Teach 'em young?

[steve-kville]

Once warmer weather is here, I plan to introduce airguns to my own children as well to some nephews. At what age should they get started? I have a 1st grader I am comfortable learning to shoot (obviously with me right beside him on the bench). Is this maybe too young? I'm spoiling them with PCP... I remember my learning curve with a Daisy Redrider and trying to cock that beast....

 

[Kraemer99]

Have four kids who all learned to shoot in grade school. Breathing and trigger discipline was the focus. We used a .177 R1 with a Beeman Blue Ribbon 4X scope. I would straight pin .68 caliber paintballs to a sheet of plywood and the rule was you shoot till you miss and then it’s the next kids turn. That competition produced some very young and accomplished marksman. They actually wore me out pinning paintballs!!

Rethinking my method, I believe a hot glue gun would be easier and more efficient way to attach paintballs to the plywood.

 

[esingle]

Hello as long as they are able to reach the trigger and shoulder the stock correctly they should be fine. My daughters started very young. Everyone has there own thoughts on how to start, but what I found helpful was a gun with a stock short enough to shoulder correctly, a gun light enough to hold, even with limited upper body strength(even if i was starting on a bench or a tripod) and for us a RED DOT sight. I stared easy, only having to line up 2 things the dot and the target, then worked backwards to a scope and iron sights. I also started with reactive targets balloons, seltzer cans shaken, and then worked down to smaller targets like cookies, crackers, and as Kraemer99 stated paintballs are great as well. Well I wish you the best with your kids and nephews, you are going to have a great time teaching and shooting with them and making some great shooting buddies along the way, my daughters are grown now and we still get together and go shooting, weather it's sporting clays, running plates or just going off roading/camping and plinking with an airgun. Enjoy these great times to come they go by very quick Eric

 

[Frozenspyder]

It's never too early to start teaching kids to shoot. My son shot his first .22 revolver around his second birthday, with me also holding it and aiming from over his shoulder. Now he's six, shoots very well for his age, and will yell at people on the TV to keep their finger off the trigger until they're ready to shoot.

 

[woogie_man]

My son will shoot with me regularly, but he is now 10, My daughter is 5 and has been shooting the EdGun for a few months. This summer will get them out and shooting more. As long as they know "The Rules" then they should be ok. Obviously don't give them the gun and walk away, but watch them and they will surprise you I am sure.

 

[L.Leon]

Our club has a Junior Sportsmen Program, where the basics of archery and shooting are taught. We do it on a rotating weekly schedule from April through September. Kids from 6 to 17 years old participate. It is a privilege to be able to pass these skills on to these youngsters and priceless to see them develop.

 

[Lurtch]

I teach my kids using a simple Benjamin pump I've owned since a child. Anything in the .177 pellet range will work fine. Getting them familiar with the 4 rules of gun safety, and basic manual of arms of the rifle you're working with is certainly [IMHO] the way to start. The trouble is, that kind of rudementary training isn't exciting for kids. What I've found is that if I can give them reactive targets to start on, they are more likely to go through the basic work, than if I just put up a simple paper target. Things like water balloons, old soda cans that will fall down when shot, or even having the kids draw pictures of monsters that they then get to shoot has helped keep interest. Beyond that, you can purchase an old Boy Scout marksmanship merit badge booklet to help you be thorough in training.

In terms of age, I find that it is less about age and more just about maturity. Can the kid listen and follow simple directions? Then they are old enough.