Jack Package
Member
Just wondering what everyone thinks should be the right age for a child to get a gun and what it should be. Common knowledge saying 8-10 and a .22 for me it was 12 and a 8mm Kar98k.
What should be a child first rifle, and right age
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thump_rrr
Member
My opinion is at an age where the child can comprehend the dangers associated with handling a firearm.
For some children this could be as early as 4-5.
I also believe that a .22 is a great starter rifle for a child.
I am a member at 2 clubs and frequently see small children with their parents learning to shoot which is what is needed for our sport to survive.
For some children this could be as early as 4-5.
I also believe that a .22 is a great starter rifle for a child.
I am a member at 2 clubs and frequently see small children with their parents learning to shoot which is what is needed for our sport to survive.
Deus Machina
Member
In the family and small town where I grew up, kids were often introduced to guns at 4-6, got a pellet rifle around 8-10, and were often given a .22 rifle at around 12.
Obviously it depends on the kid, and there were some that were dumb enough that their parents never gave them one. They often bought their own or borrowed their brother's, and proved their parents right.
Obviously it depends on the kid, and there were some that were dumb enough that their parents never gave them one. They often bought their own or borrowed their brother's, and proved their parents right.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Agree, no two children mature at the same rate. Old enough is when the child has matured to the point they are mature enough to understand the workings of a gun and related safety.
Ron
I think it depends on the child. Shooting and carrying in a hunting situation are to very different things. A 22 cricket is the best starter in my opinion . I started with a 410 at age 8 but was afield since 4 chasing pheasants with my dad. He shortened the stock so it fit my draw. There in lies the key. All guns should be the appropriate size. That why I think the cricket is the right gun for children. It's scaled down to fit a small child. A safe hunters course is a must as soon as a child shows interest. The main thing is take them with you for the hunting-shooting experience . Even if they aren't carrying a gun. Get the indoor smell off them.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
When you say "for a child to get a gun," what do you mean?
I've had guns that were for my children when they were still babies. So far, each one has been pulling triggers by three years old. But even though I have a teenager now, they don't really "HAVE" guns. I have guns, that they are allowed to shoot when we're spending time at the range.
So if you're going to teach your kids to shoot, pick something like a Savage Rascal or Henry MicroBolt (don't like the Crickets at all, myself) or Ruger Bearcat and teach them to shoot. But don't even THINK about "giving" them that gun as if it could be their responsibility to keep safe, use wisely, and care for. It is YOUR responsibility to do that until they are at an age where responsibility for lethal weapons is realistic.
That point will be extremely child specific, and is probably getting pretty close to the age that a young person could go buy that firearm themselves.
I've had guns that were for my children when they were still babies. So far, each one has been pulling triggers by three years old. But even though I have a teenager now, they don't really "HAVE" guns. I have guns, that they are allowed to shoot when we're spending time at the range.
So if you're going to teach your kids to shoot, pick something like a Savage Rascal or Henry MicroBolt (don't like the Crickets at all, myself) or Ruger Bearcat and teach them to shoot. But don't even THINK about "giving" them that gun as if it could be their responsibility to keep safe, use wisely, and care for. It is YOUR responsibility to do that until they are at an age where responsibility for lethal weapons is realistic.
That point will be extremely child specific, and is probably getting pretty close to the age that a young person could go buy that firearm themselves.
I teach shooting sports for Cub Scouts. Here are a few suggestions I have.
1. As stated be comfortable with the maturity level of your child. We have Tigers come in as young as 6. I started mine around age 4, but they were raised around guns. Very closely supervised bench shooting, then move up from there.
2. Spend the money to get a gun that is sized for your children. Yes, they will outgrow it, but it can sit in the safe for your next child, or the neighbor's kid. You would not try to teach your child to walk using your shoes, don't expect them to learn to shoot using your gun.
3. Peep sights are a great tool to help young shooters learn sight picture.
4. Determine your child's dominate eye. About 1 in 5 of the kids I teach are cross dominate. It will be easier to teach them to shoot safely following their dominate eye. They may need to shoot with their off hand to accomplish this.
5. We use BB guns for shooting sports, but if you have the ability to shoot 22 with your kids I would recommend it. Gun control with BB/pellet guns that need to be pumped can be difficult with younger children. Single shot 22s do not need to leave the bench to be reloaded and can stay pointed in a safe direction at all times while the child loads.
Other than that, good luck and enjoy time with your kids.
1. As stated be comfortable with the maturity level of your child. We have Tigers come in as young as 6. I started mine around age 4, but they were raised around guns. Very closely supervised bench shooting, then move up from there.
2. Spend the money to get a gun that is sized for your children. Yes, they will outgrow it, but it can sit in the safe for your next child, or the neighbor's kid. You would not try to teach your child to walk using your shoes, don't expect them to learn to shoot using your gun.
3. Peep sights are a great tool to help young shooters learn sight picture.
4. Determine your child's dominate eye. About 1 in 5 of the kids I teach are cross dominate. It will be easier to teach them to shoot safely following their dominate eye. They may need to shoot with their off hand to accomplish this.
5. We use BB guns for shooting sports, but if you have the ability to shoot 22 with your kids I would recommend it. Gun control with BB/pellet guns that need to be pumped can be difficult with younger children. Single shot 22s do not need to leave the bench to be reloaded and can stay pointed in a safe direction at all times while the child loads.
Other than that, good luck and enjoy time with your kids.
buck460XVR
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Most guys I know my age had a BB gun from the day they were able to leave the yard alone. Out of them, there is only one I know of that wears corrective glasses because of it.
They were powerful enough for barn pigeons and bottles at the dump. They were also powerful enough to take out the neighbors window or draw blood on your little brother if you weren't careful. We learned gun safety first hand, both good and bad habits. But that was back then. Nowadays, I still recommend a BB gun, but with parental supervision. It can start at any age the youngster can handle the firearm. I've shot a red-ryder off a bench with my grand-daughters since they were 4. The oldest has since graduated to a Cricket .22. Still with parental supervision. She also has shot my .357 carbine with powder puff loads. She will take hunter safety when she turns 10 and by law, be able to hunt alone @ 14. Until she is 12 she needs a mentor that does not carry a gun with her at arms length. At 12 she can carry her own while accompanied with another hunter over 18. This is what I am comfortable with.
They were powerful enough for barn pigeons and bottles at the dump. They were also powerful enough to take out the neighbors window or draw blood on your little brother if you weren't careful. We learned gun safety first hand, both good and bad habits. But that was back then. Nowadays, I still recommend a BB gun, but with parental supervision. It can start at any age the youngster can handle the firearm. I've shot a red-ryder off a bench with my grand-daughters since they were 4. The oldest has since graduated to a Cricket .22. Still with parental supervision. She also has shot my .357 carbine with powder puff loads. She will take hunter safety when she turns 10 and by law, be able to hunt alone @ 14. Until she is 12 she needs a mentor that does not carry a gun with her at arms length. At 12 she can carry her own while accompanied with another hunter over 18. This is what I am comfortable with.
I'd definitely go with a bolt or pump 22 for the first rifle and not a semiauto (unless you're using a semiauto as a single shot, one round in the magazine at a time). Age depends on the child's maturity and ability to pay attention.
Captcurt
Member
Yes it depends on the maturity of the child. Having taught Hunter's Education for 10 years I would have to put the age at 8 to 10. The great thing about teaching HE is the fact that I don't have to pass them if I would not feel comfortable while hunting with them. I have seen men in their 50's that I would not hunt with.
dmurdach
Member
Airsoft
I started my older son a little after he turned 3 with airsoft and when he could follow all the safety rules without me reminding him I started letting him shoot a bb gun, and now he is 5 and has been shooting a Criket pistol from the bench and my CZ 455 17hmr. I am soon going to buy a small 22 rifle that fits him bettter(cricket or the like).
I started my older son a little after he turned 3 with airsoft and when he could follow all the safety rules without me reminding him I started letting him shoot a bb gun, and now he is 5 and has been shooting a Criket pistol from the bench and my CZ 455 17hmr. I am soon going to buy a small 22 rifle that fits him bettter(cricket or the like).
herrwalther
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My son already has a few firearms. They are NERF guns and he is 15 months but I had to start sometime...
earplug
Member
In todays market for 22LR and general cost of stuff, I'd buy a .357 rifle and some reloading gear.
You can cast and reload for about the same cost as 22 LR. Then use the rifle for hunting if legal and transition to a revolver. All life time purchases.
You can cast and reload for about the same cost as 22 LR. Then use the rifle for hunting if legal and transition to a revolver. All life time purchases.
351 WINCHESTER
Member
A decent single shot .22 rifle will teach them how to make each shot count. As far as age it depends on the child. Be safe.
WestKentucky
Member
First gun should be a small bb gun with which the child can learn all the basics without risking harm to the child or anyone else. The lever action type bb gun seems perfect. It's what I learned on. Knocking down soda cans at 40 yards consistently by aiming a foot high taught me a lot about trajectory too. When I had the bb gun mastered (wore slap out) I got to begin handling and shooting a marlin model 60 that was bought for me as a newborn. I think I was 8
Take your kid to Appleseed when they are 11 or 12. Best shooting program there is. You and they will get a chance to shoot a rifle like a rifle and see what works best.
www.appleseedinfo.org
www.appleseedinfo.org
patmccoy
Member
Daisy 499, at about age 6. Safe (but still need supervision), accurate, easy to shoot.
MyGreenGuns
Member
As many others have stated, Its child specific.
My friend has a 6yo and a 16yo that we occasionally take shooting.
The 6yo is very good about muzzle control and keeping her finger off the trigger. The 16yo on the other hand, requires constant reminders.
My friend has a 6yo and a 16yo that we occasionally take shooting.
The 6yo is very good about muzzle control and keeping her finger off the trigger. The 16yo on the other hand, requires constant reminders.
RustyShackelford
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12......
Id say 12 is the new 8 or 10.
My sister was rattled by the recent 9 year old girl(a tourist from NJ visiting a rental range) shooting the gun range cadre with a full auto Uzi. She told me she didn't want her son(9) around any firearms until he's 12 or so.
A big + was that she wanted to go target shooting & learn how to handle a firearm just to address her own concerns.
I offered to let her shoot my Glock 21 .45acp but ideally, I hope to own my M&P Shield or a J frame S&W .38spl by then. I think she'd get more out of using a Shield 9x19mm & be willing to learn better than a larger pistol or revolver.
I feel okay with waiting until my nephew is 12 if that's what the parents choose.
Id say 12 is the new 8 or 10.
My sister was rattled by the recent 9 year old girl(a tourist from NJ visiting a rental range) shooting the gun range cadre with a full auto Uzi. She told me she didn't want her son(9) around any firearms until he's 12 or so.
A big + was that she wanted to go target shooting & learn how to handle a firearm just to address her own concerns.
I offered to let her shoot my Glock 21 .45acp but ideally, I hope to own my M&P Shield or a J frame S&W .38spl by then. I think she'd get more out of using a Shield 9x19mm & be willing to learn better than a larger pistol or revolver.
I feel okay with waiting until my nephew is 12 if that's what the parents choose.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
We still don't quite know if the question is when to teach a kid to shoot, or when to GIVE them a firearm.
Literally giving a kid a firearm, even at 11, 12, or even older, seems to be poor advice, unless you really mean, "buy a firearm for them that you keep locked up and they can shoot sometimes." In which case, you can do that anytime.
Literally giving a kid a firearm, even at 11, 12, or even older, seems to be poor advice, unless you really mean, "buy a firearm for them that you keep locked up and they can shoot sometimes." In which case, you can do that anytime.
This is suggested from time to time, and taking a kid to Appleseed is a great idea. However, it probably isn't a very good idea for basic firearms introduction. I wouldn't try to introduce a kid to firearms by taking them to any large organized shooting event. They should have the four rules and basic operation down, and be comfortable and safe with a gun, IMHO, before they're handed to an instructor for skills development.
Field Tester
Member
Sam,
Why don't you like the Cricket?
Why don't you like the Cricket?
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
I don't like the cocking mechanism, for one. That's lauded as a safety feature, but it really isn't. Just a cost-cutting hassle. It's a single-shot rifle, you don't kneed to make the shooter cock the bolt separately to be safe with it. That's not one iota safer.
I don't like the exposed mainspring. Looks like the innards of a ball-point pen, and is something that every quality firearm keeps protected inside.
I REALLY don't like the lack of a loading gate floorplate/feed ramp. You have to not just get the cartridge into the small loading and ejection port, but you also have to feed it directly into the chamber. That's tough on folks with big fingers. A quality rifle will have a floor plate that allows you to drop the cartridge into the action, more or less freely, and then it will feed the round into the chamber as you close the bolt. Not the Crickett. It will just mash the bullet into the case because the action doesn't hold the bullet up in line with the chamber mouth.
I enjoy shooting our Savage Cub myself, and it is the same size. Just a lot better appointed and finished out. It's very much a "real" rifle just in smaller form.
I don't like the exposed mainspring. Looks like the innards of a ball-point pen, and is something that every quality firearm keeps protected inside.
I REALLY don't like the lack of a loading gate floorplate/feed ramp. You have to not just get the cartridge into the small loading and ejection port, but you also have to feed it directly into the chamber. That's tough on folks with big fingers. A quality rifle will have a floor plate that allows you to drop the cartridge into the action, more or less freely, and then it will feed the round into the chamber as you close the bolt. Not the Crickett. It will just mash the bullet into the case because the action doesn't hold the bullet up in line with the chamber mouth.
I enjoy shooting our Savage Cub myself, and it is the same size. Just a lot better appointed and finished out. It's very much a "real" rifle just in smaller form.
If you want to give a gun to a kid at an early age I definitely think it should be a .410 shotgun. And don't give them any ammo. Don't keep any in the house until you are ready to shoot with them. I can see teaching a kid to shoot with a .22 but as far owning their own gun goes I think a shotgun is a lot less likely to result in a serious injury. The pellets only travel a very short distance compared to a .22 that can carry a long way depending on the cartridge used. That was my dad's thinking when he gave my older brothers each a .410. I was the hand me down kid all my life I guess.
I taught my own kids to shoot with a .22. It was a single shot and I put very light load shorts in it. My daughter's boyfriend brought his daughter around to learn about shooting and we used the same rifle with Colibri ammo. No powder at all in those things. Just the percussion cap makes them work.
I started my kids shooting a real gun by the time they were about 7. By the age of 10 I had them shooting an SKS (with heavy supervision and one round at a time). By then they knew how to handle a gun and they were very careful because they also knew how dangerous guns can be. I didn't give either one a gun until they were adults at which time I gave my daughter a 20 ga. shotgun and I tried to give my son a .45 that he had been using but he didn't want to keep it in his apartment. I guess I don't blame him considering he isn't in the place most of the time and he can't take the gun with him to work.
I did give my son a BB gun (Crossman pump) when he was 5 or so and I watched him with it closely for a good while. He was a pretty smart kid and never took chances with it. He liked video games a lot more actually. But by the time he was 10 he was building his own guns. He built some very impressive air guns too. The main one he built would absolutely kill someone. He does research for the Air Force now so I guess it stuck with him. I probably shouldn't say too much about what he actually does I guess.
I taught my own kids to shoot with a .22. It was a single shot and I put very light load shorts in it. My daughter's boyfriend brought his daughter around to learn about shooting and we used the same rifle with Colibri ammo. No powder at all in those things. Just the percussion cap makes them work.
I started my kids shooting a real gun by the time they were about 7. By the age of 10 I had them shooting an SKS (with heavy supervision and one round at a time). By then they knew how to handle a gun and they were very careful because they also knew how dangerous guns can be. I didn't give either one a gun until they were adults at which time I gave my daughter a 20 ga. shotgun and I tried to give my son a .45 that he had been using but he didn't want to keep it in his apartment. I guess I don't blame him considering he isn't in the place most of the time and he can't take the gun with him to work.
I did give my son a BB gun (Crossman pump) when he was 5 or so and I watched him with it closely for a good while. He was a pretty smart kid and never took chances with it. He liked video games a lot more actually. But by the time he was 10 he was building his own guns. He built some very impressive air guns too. The main one he built would absolutely kill someone. He does research for the Air Force now so I guess it stuck with him. I probably shouldn't say too much about what he actually does I guess.
PistolPete45
Member
Depends a lot on the kid My Grand daughter was shooting an air soft real well at about 7 could have gone on to a 22 bolt action but she did not like the noise .. some of the big kids I see around are 16 or older and I would not teach em to shoot no sense of responsibility in some kids .. safety first
It depends on the child. My son got his first rifle when he was six. He had played with nerf guns, airsoft guns and bb guns and displayed a long track record of mature handling of those guns…with respect to gun safety. Ultimately he needed his own rifle so he could hunt instead of just watching me hunt. It was a Rossi Trifecta (.22/.243/20 gauge barrels). He's 14 now and while the Rossi has gone away he currently has a .243 rifle, a .30-06, a .22 pistol, and a .380 pistol. Those are his guns, when he leaves home they go with him.
He is the PERFECT gun range partner. Never unsafe, always in control.
My daughter on the other hand expresses very little interest in guns or hunting, and therefore has no guns at all.
I have other relatives (nieces/nephews) who are 12 yrs old or older that I wouldn't trust with a gun even with adult supervision…they simply won't follow any rules their parents give them…so it all depends on the kid.
He is the PERFECT gun range partner. Never unsafe, always in control.
My daughter on the other hand expresses very little interest in guns or hunting, and therefore has no guns at all.
I have other relatives (nieces/nephews) who are 12 yrs old or older that I wouldn't trust with a gun even with adult supervision…they simply won't follow any rules their parents give them…so it all depends on the kid.
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