Age to start kids shooting.

Thanks all. I should clarify that my Wife is not against this so much as just not enthusiastic. She’s not opposing this so much as just being concerned. She trusts me and does want to go to range herself one day but have yet to find time (no one to watch kids).

I just don’t want to go forward without showing her that this isn’t some crazy idea. She does enjoy when we set the targets up in basement with the nerf gun and will join the fun there.

I do have an old paintball pistol and some rubber rounds I intend to move my daughter to next before we get her the .22. The wife has shot this a bit and loves it. My daughter shot (with my assistance holding it) it once and found it scary when she was 3.

The other thing I want to do is to bring her with me to the range to watch/observe (on a rim fire only day) so she can get accustom to the noise a bit (going to buy couple boxes of cci sub sonic 710fps rounds just for this).
 
Leading by example is an xlnt start.

Watching some utube vids where they have a 10 yr. old girl
being set up to shoot an uzi machine gun makes me wonder
about the parents or lack there of.
...skwerl
 
I started my daughter on my .22 a few months before she turned 5. Was easy to set up my tripod at her standing height and I could just lock it down on target and all she had to do was pull the trigger. She was quickly shooting steel at 200 yds! My .22 was way oversized for her though (hence the tripod to hold it up) and the LOP was way too long. I got her a Savage Rascal for her 5th bday and she loves shooting it. Took way quicker to the iron sights than I thought as well.
 
I picked up a Rascal for my kid for her 7th birthday. Reactive targets are key, need that positive feed back. Balloons are good cause they are bigger/easier to hit. At this age its not so much about being accurate as it is about safety and basic operation. When their interest starts to wain thats when its time to end the day otherwise its no longer fun for them and they become frustrated.
And yeah, win over the wife first.
 
My daughter is 7 and she goes to archery at our gun club and she sees the kids doing junior rifle but you can't start that till your 10. I got her a Red Ryder bbgun, cut the stock down and switched the trigger spring so she can pull it and she enjoys shooting cans so I'm sure she will be ready for junior rifle in 3 years.
 
I started my son at 6 with a savage lil rascal .22. Now he's 14, just got his POL, and hunting license and a couple weeks ago got his first job.... do i sound like a proud dad? You bet i am!
 
I had bought rifles for my kids when they were in diapers. Introduced them to firearms and hunting at age 5. Air rifle shooting age 6 and rimfire shooting age 8. Centerfire is a bit much for most 12 year olds but a small cal like .243 or 7.62x39 bolt is my plan for when they reach that age. My daughter has no interest despite me trying to get her out.
 
I had and carried my first .22 at age 7. Was hunting with a centerfire at 11. Unfortunately kids seem to want to be on screens more than anything. As a 10 year old I would grab a .22 and as much ammo as I cld carry and shoot gophers until dark.
 
I had my girls out 3 weeks ago for the first time, 4 and 7. The oldest wants to go out all the time, youngest was more interested in picking up the brass and putting it in the bucket, win win

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This is an issue that hinges on parental responsibility and youth maturity.
A parent allowed his 13 year old son to take a firearm from the bench and he immediately went into a K. Sutherland scenario point the rifle at shooters at the benches and the RSO.
A parent allowed a three year old to shoot a semi auto while the child can align the sights and allowed to pull the trigger.
If a parent wants their child to shoot balloons show the added responsibility of removing the evidence just like the rules say to remove targets.
Being able to hold, sight, reload by themselves is the principle I apply at shoots I run. If the adult is placing the round in the chamber and working the bolt then that can be cone on their own time.
Accuracy is encouraged which demands safe handling procedures.
Taking your child to the range, the soccer pitch, the ball diamond is a parental responsibility . . . babysitting occurs at home.
There are definitely different scenarios and circumstances as well as individual training scenarios where close supervision in a one on one situation.
At the range with other shooters present requires a higher level of vigilance than dad and son plinking on the back forty.
"My dad taught me when I was four" lacks a total picture of what the rest of the environment looked like with details missing being who, what, where and when.
Six dead robins on the range does not tell the whole story and i doubt any one would admit their complicity. The sign in book offered no suspects.
Draw you own conclusions but someone failed MBA 101 at some stage of their shooting or hunting ethics.
 
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