Our Next Generation of Shooters

[slv hunter]

I started all my kids with a Daisy Red Rider. Teach em gun safety and supervise till you feel it's safe to turning loose with it. That has been at 6 years old, then 8 they get an air gun, then 10 a 22lr. Hunting kicks in at 12, so I have let them help in the decision of there first center fire.
My kids are all 30 something now and we still hunt together. It's still awesome.

 

[Rick Richard]

Got them a 22 pistol to, they both like 22 rifles more
View attachment 138623

Are you talking for your kids or you? Lol.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Got two boys. Two years old and 4 months. I can't wait till I can take them shooting. I'll have an excuse to get more range time too!

"Babe, it's bonding time with the boys!!"

 

[Remmy700]

Are you talking for your kids or you? Lol.

For us! Is that better

 

[Rick Richard]

For us! Is that better

Haha!

 

[Tatsnscoots]

So I have loved guns my entire life. My father was not huge into guns but however was a true outdoorsman and hunter. He didn't have a large collection of guns but every one of them had a specific purpose. My little boy is now 5 and I have him three guns already and would like to get some better ideas of what u guys are getting for your kids to get them interested in shooting and hunting and also guns for them to pass on to their kids. There is nothing like seeing a kid shoot a gun at a target and actually hit it where they were aiming, that smile and pride is simply contagious. I am so excited now that he is getting older to have a new hunting partner in the future!

I bought my 6 year old a Ruger precision rimfire 22lr because there is so much adjustment in the stock. His arms are too short to shoot any of my old 22s. He is going to be a way better shot than his old man for sure. I also bought my 12 year old a S&W M&P 15-22 because they are fun to plink with and cheap. She could care less the that gin still makes it to the range quite a bit!

 

[Peter Carollo]

I don't think you could go wrong with a CZ 457 Scout. And as he grows, you could get any 457 stock and or swap barrels/caliber if he wants, plus it's suppressor ready.

 

[Kaptoe]

Have two boys now 17 and 15 and couldn't agree more with low recoil and good hearing protection

Make it about their attention span and not yours.

Rimfire is too fun and improves skills

 

[TBell]

So I have loved guns my entire life. My father was not huge into guns but however was a true outdoorsman and hunter. He didn't have a large collection of guns but every one of them had a specific purpose. My little boy is now 5 and I have him three guns already and would like to get some better ideas of what u guys are getting for your kids to get them interested in shooting and hunting and also guns for them to pass on to their kids. There is nothing like seeing a kid shoot a gun at a target and actually hit it where they were aiming, that smile and pride is simply contagious. I am so excited now that he is getting older to have a new hunting partner in the future!

How about that we do have common ground!

Dad was in Philippines in fox hole for five years. He said he never want to see another gun. But said he fought for our right to have them. We did do a lot of camping growing up. Would have thought he had, had his fill of that too.

My youngest, 32 now, Learned on a daisy 22 LR, then graduated to a AR15 with 20" bull barrel, with Collapsible stock. Got her first deer with that at 11, her second, 2 years later with my 300WM. Sorry she only about 5-4 and weighs about 110# even now. That was the gun sticking out the right window at the time. From 22 to 27 we hit the skeet fields every 2-3 weeks.

The oldest is a great shot just does not share the interest.

 

[Gibbshooter43]

First, I love the post. It's always about passing the heritage along. I started my son off on a customized Ruger10/22. He took to it so quickly, and he proved himself safety wise. This was followed by a Bretta 22 target pistol. Then a 20 gauge pump. Next was a custom 22/250 that he'd admired in my gun safe. And finally a customized Springfield 30:06 A3. He's taken turkey and deer, and now has his sons shooting. He also got his wife shooting. The baton is being passed as it should be.

 

[Bro Dave]

He's got a 300 Normal lol by the way before the haters start this gun is unloaded, has a silencer on it and I really don't know what he is looking at cause the scope caps are closed!
View attachment 138618

But look at the little chickypoo in the back ground! love it.

 

[CUTTER1]

29yo daughter who started with an air rifle and her granddaddy's Winchester 22 pump. Soon transitioned to S&W mod17 22 and Remington 870 youth in 20 ga and an Ithaca 20ga coach gun that was mine (soon retired when we discovered its value). Built her several prairie dog rifles starting with 22 Hornet and progressively up thru 244AI. She still shoots them all and several have been shot out and rebarreled! We built her first "big" game rifle together at age 12 (a 5#1oz 6.5/308AI) which she still loves, Built with 2 Brown Precision Stocks that allowed her to 11.5" to 13.5 lop. Has taken everything from coyotes to elk with it. Has her own large gun safe which is full. She has been reloading since she started school and has carried concealed every day since age 18. At 5'3" 115# and financially successful she still loves guns and hunting more than any woman I've ever known including my mother!

 

[Bang4theBuck]

I wanted to echo the comments about the recoil and noise. You absolutely have to manage those, and not just with your equipment. I always try to shoot as far away from the guys at the public range with the big breaks as possible. The interesting thing with my boys that are now 14, and 12 is that when I tried talking them into shooting rifles larger than the 22lr, and 223 rem, they really didn't want to have anything to do with it. Now that they are pretty proficient with those rifles, and my larger centerfire rifles have a suppressor on them, when we are at the range, they ask me if they can shot them. One of the rifles is very light weight 308, pushing 168s. It's got a little bit of bite to it, but because it isn't crazy loud, and because they wanted to see 'what they could reasonably handle', almost like a dare, they were all about it. Now I hear them talking to their friends about how cool it was.....that's when you know you got them hooked!
My son and I also share a story about how I tricked him on his first turkey hunt (he was 8 years old, ~55lbs). He was excited about shooting a turkey but he was a little hesitant about shooting the 20 gauge. I told him that he didn't have to shoot it much, but that he had to display for me that he could make an ethical kill on the paper turkey target, before I would let him go out and hunt for real. I also explained to him that we had to pattern the gun to know what the real effective range was. So, we got a few different types of turkey loads, and some splatter turkey targets, and we went to a friends house. I actually did the true patterning portion with the real turkey loads, and I had 2 EXTREMELY LIGHT TARGET LOADS IN #9 SHOT that I had him shoot. He was pleasantly surprised about how little recoil there was, and how many pellets actually hit the target in the vital areas. The next morning, I loaded the same gun with a full turkey load, and he put the smackdown on a nice Tom. The funny thing is, like we have all experienced, he doesn't even remember the gun going off! And 6 years later, it is still the only time that Dad 'duped him', that we still laugh about. I would even go as far as to guess that he will probably play the same trick on his child some day, if the opportunity presents.

 

[Bang4theBuck]

I almost forgot the most important part, fast forward 6 years he is now on the highschool clay target team (14 years old) shooting a 12 ga O/U and is holding his own on the leader boards!