What age to train a child to shoot.

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I started just a few months short of 5,

With a BB gun, under supervision.

Next Christmas there was a

Single shot .22 Winchester 67a

Under the tree.

My sister, 20 months younger than me,

Learned right about the same age.

Same pattern, BB gun, .22, then light shotgun,

Then bigger stuff.

isher
 
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My girls all learned when they were 7 or 8. Know i am working on the grand kids. They were 5 went i started teaching them. When they turn 9 i give each one a 22 rifle that i have built. They seem to like that. The youngest one is coming thur. He will be 9 the 7 of Nov. Just got thur with his.
 
I run a Jr. rifle program for the club I belong to. I start the kids at age 6 but! I have had 5 year olds come out a do a great job. And then I have had to send some of the parents home as they could not behave at the range. So age is a relative term when it comes to learning to shoot. Some are never old enough and others grow up way to fast. Mdeng
 
This is actually participating in shooting sports,
Click to expand...

What is the definition of "participating in shooting sports"? Plinking, hunting, some level of competition?

The age will be dependent upon the maturity of the child, but I think below the age of 5 most children just aren't capable of understanding the safety issues enough to shoot without some supervision. Some may not understand them until they're 6 or 7 (and some regardless of the ability to understand may simply not be mature enough much later).
 
My daughter and oldest boy started shooting .22 handguns at 3 years. They were interested, I was doing most of the "shooting" (actually supporting and aiming the gun while they pulled the trigger) and they loved it. My daughter also wanted to hold the grip and pull the trigger on the AKM at that age, but my son didn't like the concussion.

Now that they're older, they shoot a Savage Cub .22, and still shoot the .22 Bearcat and Mk II.

My daughter, now 7, does pretty well handling my 629 with .44 Specials. Her stance is good and she doesn't seem to notice the (mild) recoil.

She's still a bit too small to properly fit the length of pull on the Cub rifle, though.

A lot of this "shooting" is still sitting in daddy's lap, with daddy's hands physically on the gun the whole time, but they love to do it, and I do too.

The real value of all this, I think, is conditioning the safety rules, religiously, from such an early age. Don't child-proof your guns -- gun-proof your kids.

-Sam
 
Call me a stick in the mud, my son is just getting his grounding in the subject at age nine. Soon he will have a CZ Scout of his own to practice on.
 
I took my my oldest daughter shooting when she was 4. My youngest daughter was trained in safety, showed no interest, and to this day has never shot a firearm (she's 31). There are people I know who are 40 who never touched a firerarm and they shouldn't.

It all depends on the individual and level of interest.
 
the age for starting is dependent upon two things.
maturity of the child to know proper safety, skills, etc. as well as to know that its not fun and games like on playstation with uncle charlie shooting zombies.
second variable is if the child is able to realize that participation is not something to be discussed with anyone outside of the family. Mere talk of "shot paper plate with uncle charlie" esily turns into some little snoop telling teacher "suzy/billy said he wants to shoot stuff".
 
My oldest son received his first .22 rifle when he was 7... He is now 25 and has a larger gun collection than dear old dad.

My youngest son received his first .22 rifle when he was 7... He is now 20 and is an MP in the Marines (He shot expert with pistols and rifles in boot camp). His personal gun collection is growing... a couple of 1911's, and M&P9 and some rifles.

My oldest daughter received her first .22 rifle when she was 9... She never really got into firearms in a big way. She is now 18 and has her LTCH and a SD handgun. I feel for the guy who meets up her with bad intentions. She may not be into firearms, but that girl can really shoot.

My youngest daughter received her first pink .22 rifle when she was 5... She is almost 6 now, and loves to go shooting with daddy.

My primary criteria for allowing my kids to shoot is first and foremost... Do they have a grasp on the concepts of firearm safety as it is taught to them? The second criteria is knowing their level of maturity. Can they listen, concentrate and behave when they are around dangerous firearms? My third criteria is gauging their level of interest in firearms. Firearms are not something that any child should be forced into if they have no interest.

In short... There is no right age. Just use your own criteria for deciding when they are mature enough to be safe. Also know that some kids may never get there at any age.

My youngest on her 5th birthday:
mayacricketye0.jpg


Teach them well and be safe!
 
My son began at 5 with a Crickett. He really likes shooting the P22, 10/22, and 92FS; goes with me to the range whenever he can. He took his first deer last year at 9.
 
Started both my boys four years ago come Christmas with BB guns. They were 6 and 9, and both had birthdays soon after. After they got the fundamentals and I could make sure ear plugs fit their ears the right way, they slowly graduated up to the 10/22 and my AR-15.

Now my oldest who's going to turn 14 soon has shot everything he can get his hands on ... my SKS, AR, 10/22, XD .45, and XDm 9mm, just to name a few. My youngest likes shooting, but not as much as his older brother. He has shot all my long guns and loves my 10/22. I think if he had his own 10/22 he'd probably take to shooting a bit more as my oldest has laid claim to the one we have now.


Kris
 
My first rifle was a Marlin Model 15 .22 at the age of 5.
At 8 i had a Winchester Model 37 20 ga.
At 9 my grandfather gave me his Ruger mark 1 target pistol. I still get that warm fuzzy feeling when thinking about my first semi-automatic pistol.
I do belive I'm going to go out and shoot that old pistol tomorrow now that I'm thinking about it :)

It all really does just depend on the maturity level of the child and their understanding of gun safety.
Sam1911 said "

The real value of all this, I think, is conditioning the safety rules, religiously, from such an early age. Don't child-proof your guns -- gun-proof your kids."

-Sam

I'm a product of that and it has served me well!
 
My cousin, who is 9 (7) might be learning to shoot this year. He is... well developmentally challenged. He was living under a bridge for about the first 4 years of his life. He was adopted by my aunt and is gradually making headway, but he had a late start. He is a bit slow (actually tested his IQ and he is low, but not technically regressed), but eager and obedient. Last July, the whole family came out for vacation. At that time, I bought a muzzle loader, and it came with a printout of safety rules. IF he is able to memorize them (I don't doubt he will... he is interested and motivated) he will get to learn to shoot on a Mossberg M 44us(a) I have. That is also if he doesn't misbehave, or break any of the safety rules with his play guns. He really is a great kid, and I hope we will get to go out, but that is up to both his mom (who will attest to his behavior and safety with his toys at home) and me. His older "brother" got to go out two years ago, and he now is 13. I don't know if I will be taking him out again due to the headache he gives his mother.
 
Start teaching them safety and the difference in toy guns and real guns when they first show any interest in shooting. My 4yr old Grandson started shooting a plastic pellet pistol at 3 and is now shooting a my .22 rifle and pistol with me helping him hold them. His 11 yr old brother shoots all guns and is an excellent shot. The early safety teaching is the most important thing that you can do. I would trust my 11yr old Grandson a lot more on safety than a lot of Adults that I have encountered.
 
Depends on the child. I have known some adults or should I say persons over the age of 21 who aren't mature or responsible enough to be allowed to even hold a firearm of any type. By about the age of 11 or 12 I was hunting alone on my parents farm with a 12 ga or a .22. I have never had an accidental or negligent discharge or any other safety issues with any firearm. My first gun was a Marlin 12 ga bolt action. I never had a BB gun or a pellet rifle until I was grown. I know one little boy who occasionally comes here to my home; he is five years old. With his mother or dads approval, and I would want his dad to go along. I wouldn't have second thoughts about taking him out and talking to him about guns, shooting, safety and the dangers associated with such and allowing him to fire a .22 rifle. He is a very exceptional young man though. Most aren't ready until age 10 or greater. My children were taught that dads guns were strickly off limits and could not even touch them without my presence and supervision until they were ready to do so trhru a long process of education. My children are all grown and gone from home. I doubt, even now, one of them would come in and pick up one of mine without asking first.
 
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cap gun at 1, bb gun by 2, 22 by age 3, then the pistol / revolver can be introduced with maturity.
 
I guess I was 4 when I got my BB gun, that was probably the happiest day of my childhood life. Dad got me a Crosman 760, chopped the stock down and fitted a new buttplate since the stock was hollow. I probably carried and shot that BB gun more as a child growing up in rural Nebraska than all of my other firearms combined as an adult.

My dad had a lot of guns in the guncase and he knew I was curious about them. Instead of just saying don't touch those, he got them all out, spread them out on the living room floor and sat in his chair. I had permission to touch, fondle, point, and, oogle them all. Having known my curiousity was satisfied, we wiped them all down and he put them away. I never had the urge to get into them without my dad after that. Also there was the fact that by dad would have blistered my butt.
 
I would say teach them as young as possible. I wish my parents would have let me go shooting when I was 2. They just aren't into guns.:( I finally got to go shooting at my friend's house when I was 12. First thing I shot was a 16" SKS.:D ...with a detachable clip :evil:and a little "evil" piece of metal that accepts bayonets:what: I guess that's why I like "Assault Weapons" (or "Weapons of Mass Recreation").
 
I figure when my kids can remember to feed and clean up after their pets, and do their chores, they're ready for the responsibility of firearms training.
 
My boys were 6 & 7 when I first let them fire a gun, with one round in it at a time. Those smiles were priceless.
 
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