How to teach your kid to shoot? Maybe the wrong forum...

[possom813]

My daughter is approaching 5 years old now. I figure it's time she learned to actually shoot a gun. She's been with me and the wife on several range trips to observe, and more than once she's been able to fire the crackshot. She wanted a pink gun to learn on, and I figured since she is still a little young she would get a bb gun and I'd fix it up in pink. So off to walmart and a daisy bb gun she got. I took off the stock and applied a nice pink krylon finish to it and made it "pretty".

I guess what the question is, how do you teach a child to shoot? How do you find out which way they will hold the gun? How do you teach them to line up the sights? I let her hold the bb gun in a position that was comfortable for her but she was holding it left handed and trying to shoot right handed. Eventually we got to a point that I think she may shoot left because she said it felt funny right.

Anyways, any tips to help out a dad that's not a great teacher? I'm more of a "I'll do it, then you copy me" kinda guy.

-John

 

[rdhood]

When she's old enough, consider:

http://www.appleseedinfo.org/

 

[Dionysusigma]

I'm more of a "I'll do it, then you copy me" kinda guy.

Well, the thing to keep in mind is that might not be how she learns (ie, how her mind works). Both my parents have some background (at the very least) in higher education, and so lecture quite well; I actually learn in a hands-on manner far better than by listening to someone drone on about something.

However, if you got a BB rifle that is nearly identical and met her half-way, I think that might make all the difference in the world. For instance, you get an inexpensive Crosman or whatever, but paint the stock red (or maroon, or whatever). If she feels better holding her rifle in a left-handed format, then you hold yours that way too.

Technique first. Then, once that's down pat, that's when you move on to sight alignment. This is the time when you break out the boiled eggs, saltines, ice cubes, old cans of shaken-up root beer, hedgeballs, whatever makes a good reactive target you don't have to clean up later (except for maybe the root beer cans). Shooting at paper targets can get really boring really fast for the newbie, so make it as fun as possible. Reactive targets really play into the whole "instant gratification" area of the psyche, and you can "subversively" increase her skill level by placing smaller targets farther out, and "betting that she can't hit that from here." Save the Tannerite for her 16th birthday. Speaking of which...

Be patient. She's five years old. You have a full eleven years to get her to a proficient level. If she gets tired or irksome, then be ready to put the guns away until she's ready again. This is for her to learn, at her own pace--not yours. If it turns out to not "be her thing," let it go. Lots of people I know pay good money for horse-back riding... for me, growing up on a thouroughbred farm for the better part of a decade makes me equate riding horses with eating vegetables or mowing the lawn. If she doesn't want to do it, don't force her.

Besides, there's always martial arts, knives, archery, etc...

 

[Master Blaster]

http://www.savagearms.com/cub.htm

The Savage Cub. This is what I started my children off with. They had good eye and hearing protection as well. I had to look around for both hearing and eye protection that would fit them and still allow them to shoot the single shot cub. After they learned to use the built in peepsight, I added a small rimfire scope.

We tried airguns but they were too big and too hard to cock and load. The Savage cub cocks with the bolt handle, not a seperate striker like some of the other youth rifles.

My son and daughter were a little over six when they expressed an interest in starting. You have to keep strict lead hygiene to prevent their exposure. Use copper plated .22 ammo, federal has the best copper plating IMHO on its bulk stuff. Make her wash her hands thoroughly when she is done shooting and no eating or drinking when handling the ammo. Copper plated is best because it minimizes lead exposure.

Shoot only with good ventilation.

 

[brighamr]

Here's how I do it...

So far, I've taught my wife, 4 nephews, father in law, and 3 friends how to shoot. i'm not NRA certified, and I'm not the worlds greatest teacher, but I really wanted shooting buddies

For younger kids, like your daughter, the whole emphasis is keeping it safe, and keeping it fun. Take your daughter and the pink gun outside (BTW Ruger makes pink 10-22's for later). go through loading, charging, and firing a few times. Set up a bunch of coffee cans for targets.

After showing her how to use the gun correctly, and where to keep the muzzle pointed, you hold the gun. Have her look over your shoulder and "aim" the muzzle at the coffee can. Show her how the front site "fits" into the rear site (site aligned), then have her squeeze the trigger. When the can goes 'bing', she'll want to try.

Have her hold the gun comfortably. Don't worry about breathing, the 10 ring, or anything else, just have her shoot the bb gun. If she enjoys it, then later you can work on all the other variables to make her a dead-eye, but for now the goal is to keep her interested and make it a fun experience.

If she's already past all of the above, and you're really working on form, etc. Then I agree, a side-by side comparison is good. Have your daughter and yourself setup for a shot (with EMPTY guns), then have a third party (wife, son, friend) compare you both and make corrections to her form where they are needed.


This has worked in my experience. My wife now can out-shoot most guys i know, my nephews are all practicing in scouts, and my father-in-law is still learning

Stay safe, and Have Fun!!!

 

[GRB]

I guess what the question is, how do you teach a child to shoot?

Well you asked, so I'll answer by shooting straight. First of all I would never paint even a BB gun pink, or any other color that a young child wanted the gun to be painted. You see by doing so you are letting the child control what is going on, and when you teach a child how to shoot, you need to be in control. In addition a gun, even a BB gun, in the hands of a 5 year old is not a toy per se. Painting it pink may make your daughter, or any other child, think it is just that - a toy. This has a potential for danger far above and beyond dad teaching a daughter or so how to shoot when it comes to safety when you are not around. A pink toyish gun is a tempting thing to play with. If I obtained a rifle like that to teach a child how to shoot, I would probably paint it brown to get rid of the pretty toyish pink color. Nough said on that.

As for teaching a child how to hold a gun, or sight in a gun, you teach them the same exact way you would teach an adult. You do it seriously by first teaching them about firearms safety (or in this case BB gun safety, which is virtually the same as firearms safety for practical purposes). There is no slacking off on safety just because it is a child who is the student. If the child does not understand what you are saying, or does not understand how to get it done, you will of course need to phrase it so the child understands; but safety is the primary concern.

When you teach a child to hold a firearm like a rifle or a BB rifle, it is pretty important that the rifle is the right size for the child. They are rarely too small for a 5 year old, and are usually too big. Something along the lines of a youth rifle in .22LR might do the trick, but still could be too big. If it is too big you may need to shorten the stock (what a way to ruin a rifle unless you have an extra stock). Once you see that the child is able to hold the rifle comfortably and correctly, then worry about aiming in and having her operate the firearm.

Once you have taught her safety and how to hold it, then teach her how to operate it. Go over all the parts she will have to know. You should have already covred the nomencalture during the safety lesson, but do it again now to make sure she knows each part and its function.

As for her holding the rifle as would a lefty, maybe she is lefty, or maybe she has a strong left eye. Determine which of her eyes is her strong eye, and that one should be used for sighting, and will determine which way she holds it while she shoots. I hope she winds up being a righty unless you have a big pocket book full of cash. Rifles for lefties are usually somewhat more expensive.

Some tips on how to sight in using open iron sights (those most commonly on BB guns and on many rifles) can be found on my blog at: http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2007/07/ballseyes-firearms-training-and-tactics_08.html.

After all that bring her to shoot, and make sure you are carefully supervising her especially as to safe handling. I don't worry too much whether or not someone hits the target the first few shots so long as they are being safe. When I am fairly confident they are safe, I get them to concentrate more on aiming and hitting the bull's eye; but of course safety is always a primary concern.

Hope this was helpful.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

[forquidder]

eye dominance

Find out which of her eyes is the dominant eye, right or left, and then teach her to shoot accordingly.
With a pistol it doesn't really matter shooting left with a dominant right eye or vice versa but with a rifle, it's critical to shoot right with a dominant right eye and left with a dominant left eye. The muscles in the body can be trained to do what is needed but the dominance of the eyes never changes and is the critical factor in shooting a rifle.

 

[jameslovesjammie]

I agree with forquidder 100%!!! Exactly what I was going to post.

 

[pax]

My take: www.corneredcat.com/Kids/firsttrip.aspx

pax

 

[cmidkiff]

I have 4 daughters, all of them started shooting somewhere between 9 and 12. My oldest is getting a little more training from Uncle Sam right now... The second oldest went to an Appleseed shoot with me last month, and had a blast outshooting her old man! She's 15. The 14 year old can't wait for the next Appleseed, and is already practicing for it. The youngest, at 12 years old, hasn't settled down enough to really care about accuracy, but she has a great time picking at empty shot shells with my Buckmark.

First - keep them safe!

Only take them if they want to go, for as long as they want to be there. If you make it something to endure, they won't want to go. Keep it fun, but not at the cost of safety!

 

[bluestarlizzard]

my dad started me shooting when i was 8. my first rifle was a .22 and my first handgun was an H&K USP .40. all dad really knew was tactical style shooting. so thats what he taught. gun saftey was first and then we went to our little range to shoot. at first it was just stance and the actual process of shooting a gun. then we moved on to really aiming at targets and working on groups. he always made sure to have either reactionary targets (i loved soda bottles filled with water) and instead of sillioutes of people (which he knew my very anti gun mom would disaprove of) he drew monsters, like dracula and the wolfman. as i grew more profitiant targets got smaller and moved. in fact after a while, it be came something of a game to come up with the best target.
so i guess rule of thumb would be saftey, position and fun.

 

[OAKVILLE SHOOTER]

I started working with my son right after he turned two. SAFETY is the most important thing to get accross first. As already posted, keep it FUN. If the child gets bored, and you keep pushing, they can loose any intrest in firearms pretty fast. Reactive targets are much better for keeping it fun than paper targets. My son would only want to shoot for about 5 minutes at paper targets, and had to "go check" after every shot. Empty drink cans on the ground will keep him interested for hours. He is now five, and we are working on proper sight alignment with open sights. He is coming along nicely. Last year, we used a scope. He was having a hard time with open sights-yes he was young, I know-and not hitting the cans=loosing interest. I also made him a small shooting bench that is his size. Shooting off of bags in a rested position is more stable and not as tiring since he doesn't have to support the weight of the gun, a Henry mini-bolt BTW.

Glasses, plugs, and muffs are a MUST. Well, you don't need plugs or muffs for a BB gun, but a properly sized pair of glasses is.

I don't see anything wrong with the pink paint job. Just make sure that you explain the difference between toy guns, and real guns. Kids are old enough to understand the difference. Also, if she doesn't have access to the BB gun when you are not with her, then it is pretty much a non-issue. My son's rifle, as well as his BB gun, stay locked up in the safe.

Hope some of this helps, and good job for taking the time to train the next generation of shooters.