5 yo first time shooting questions

[MBAlex]

Fellas,

My son is turning five soon and is very interested in shooting/hunting.

I’ve taught him about safety rules etc any time we clean/tinker with my rifles together and he learned how to cycle an action when he was about 3.

He’s come baiting and scouting with me for a couple years now and seems like he will be a good hunting partner for years to come.

Going to buy a single shot 22 for him for his birthday and get him shooting asap.

My questions are for the guys/gals who have kids this age and have started them shooting around the same age.

What is the easiest method for kids to start shooting. Ie do you start them prone, off a tripod, off a bench etc?

I’m also going to start him off just shooting with iron sights, and add a scope as he gets more comfortable and learns about shooting position and eye relief etc. is there any value to starting him off with an optic right away (red dot or scope)?

Lastly, does anyone have any advice about hammering home firearms safety for kids? I think I’ve got it down pat but if anyone has any anecdotes etc they’ve used, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[BT_707]

Following! Got a 6 and 4yr old. Been wondering the same thing.

 

[DB29]

I have my 2 girls (5&8) standing and shooting of a tripod with a low power red dot. The rifle on the tripod gives me more control over the weapon while they are behind it. The low power red dot they can see through easily with 1 or 2 eyes and putting the red dot where they want to shoot is as easy as it gets.

At this age I am only concerned with them getting real practice with safety and having fun.

 

[JMundy84]

If you're looking at the small youth model 22s I highly recommend the savage rascal over the cricket. I have both and I'm not a fan of the cricket since it doesn't have a traditional safety, it just has the straight pull hammer and you have to decock it to be safe which imo is not a good system to teach kids on.

 

[Luke S]

I also prefer the Savage Rascal for the safety. We had a family friend's 7 year old shooting one. What I noticed was he seemed overwhelmed by all the new things he had to learn, how to hold it, squeeze the trigger and use the sites. I think a red dot might be useful because you could focus on the technique of holding it right and squeezing the trigger.
Good ear pro is important. I'd find subsonic ammo. Targets that fall over or make a sound (metal) are way more fun than paper.
Out little Rascal usually gets used by big kids to shoot grouse or Ptarmigan as targets of opportunity on big game hunts. It's nice for that too.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Prone or bench with a suppressed 22 and subsonic loads. Iron sights are much trickier to use and explain than a scope or a red dot.

 

[sndmn11]

An aimpoint pro on a 10/22 with an adjustable Blackhawk stock shooting at steel has been fun for my son and nieces. It gets taken off for a fixed power scope when he wants to shoot farther.

When iron sights come around, we will start with the Red Ryder.

 

[stv117]

GM. Everyone has their own little book on going about this so you will recieve many different responses. I was taught in a farm so I really don't know if there are special laws and regulations regarding the matter. Common sense dictates ask the range master beforehand. Be safe .

and my kids only took interest later on at age 11 and 13.. thanks.

 

[nodakian]

I started my two and my grandkids with a Cricket on a bench with a sand bag. I tried explaining sights and even drew a picture so they had an example of what to look for. However, at that age, they just liked to make it go BANG and see the dirt fly, so I focused on safety and keeping the gun loaded.

 

[505Wapiti]

Started both my boys with Savage Rascal .22 on the bench.

 

[menhaden_man]

Three kids here, all shooting by 5. Savage rascal, peep sights, subsonics. The bog tripod is heavy but has a nice clamp so it’s easier to control muzzle direction.

All of my kids were shooting big game by 8 years old. Trigger time and hammering down safety (top 3 rules) on weekly basis was key.

I know guys hate cleaning guns here but that’s also time we’ll spent to teach about gun parts, safety, responsibility etc.

 

[mt terry d]

Started my boys out on BB guns.

They didnt advance to a lethal weapon until they'd demonstrated
they could be trusted with one.

They also witnessed what a 22 can do to a bird or chipmunk and
were made to ponder just what that would do to a person.

 

[Rjk300]

Started my daughter with a BB gun then to a S&W M&P 15/22 with a Redfield red dot with laser. I didn’t want a smaller rifle that most likely wouldn’t be use after a few years. The ar was loaded as a single shot at first and with the adjustable stock and pistol grip she was more comfortable than my traditional stock on the marlin 22. The laser on the red dot allowed me to watch what she was doing before during and after the shot. I always asked after the shot where was your dot on the target and it got to the point she would tell me after every shot and still does now when we shoot. I had her shooting from a bench and prone to start. As for safety have him carry a BB gun every time your hunting/hiking with him asking where’s your barrel pointing and is your safety on!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Yoteassasin]

All my kids started on BB guns standing @4 or 5 . And 22s on a bench @7 . Trap at 8 ,center fire @ 10/11
They are all dead eyes . The key is get them out early

 

[william schmaltz]

Interesting thread. My oldest is 6 in October. We went the BB gun route and probably won’t start the others that way. Heavy trigger, heavy safety, impossible for a kid that age to load, and the sights made his frustration outweigh any fun. I bought a decent air rifle and he’s loving that.

Got a CZ Scout on order with a 22 sparrow and red dot waiting in the safe for it. I’ll buy an 5rd clip for it so he can feel it feeding while working the bolt. Excited for it to show up, but I’m guessing we will be burning through some serious ammo.

 

[country_20boy]

Started mine off at 4 yo with a .22 with a low power scope. Iron sights are more complicated to explain IMO, but accuracy was never the primary concern. We mainly used a tripod while seated on the ground but sometimes a bench and sandbags. I would sit with the kid basically in my lap or on the ground between my legs, such that I could have full control of the gun if needed. Probably was at least 2-3 years before I let them shoot without me being within arms length.

Started deer and turkey hunting at 8yo with the same basic approach of the child sitting in between my legs on the ground so that I could move or control the gun if needed.

Keep the practice sessions short and make it easy to see results. Bottles filled with water, pumpkins, watermelons, shoot-n-see targets, coke cans are all good. Set them up for success and have fun!!

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

My son is almost 7 and shoots a custom ruger 10/22 in .17 Mach 2. It has a custom stock that I made from a wood blank to fit his body/hand sizes. He uses a fixed 4x red dot. He shoots off hand, kneeling, prone with rests, etc. Starting them on a bench at 50 yards works great. Red dots can be VERY finnicky with parallax so ensure you buy a good one and check parallax.

 

[Mashthegas]

I've been a 4h shooting instructor for 19 years and I hate the rifles that need to be manually cocked, except for in 1on1 situations. Reactive targets are more fun but need to be big enough for a kid to hit them. To drive home safety, review safety rules before every session. When shooting, if they break any rule, session ends. No exceptions. Make it fun.