Best first gun to teach your kid to shoot?

[Deleted member 66305]

What age do people feel is appropriate to bring your son/daughter to the range, and what is a good first weapon?

Without doing any research, and having thought little about the issue, I'm thinking definitely something in .22LR, either one of those Cricket rifles or a revolver, something little hands can easily handle, but hopefully something Daddy might enjoy shooting, too.

I have a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old daughter -- I'm thinking the 8-year-old is MAYBE ready. She certainly wants to.

 

[jgo296]

ruger 10/22

 

[jdc1244]

I have a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old daughter -- I'm thinking the 8-year-old is MAYBE ready. She certainly wants to.

That’s about when mine started. Get them a .22lr bolt action so they can concentrate on the basics.

 

[Eric F]

I agree with others. my first was a .50 black powder rifle. A 22lr would have been better, dad what were you thinking? Now I have a .50 addiction!

 

[Cougfan2]

Cricket would be an excellent choice for someone as young as 8. Even one of the old Winchester single shots with the cocking piece. That's what I started my boy with when he was 10.

 

[swifteagle]

I started mine out when they were 8 with a .22 bolt action rifle. My children love to shoot.

 

[45Badger]

We did the Crickett, and pretty quickly upgraded to the Marlin 15Y. If I had it to do over again, I'd skip the Crickett. The Marlin 15Y is twice the gun at a comparable price. Much more accurate.

Both are safe, easy to handle, single shot guns. Great learning platforms.

 

[ArmedBear]

Semiautomatic 1919A4 on a tripod.

Recoil isn't a problem, and it will be fun.

Ammo and gun are expensive, though. But you need to get one. It's for the children.

 

[oneounceload]

Marlin "Lil Buckaroo" single shot 22, when the boys turned 6....safety was first, have never had an issue yet....

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Air rifle first - maybe 7 to 10 years. .22 rifle - 8 to 12 years. Centerfire, 10-14 years. Something like that.....

 

[belus]

My first gun was a break open 20ga with a hammer.

The reasoning was that it had full pattern, it was easy to tell if it was cocked or loaded, and with birdshot there was very little chance of the pellets travelling farther than I could see. It was this final reason which resulted in me never getting a .22.

I "bought" it (with my father) the day before my 13th birthday. I think he made a smart choice.

edit: It was the only gun in our house for a couple years. My parents aren't enthusiasts, but they understood that I really enjoyed shooting with our neighbors.

 

[Claude Clay]

my daughtr was just shy of 7 when she got to fire the ruger 10/22. she had the manual for it for a while and the rifle was 'our together time' as she learned all the names of the parts and their function. it was also a family secret and she proudly kept it. 20 now, she and her boyfriend treat my items like a lending library. i ccw'ed him 2 years ago.

 

[Sheldon J]

I vote for any single shot .22, bolt action or break open riffle, it teaches a routine, and to make your one shot count.

 

[Doug Add]

My son was about seven months past his tenth birthday when I bought him a Ruger 10/22. I also bought us a Walther P22 to learn proper pistol handling techniques. He loved both and learned skills and safety rather quickly. I could have started him two or three years earlier with no difficulties.

That was five years ago. He has since bought his own Remington 870, and he has a Stevens Model 22-410 over/under that my father-in-law gave him. His favorite handguns of mine to shoot are the two .38/.357s: 2.25" Ruger SP101 and 4" S&W 586, but his overall favorite is the Marlin 1894c.

 

[Big45]

Colt Python .357

 

[siglite]

I think every kid is different, based on their responsibility and maturity level. Some kids can be started very early. Some should probably wait a while. Regardless, about the best first gun is any light, bolt action .22 rifle.

 

[jkingrph]

I learned with a Marlin 39a

 

[f4t9r]

use a 22 and I started at about 9 years of age

 

[TexasRifleman]

I started my son at 6 years old with a Chipmunk .22LR bolt action single shot.

 

[catfish101]

Mine started on a air rifle.

 

[MilsurpShooter]

I started out at around 8 years old with a .22 Cricket that now resides in my safe. I learned on that Cricket and I've taught 4 children on it. It's great in the fact that you can learn each step and can solidify each step as you're shooting and going along. Single shot bolt may not be as much fun as a 10/22 or another semi-auto rifle but as far as a teaching aid, can't beat it in my mind.

 

[Legionnaire]

Any good single-shot, bolt action .22 rifle. And first handgun should be a nice single-action revolver, also in .22.

Edit: Sorry, missed the age question on the first read. I think any child who is physically big enough to handle a gun, can concentrate (at least for a few minutes), and can follow directions exactly, is old enough to learn how to shoot. My kids started learning between the ages of seven and ten.

 

[Griff]

My 3 month old likes to help me clean my 1911 better than any of my revolvers so far. Probably start him out on a Red Ryder, though, for tradtions sake.

 

[ZMP_CTR]

My dad started me out on a 12 gauge when I was around 10 years old. That thing used to knock the crap out of me. I loved it.

 

[jgo296]

yeah nobody ever outgrows a 10/22 though