she was 2 years older).
    Click to expand...

    My dad never did this to us, but I had an uncle that grew up in the Depression, and that's the way he said he was raised. His dad would give him one round (.22, shotgun, whatever). If he brought back something fit for the table he got another round. If not, he was done for the time being.
     
    #38
    Probably where my dad got it. He's 89 now, but still kicking' and ornery too.

    As a side bar for vh20, he still carries a Second Class Medical and flies his 182 on nice days. I think he sneaks out in the 140 from time to time too ;).
     
    #39
    That's awesome - 2nd Class, too! He's like one of our local B-17 drivers. He flew until he was 98 (last airplane he owned was an Ercoupe because it fit in the Light Sport category and he didn't have to keep his Medical up). He lived just to fly, and refused to die because it would stop him from flying. His last flight was about 2 weeks before he got pneumonia and died.
     
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