What age to start shooting

[PhillyVet]

I'm looking for some advise here..

When my son was born, I bought a Crickett .22 to someday use to teach him to shoot.. He will be five soon..

He knows of my weapons and has been watching Eddie Eagle for several years - My question for everyone here is, when do you think it's the right age to start taking a boy to the range and really start teaching him to shoot?

Thanks

[pennlineman]

It varies by kid. 5 is old enough under close supervision provided you think he has reached the maturity level needed to listen. My daughter started out at that age with the same rifle.

[alpacaheat]

Depends on the kid. Started my son on a Red Rider (and bow) at 6, still has his eyes. The next logical step is .22.

I'd probably start any kid out on an air gun before a .22 just to get them familiar with holding a gun, the safety rules without a lot of risk and if they can succeed and make good shots, it will help them stay interested and want to move onto bigger and better guns. You can get a Daisy at Walmart for under $30.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Daisy-Red-...Rifle/19341879


At age 5, he's proably the right size for a Little Buck...$18.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Daisy-Buck...Rifle/19341880

When I shoot with kids, I always do a thorough review of THE RULES for firearms and make them repeat them back to me before they're allowed to start.

[MT1]

I agree with pennlineman. 5 is old enough depending on the child. I took my daughter to the range at that age but always left the decision to her if she wanted to try shooting. I think it wasn't until she turned 7 or 8 that she actually took me up on the offer. I was in no hurry and wanted her to have a say once she felt ready.

Many kids at 5 have a short attention span and try to process multiple distractors as opposed to dedicated focus on a single topic. If this is the case the key is keeping your son's time on the range short. As soon as his attention starts to roam it's time to have him step away from the shooting bench. There's nothing wrong with kids when they do this but distracted minds can lead to unsafe actions. The last thing you'll want to put your son through, aside from an injury, is having a range safety officer snap at him for touching a rifle when someone is down range or stepping in front of the firing line when the range is hot.

[CL3]

Funny this came up... I picked up a Red Ryder last week. I showed it to my 6 yo daughter last night and asked her if she wanted to try over the weekend. She said no. I won't be pushing her.

Maybe she just needs to see me shoot it first, we'll see. I imagine they will be ready when they are ready and I won't be pushing it. Also should get safety glasses and ear protection (even for the Red Ryder) so she's used to them. I won't be taking her to the actual shooting range though... I think that might scare her off at this age. You got to know your kids.

She then asked to see inside my safe and it was an opportunity to talk to her about safety and never touching them without ME. Baby steps. If she was at a friends house and a gun was around, we told her what to do.

[pennlineman]

Another thing if you guys decide to proceed. Don't get too anal about marksmanship skills, if it gets too serious they'll lose interest. Short sessions are generally better than long ones. Kids enjoy reactive targets, small spinning targets are great. Keep it fun and focus on safety.

[Cyclops]

My uncle, an avid hunter, took me shooting with his pump action .22 for the first time when I was six. He taught me how to shoot. I credit that early training year after year as for my shooting Expert with the M1 and the M14. I think 5 years old is suitable if you handle it right. My uncle took me to an outdoor place near Tamaqua, PA. He would set up bottles and cans as targets because he knew it would be more fun for me watching the ones I hit break or fly off the perch they were on. Someone above said to not get too serious about his early skill level. I agree. Skill comes over time not because someone is leaning on you. Enjoy it.

[thebearpack]

I started my son with a .22 at the range when he was just turning 7. Before that he practiced with a pellet gun.

[RockIsland]

What everybody else said.

I was five, my youngest was seven. Depends on the interest and maturity/responsibility level on an individual basis.

Definitely start them off with BB's.

[Kempo]

My son started last summer when he was five on a Cricket but that didn't hold his interest very long when he watched me shooting my 10/22. The length of pull was too long on a standard 10/22 so I got him the one with the Tapco "tactical" stock. Fits him perfectly and so far this spring he's been able to hit a 2 liter soda bottle at 100 yards.

He's shot my AR a few times and seems to handle it OK but he's still a little intimidated by the noise.

Btw he turned six in Feb but hes 50" tall and 75 pounds. That helps with handling a rifle.