Teaching kids

[Black Tail Hunter]

When I was teaching my daughter to shoot (started with a bb gun) I specifically chose open sights. I wanted her to understand the principals of how to hold the rifle and properly align the sights. I chose one with a fiberoptic front sight. It was very easy to explain to "put the orange ball into the little groove and hold it on the target". She picked it up very quickly and became quite proficient at it. After that we moved on to magnified optics.

 

[milo-2]

When I was teaching my daughter to shoot (started with a bb gun) I specifically chose open sights. I wanted her to understand the principals of how to hold the rifle and properly align the sights. I chose one with a fiberoptic front sight. It was very easy to explain to "put the orange ball into the little groove and hold it on the target". She picked it up very quickly and became quite proficient at it. After that we moved on to magnified optics.

I have done a 180 when it comes to kids, I used to be the iron sight guy too. Face it, like us, all kids are different, but IME, the kids that have the most success, and ultimately the most fun are the ones jonesing to do it again.
Today, I will always use a red dot, but, I believe the targets they are shooting at will have a bigger impact on how quick they desire to pick things up. Make it fun, they will want to learn what you put in front of them,
I have 22 steel, all reactive, poppers, kyl racks, all sizes of plates, elevate the excitement and they walk away with a smile. But, you can have hundreds of dollars worth of targets, not a one will bring the joy of letting them shoot 1/4 or half full aerosol paint cans.

 

[Pro2A]

I took my almost 5 year old daughter squirrel hunting last weekend and she is left handed and I was wondering if she was going to be left eye dominate. She loved shooting the suppressed 10/22. But it has a cheap Nikon scope that was giving her a hard time. And I was trying to keep it fun for her and teach her the safety side of it. I was thinking of putting a red dot on it to help. Was wondering what y'all have done to help kids. And if a red dot what do you recommend

FIRST, regardless of eye dominance, KEEP IT FUN FOR THE LITTLE ONE.....CHEAP OUT; CHASE HER OUT.....spend the money to capture, retain her interest. Milo-2 has great thoughts above. Moving, reactive targets give little one instant feedback and fun. They don't get excited in small groups. When I was a kid, I loved to shoot my little plastic green army men, but couldn't have cared less about a paper target grouping. Come to think of it, I haven't grown up much in that respect. HO-hum about paper groupings,, a necessary intro evil, but love to ring steel in the third zip code over. Without her continuing interest, eye dominance won't matter. Be sure the gun fits her or she will struggle getting a good sight picture......think moving, changing shadows, picture.....frustrating even for we old guys. Ill fitting rifles and cheap scopes are a major frustration source. Spend the money to allow success. . Having your little girl get interested, stay interested in shooting/hunting with you is a priceless gift. Invest in it; big ROI. Sadly, I've seen many guys cheap their GFs, kids out of shooting sports. Then, determine for sure her eye dominance. Then deal with that.

 

[Mike Matteson]

It's a simple test that is done at home or anywhere. That way you know petty much which eye she or he is dominance. It will help you to teach them how to shoot, and cover possible problems. For a young kid it's easier to learn and work with a possible problem, and you understand better to help. Nobody is saying to do nothing, but help the littles one's. I have seen kids looking over the rifle with the other eye. Thinking they doing thing correctly. It taken care of early in the game it's easy to correct, but later it's a different story. I have ran into this problem when teaching rifle and shotgun for the Boy Scouts. You just work through it. It's takes time, but it's worth it, to get them going down the right path. If it's isn't fun for them, they will stop. Just like fishing.

 

[milo-2]

FIRST, regardless of eye dominance, KEEP IT FUN FOR THE LITTLE ONE.....CHEAP OUT; CHASE HER OUT.....spend the money to capture, retain her interest. Milo-2 has great thoughts above. Moving, reactive targets give little one instant feedback and fun. They don't get excited in small groups. When I was a kid, I loved to shoot my little plastic green army men, but couldn't have cared less about a paper target grouping. Come to think of it, I haven't grown up much in that respect. HO-hum about paper groupings,, a necessary intro evil, but love to ring steel in the third zip code over. Without her continuing interest, eye dominance won't matter. Be sure the gun fits her or she will struggle getting a good sight picture......think moving, changing shadows, picture.....frustrating even for we old guys. Ill fitting rifles and cheap scopes are a major frustration source. Spend the money to allow success. . Having your little girl get interested, stay interested in shooting/hunting with you is a priceless gift. Invest in it; big ROI. Sadly, I've seen many guys cheap their GFs, kids out of shooting sports. Then, determine for sure her eye dominance. Then deal with that.

One more thing that adds to success is making them comfy, you touched on stock fit, a big plus. Most kids will start out shooting from a bench, need a high seat or a low bench where they can stand.
I bought the boy next door (5) a 10-22, a work in progress, lol, By accident, I was unloading my PU, and threw out a couple saw horses I was using for knockdown targets, and he was standing right there. Light bulb came on, I grabbed a pc of plywood from the shed, made a makeshift bench, then a rifle and had him shoulder it.
Our last 2 outings last fall before it turned cold were so successful, I cannot wait for the first 55 degree day when we can go again. Plus I bought a 1-5 vx3 leupold from a member here for it, and sighted it in last week.
I am partly excited because this 10-22 target is most the accurate 22LR I have ever shot at 50 yards, and I have over 8K in my Rim X custom with optics.