How young is too young for a first rifle?

[huntercole]

My brother and I each had a 22 and a 20 gauge when I was 8 and he was 6. We only shot them with our parents though and they stayed locked in the safe. I think when we were around 9 and 11 we were allowed to shoot by ourselves. Sometime around when I was 14 dad told me the combination to the safe so we could shoot whenever, but that was for when it was just my brother and I. The guns stayed in the safe if friends were over and parents weren't home.

It sounds like he is ready to have is own gun, just up to you to decide how much access he has to it.

 

[6cmShooter]

I bought my son his first 22 before he was even born and in another yr or 2 ill be taking him shooting for the first time.

 

[AKSilent1]

My son will be turning 13 in late June and lives for 4 things (Jesus, family, baseball and hunting). He's been hunting with me since he was 5 and has killed 5 deer (2 bucks & 3 does) He archery hunted solo last year quite a bit and will be getting his MO hunters safety certification this summer. For his birthday I'm thinking about passing down the Ruger m77 mkII .308 that he has killed all of his deer with. He's mature beyond his years but I'm on the fence because of his age... thoughts?

We lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere. What happened with me might be different than a child growing up in the suburbs. I think I was given my first BB gun at age 4. I learned how to shoot 22 caliber rifles at BoyScout camp in 7th grade. Took my first squirrels with a 410 shotgun at age 6. Clearly, it very much depends on the child, the parent, and the situation. Safety begins at home and bravo to parents who start those lessons at a young age.

 

[swampthing]

My son got his first 22 at 4 years old. He was old enough to shoot it off a bench at that age. By 7 he was shooting a 243. My son was crazy about the outdoors from the get go and developed into this earlier than most I would say. I think a parent can judge best when his kids are ready.