Decision to involve children in our fun!

[RobinsonNi]

Hey
I really enjoy shooting and my wife does as well, but the million dollar question is: When is it time to allow the kids to shoot with us? I don't think they are ready just yet ( 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 years old). But at what point is it a good idea to invite them along??
Any views would be greatly appreciated!

[Skans]

10 years old, give or take a couple of years.

[shortwave]

IMO, depends on the child's level of maturity.

Example, we had three boys and one girl. Two of the boys and the daughter were fairly calm and seem to mature faster then the youngest boy. They would listen and follow strict instructions at a lot younger age then the youngest. Started them shooting at about 8.

I believe the youngest was started at around 10-11.

[Baba Louie]

Safety and safe handling rules as soon as they begin to actually listen and comprehend and can differentiate a 'toy' from a 'tool'.

Not yakking to friends about Mom & Dad's guns, the same time.

1st time behind a BB gun or .22 CB with Dad or Mom right behind them... 4 or 5 depending on maturity level.

They will imitate Mom and Dad, so shoot a lot with them present or nearby and practice safety, safety, safety and they may very well follow in your footsteps. Which is sooo cool.

[madmo44mag]

Our shooting group is all about family and getting the kids involved but as stated it has a lot to do with the maturity of the child.
We have an 8 yr old girl that shoot anything that is not a magnum as well as many grown shooters. She is amazing to watch.
But we also have a 14 yr old boy that can barley handle a 22LR and his ability with a pistol regardless of how hard we have worked with him is horrific.
One thing I have noticed is kids can hide their fear when they want to do something that scares them. So always be mindful that they may be mature enough just scared due to lack of experience.
My motto has always been start them young and start them big.
I started my kids off at 10 years old with a Ruger BH 44 mag with down loaded 44 spl ammo.
In their minds from the 1st day out they master the beast.
From that day forward they were never timid or scared to shoot a gun and became very good shots.
They preferred 9mm and 38 spl until they were older but they never were scared to shoot any gun handed to them.

Your kids are young so start bringing them to the range when they are 4 or 5. Give them tasks such as policing the brass up and wiping guns down.
Being familiar with what goes on at the range helps over come some of the fear.
Write out the basic safety rules on a piece of paper and boxes out beside them and have them track how many times someone violate the rule.
The main thing is they are engaged and involved.

[NWPilgrim]

I started our daughters at 6 yrs old and we just took our oldest grandson shooting (at his mother's request) for his 6th birthday.

For me the kid should be mature enough to listen to instructions and know when it us focus work time versus play time. We review the safety rules several times before heading to the range and again on shooting day.

They love it. And every one of them has been super attentive, safe and surprisingly good shots.

[Spats McGee]

The Little McGee has been "helping" me clean guns since she was about 6 or 7. I never made her do it, but I never discouraged her, either. It was a good opportunity for me to teach her the four rules, and acquaint her with firearms under close supervision.

I made the mistake of allowing The Little McGee to shoot a 20ga at 9. She didn't want to hold it against her shoulder, so it was about an inch out when she set it off. Kicked the snot out of her, too. I am pleased to report that she did not develop a flinch, though. Fast forward a few months from that, and she wanted to try a BB gun. I thought, "Cool. We can do that." Got her a BB gun, and we spent a few moths shooting that. Cocking it was the hardest part for her. Move ahead until she's about a month shy of turning 10, and I asked her if she was ready to try a .22. She said she was, so we set her up on a bench with a 10/22 and a dueling tree about 50 yards out.

Turns out The Little McGee loves to shoot that .22 and went through about 250-300 rounds that day. Wouldn't leave until I was out of bullets.

[Pahoo]

When dealing with our kids and Grandkids, I have always measured the amount of receptivity and interest. In order for them to get an appreciation, they have to take a good bite of the subject. All of my Grandsons have had the exposure and only one has really taken off on it. I don't push them, nor do I let them get too aggressive. They all know that I will be there for them, when "their" time is right. ......

Kind of when we started teaching them about sex. We started, when they started pointing and asking. .....

Be Safe !!!

[BigJimP]

My kids are all adults ....but I have 10 grandkids now ( with most of them being teenagers)....

In general, I think most of them showed some interest at around 10 yrs old...but some never did show any interest / its kind of a 50/50 thing - some of the girls have more interest than the boys.../ some of them could care less - and they all know I go shooting 2 or 3 times a week.

I keep a few guns around just for training ....

in shotguns:
( a 28ga O/U and a 20ga Benelli super sport )...both good learning guns ...depending on their upper body strength ( for clay targets). I reload so I can tailor light recoiling rounds - with less shot - and slow the velocity down.

For handguns..:
...I have some .22's ( Buckmark is one they like - tricked up with a red dot, etc )...and a variety of smaller handguns in 9mm ( Sig 239, a Kimber 1911 4" alloy frame )...and some revolvers ( model 66 S&W in 2 1/2" and 4" ).....and since I reload, I can tailor a round - that is on the softer end of the range.

for rifles :
...I have a Browning lever action .22 / a Henry in .357 mag ( so they can shoot .38's in it )...

None of them have showed much interest in reloading yet...but kids are busier than I was at 10 yrs old...more distractions these days...

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by RobinsonNi

But at what point is it a good idea to invite them along??
Any views would be greatly appreciated!

"Invite them along"... well, my son first shot my 10/22 when he was 18 months old, with my assistance of course. He thought the shiny things flying out the side were much more interesting than the apparent "nothing" that was happening at the target.

He hit a 14" target at 296 yards (IIRC) with my .204 when he was about 4 1/2.

Letting them control the gun is another matter. My son does now, he's almost 8.

He has to recite the 4 Rules before we start and follow them unfailingly.

[jimbob86]

Start them as soon as they show an interest.

Eldest daughter fired her first shot (.45 flintlock with 45 gr FFg and a round ball) at the age of 3 .... I sat behind her and helped her hold it on the sticks, but she shot it, and missed the target, but she sure giggled anyway ......

Our kids all have to take 4-H shooting sports (.22 rifle) and Hunter Safety whether they want to or not, for the same reason that they have to take swimming lessons and driving lessons: Guns are out there, same as deep water and cars. Knoledge is better than ignorance.

[wayneinFL]

My youngest son first shot a 22 at 4 or 5. I think they were all shooting BB guns on their own in the backyard by 8 years old, and would shoot just about anything at the range with me.

[silvrjeepr]

My boy started shooting a 22lr at around 7. He moved up to a 243 at 8, and at 13, he shoots whatever he wants including my 357's and 10mm.

My girl has progressed a little slower. She's still getting comfortable with a 22lr at 8. She love to climb the deer stands with dad in the winter though.

Everyone develops a little differently. Let your kids understanding, maturity, and comfort determine if, when, and what they shoot.

[MTT TL]

I think we started on BBs at six, .22s at eight.

Before that we most cuddled, played with toy trucks and danced.

At the 2 1/2 year stage we were still at "Don't even look at it"....

[jimbob86]

At the 2 1/2 year stage we were still at "Don't even look at it"....

When they are that small, they easily understand that guns are REALLY LOUD and kick when fired, and that "Big People" like Daddy can handle them, and they can not. A simple practical demonstration is all it takes ......

[SPEMack618]

I think it depends on the child, in large part.

For instance:

Older sister was 12 when she first started shooting.

I was 7 when I started shooting Pop's 10/22.

Younger sister was 8 when she shot my .410 for the first time.

[Gaerek]

I don't have a set age right now. I have a 4.5 yo girl and a 1.5 yo boy. My daughter helps clean guns (usually handing me tools/patches/etc that I ask for) and loves to help "load up" (I'll let her hand me ammo as I'm loading them in mags). Yes, I make sure to wash her hands very well when we're done. As far as actually going shooting? I haven't decided when I'll take my daughter yet. My son is too young to even be considering it, of course.

It'll really come down to her level of maturity. She has a problem with listening. Combine that with earmuffs on a range, and I see nothing but problems. I figure in a couple years I'll consider it again, and see how her maturity is coming along. By the way, there are 16 year olds (and let's be honest...people of ALL ages) I've met who I wouldn't trust with a Red Ryder, let alone an actual firearm. Which is why age isn't really a requirement for me. Ability to listen to instructions, understand safety rules (my daughter can recite the rules for if she sees a gun), and simply use common sense around guns are far more important than physical age.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

That's a hard question to answer. Not all kids are ready too shoot at 1-year and some shouldn't be allowed around weaponry until their Twenty First year. There's the other parent or parents needing to have their say whether their child is ready or not. Not good to pit the child against the other parent or parents if their decision overrides your ambition. Best to have touched all bases before hand. Than take a chance with the child/grandchild in tow.

[MarkCO]

I started my boys on safe gun handling with talking about it often very early on. Every time I had guns out of the safe, if they asked, they got to touch. Once they got big enough to hold them, they had to ask "Is it loaded" followed by "show me". Thus they had to start to see, and understand the manual of arms. Every trip to the range, we go over the 4 Laws of Gun Safety.

At 6, they could shoot the 4 pound 10/22 and at about 7 I added in Ruger Pistols. They got introduced to ARs at about 8 and the older one has shot the 9mm pistol in a few matches and just started on 12 gauge shotguns. He turned 12 on November 1 and shot his first deer with a .308 on November 2. He has about 7K rounds under his tiny belt, his younger brother about 4K. They, with my wife, shot the Ruger Rimfire Worlds in July, which was the first time any of the three of them had ever handled a firearm not under my direct supervision. I got several compliments on their safety from their squadmates. The 12 year old, with rimfire has several 5 shot strings in SC and RRC that are in the 1.9 second range, so he has speed too.

Yes, I am proud of them, but I am VERY safety focused. They are very much boys, but I allow NO goofing around on the range. Also, if they are irresponsible with their schoolwork or behavior, the shooting goes away. The older one has lost the chance to shoot 4 or 5 matches. Last, I never forced them, they always asked. I would always show them each weapon, the ammo and explain the recoil impulse, sometimes with a thumb to the shoulder before they got the chance to shoot, or wait on a particular firearm. If you are honest with your parenting skills and the maturity of your kids, you will know. I have seen a lot of kids forced, or allowed too early and there is damage and safety risk there.