.22LR for teaching 4yr old how to shoot safely

[OldMac]

My girl started shooting her Chipmunk rifle a 3yo. She loved it and at that age the safety rules get cemented into permanent memory. She is also well behaved and intelligent. I don't disagree with those posters that think their kids are too young since they know their childrens aptitude and temperament best. The chipmunk is accurate and safe. The additional step to pull back the cocking spring allows the shooter to get loaded and on target before the parent reaches over to cock it. She had to help clean up the range after shooting. We talked at length over how destructive it was. It was good to see her carefully touching the sharp pointy plastic of the blown out gaterade bottles and declaring, "daddy, we can't fix these...they are destroyed for good!" When she got bigger we moved up to a winchester pump model 1906. She isn't curious since she can shoot any time we are together and as long as she wants.

 

[z7]

I really appreciate all of the good discussion about how you can or should teach children about firearms and proper safety. We all agree that ignorance is dangerous, turning young children loosed with a loaded firearm is dangerous, and whem teaching littles ones to shoot it should only be at their pace, when they are interested and under very close supervision

I had my factory stock off of my 10/22 yesterday and had her shoulder it, it was long but she could have reached the trigger, she smiled and said she would like to try to shoot it some time.

So i will keep my eyes open for any deals on bolt action carbines and get something suitable for teaching her, be it one of the miniature rifles or a something slightly larger.

If it makes a difference she will be 5 or nearly so before we get to go to the farm

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[Browning]

IMHO when to teach a child how to shoot more depends on their maturity level than a flat age. There are some 4 and 5 year olds who listen well to instruction and can handle it and there are some 35 year old men who are unable to contain themselves and handle a gun responsibly.

Completely depends on the person.

Personally my father started teaching me on BB guns at 4 years old with a BB gun that I got for Christmas, after 6 months of that I progressed to a single shot Winchester .22 my father had and then after about 6 months of that and I got a Ruger 10/22 for the next XMas.

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Couple years went by of me taking my .22 rifle out every time we went out shooting and I progressed on to shooting my fathers Swenson 1911 .45 ACP. I developed a nasty flinch after several shooting trips and my father brought out his BHP and a 1911 in .38 Super with some really light loads that he worked up and I stayed on those two pistols plus my Ruger 10/22 for years and then eventually went to centerfire rifles. Started out on a M1 Carbine and a Mauser in .257 Roberts and ended up on a M1 Garand by 12.

Been helping my sister with my niece, we got her a Crickett single shot .22LR. Those are pretty good and might be the ticket for your boy. They're made for small shooters and are a little over a hundred bucks (IIRC I think they were $129 before tax). Here's my niece with her Crickett .22 (pink of course).



That would be my vote for your son if his maturity level is where it should be to handle firearms with direct supervision with you or another adult right at his elbow.

http://www.crickett.com/crickett_22_LR.php

If you or another responsible adult is not at his elbow to take over bad things can happen. The first time my father left my side to go get something out of the truck a bee came along, I wobbled that pistol all over the place trying to get rid of it (while pointing the pistol at my father with the hammer back and my finger on the trigger) and ended up pitching his 1911 right into the sand. I thought he was going to kill me, but he said that it was his fault for leaving me on my own and he was right.

 

[jmorris]

A four year old can hardly throw or even catch a ball with hardly any coordination. Have you ever watched them play tball at that age.

That might just be a little young to place a gun in their hands. They have no concentration and no ability to safely handle a weapon...

My 4 year old can thread a needle for Grandma without the need of a magnifying glass.

Just because your old doesn't mean you have safe gun handling skills. Like the 64 year old fellow that didn't follow the basic safety rules, the other day. The gun is always loaded, never point one at something you do not intend to destroy and never put your finger on the trigger until your ready to destroy it. Maybe if the rules had been hammered into his head starting at a young age he wouldn't have killed his son.

http://fox6now.com/2016/07/04/14-ye...y-shot-by-his-father-at-gun-range-in-florida/

I wouldn't just hand them a rifle and tell them to go have fun though.

 

[azrocks]

This thread reminds me of the countless drownings we have here in AZ every summer. Amazing how none of them had swimming lessons. And yet there are classes for kids as young as infants. I know - I was taught as an infant - which is why I've always loved the water and even in a couple perilous situations later in life never lost my cool or panicked.

You don't throw infants in the pool and let them work things out for themselves, nor do you hand a 4-year-old a rifle telling him to go bring back dinner. But in either case you can teach them very young, and those lessons will be the ones that stick better than the rest.

Another thing I think is very important is hunting with your children (even if you don't really like hunting yourself). At least in my case, I believe it really drilled home the idea that guns are serious business, that they can kill things, and that those things you kill won't ever come back.

Good on you OP.

 

[j1]

All I can say is be VERY careful. 22 rimfire is or can kill very nicely. Do not be lulled into complacency because it is ONLY a 22. A 22 can kill a bull with one shot.

How about starting with one of those guns which shoot a light plastic pellet. Safety glasses at all times please. Be careful at all times whatever you are shooting.