Teaching Kids- your tips here!

[LawDog101]

My boy's first buck shot at 230 yards got me to thinking. We need a thread of things we, as parents, have learned in teaching our kids to shoot well (both safe and precise). I am hoping this thread takes off and we can all learn from each other.....

Here are a few things that I have found to be useful other than the normal stuff like shooting as much as possible, etc.

1. Your equipment doesn't have to be expensive, but it does need to be serviceable. My son has a $360 Mossberg and a 1" Nikon 4-14 Buckmaster. Around $500-$600 total. Taking the time to find a load that works produced excellent field results.

2. When you do shoot, I love steel but go with smaller targets. We use a 6" plate all the way up to 200y. For kids, the sound of bullet to steel is very rewarding.

3. Don't jump in too fast. I know a bunch of Dad's who have put their kids deer hunting behind a .243 two weeks after they learned to shoot. I disagree with this. Shooting is a gradual skill. We got a BB gun and setup a fun "sniper range" with army men. Then on to .22 (cheapo bolt action), AR, now .308 bolt gun.

4. As parents, we sometimes go crazy when our kids want to do what we love to do. So we go out and buy stuff, buy stuff, and buy stuff. We buy the coolest scope, gun, bullets, gear, etc. Having cool camo and the like is nice but its all for show. I know that I have a hard time not buying stuff for my boys. Go basic, use cool stuff as a reward.

I will think of more and add to this thread. Hopefully you guys will add to it as well. I would love to hear from other parents and learn from our mistakes.

LD

 

[mark5pt56]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

When my son and daughter started it was on the Cricket .22 rifles. I would go over and they would recite the safety rules and I would explain the real world applications. The fundementals of marksmanship were practiced and what I found to be a great tool was to draw what their sights picture should look like. They related to that better than me explaining it. I would lay the picture next to them as they shot and I coached.

Every once in a while when teaching others(mainly AR15 based irons) I find that when zeroing and they have excessive sight adjustment and it's not mechanical, I'll ask them to draw me what they see with the sights. You would be surprised as to the outcome sometimes.

 

[tnichols]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

My kids are 8 (son) and 10 (daughter). They just started last year. Here's what I did:

1. We shoot when THEY ask to shoot. Not when I think they should, ie when they think it sounds like something fun to do.
2. They had to learn and be able to recite the 4 rules of gun safety, along with range etiquette.
3. Small gun/small targets. They use our Kimber Hunter bolt gun in 22LR with a Nikon 3-7. I usually have the power at around 4 or so. Wolf Match Extra ammo. Quiet with virtually zero recoil. It has a Harris on it and they have used it with the bipod and rear bag off of the bench until just last week, when I introduced them to prone. We use small metallic targets (ram, turkey, pig, etc...) plus hardboiled eggs, veggies, etc...they like stuff that reacts.
4. Focus on the basics. Trigger press, proper form, etc... I always tell them it's hard to beat sight alignment and trigger control.
5. Started them out at 25 yards, and now they are back to 35 or 40.

They enjoy it and they are good for 45 minutes to an hour and then you can tell they are done. My son is a competitive little shit and it has turned into a game. Ram is worth 5 points, pig 10 points and so on. They each get five rounds per "stage" and they are 5 stages, they keep score. My daughter usually wins which just slays him.

I always tell them if they learn nothing more than SAFE gun handling skills, I'm ok with that. We owe it to ourselves to raise good kids with gun safety being a priority.

 

[Puller]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

I like this thread. I have been waiting for my brothers kids to be old enough to start shooting. I finally got to start working with them last year. Neither my brother or his wife are cool with firearms but they understand the value and are more than happy to let me teach. I consider myself to be a good teacher as I was taught well by my father and then refined while in the Marines (I 3/11).

The safety rules were no probem. The respect for the weapon was no problem. The problem showed up really fast and I realized that today's kids are not like I was. They are so ADD and they have to have a gadget with a screen to keep their attention. I was handed a bb gun and I would shoot cans until my little fingers hurt so bad I couldn't pull the bolt back.

SO>>>> after my long story, I think I will buy some of those little steel goats and such and set up a little "sniper challenge".

I am not a father so my learning curve is pretty steep. Which is good because my wife is due in April and I should have it figured out by the time I need to teach my own.

Keep the ideas rolling.

 

[George63]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

for children and adults: teach/ practice the skills in small increments - have some instruction about 1 aspect, then shoot/ practice until that looks good - for future sessions do a review/ shoot a string for each teaching point in the same logical order - then add new material

 

[Jaeger308]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

My experience that worked out was to not push young shooters, let them figure out how much they want to shoot. Teaching safety goes without saying, but let them develop as their own motivation pushes them. My son came to a few f-class matches with me in hind sight at a too young of an age, he said it was a bit serious for him. We started shooting shotgun (sporting clays) and he loved it, we shot a lot and watched clays bust, he took that to the point of a win in our states junior championship at 14 years old. He came back to the rifle with me and saw a high power match, told me he wanted to try that, we went full into it with him at his speed. He earned his distinguished rifleman’s badge at 16. I think there is a line, we as parents, need to follow as far as caliber and recoil, never give them too much, but they do want to be at their limit of the power they can handle. After his start into high power we tried indoor small bore over a winter, he didn’t like it not enough report and power. He now at 19 loves driving M1A and M1 garands, a progression I have enjoyed watching and supporting.

 

[Captain Kirk]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

My oldest is 13 and I just started taking him to tactical matches with me, he is on his own while I'm shooting but I know he is around other responsible adults as well, this gives him time to take in the sport at his pace and gives him a level of freedom while being in a safe environment. The level of safety that matches run at is a good thing for him to see as it instills safe practices for young shooters.

As far as training, we can teach our kids a lot, but as mentioned they can't be pushed. I have found that my kids may prefer shooting pistols or rimfire while I want to spend the day banging steel at long range, I don't want them to loose interest so I switch gears. It is a very cool feeling when you see that your kid has the same level of interest in the same sport you do, it is an amazing bonding experience.

Kirk R

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

One thing that I use for introducing/teaching small kids, or 'new' kids at this, is "reactive targets".

No, I"m not talking about Tannerite, or anything like that. I am talking about plastic milk jugs, 2 litre pop bottles, and even soda cans. And fill them with water. 98 times out of a hundred, there is a big splash of effect, and at the same time when the shootings over and the cleanup begins, each container is still in one piece. It may be a mutated/garbled/totally distorted piece, but it's not like you're picking up shrapnel OR sharp edges/pieces of glass. I personally stand for NO GLASS SHOOTING on the range. That shit fragments and explodes in all directions. Soda cans CAN be jagged and whatnot, so apply only when prudent.

But considering the stuff children see on tv, and in movies, etc, I figure it is good to show them something of the "Effect" that their actions are taking, without making it into a scientific lecture. Just simple "cause and effect" for them to both grasp the severity of what they're doing, and too, keep them enthused moreso into what is going on downrange as opposed to on the 'thumb-screen'. Practically every time this has been introduce by me, the kids faces light up, and they want MORE. And the "Do-It-Again" mantra starts. For a few weeks afterwards, I hear other parents telling me that their children are saving/stockpiling the plastic bottles and jugs, for when we go again.

Make a game out of it, as in target practicing with the .22lr, and whomever does best gets to use the .223 on the milk jug.

Just some simple ideas, to help plant seeds into fertile minds, and "learn 'em right", first.

 

[roggom]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

My priority is gun safety. Even before we get to the range, we practice handling the rifle, passing it to each other, checking the chamber etc.

Range sessions can be fun, but we parents have to remember that the little ones have the attention span of a modern teen. If they get bored, or if the climate is extreme they will associate that with shooting. You can incorporate the range session into a small day trip.

I shoot on public land, so in the summer it can hit 100+ easy. I keep the shooting sessions short, and I keep them hydrated. After we are finished shooting we will walk out and look for cases and bullets. Not that I need them, but it changes the dynamic of the session.

Also as the comment above, I have found reactive targets to be the most fun. AR500 plates at long distance, or the small silhouette targets (chicken, birds, prairie dogs) with the 22LR. I let them paint them at home and then they light them up at the range session. Of course safe handling with gloves and plenty of hand washing etc.

Other than that, proper rifle and stock lop, plenty of rear and front bags to accomodate their size.

 

[nfitton]

Re: Teaching Kids- your tips here!

Lessons learned from my end...

First big lesson: know when to throw in the towel and let someone else take over...

I've been with my girlfriend for 1 1/2 years. Her 13 yr old daughter has been hanging out in the store a little and was interested in shooting. She actually managed to get her science teacher (in public school) to let her do a project on shooting. I figured this was a great time to start. I immediately realized I couldn't teach her the fundamentals. She finds me a little too intimidating and regimented (probably from my military days). I couldn't have our shop expert (he competes nationally) teach her, because she thinks he has a nice butt and can't take him seriously. Plus when he tried he went way too far over her head. So I used one of our firearm instructors who she wasn't familiar with teach her.

He started with the most important (firearm safety), then went into shooting fundamentals. Then 25yd practice. Because of the way he taught her safety, she got into a routine and it became second nature. Basically think of yourself at a competition...she begins with "shooter ready" and ends with "shooter clear". In fact the last time we were at the range she chastised some local LE guys who shot her rifle, because when she got back down, they had left the mag in and the safety off...

I started her off with a savage 22 bolt action and a bipod. She was comfortable with it and could handle it. When she shot the larger calipers later she had the fundamentals down, so she wasn't scared of them. Even though she didn't like them, she didn't mind shooting them. I have seen too many children and adults who were gun shy or flinched every time the shot because some dumb ass thought it would be funny to have their first time shooting be with a 44 mag!

Pay attention to them. Especially in the beginning let them shoot as much as they want, but if they get tired, end the session. Don't make shooting a seem like a chore, especially when starting them out. I also don't shoot too much when I take her out. She isn't ready for the long distance stuff yet, so she gets bored waiting for everyone else after a while. The more she goes out, the more comfortable she is and the more she gets involved in the other aspects including spotting, just don't push too much too soon.

Let them find their own pace. Her second day shooting was at the outdoor range for the project (demonstrating bullet drop). I didn't know how she would do, but before I knew it she was out at the 125yd line with her 22, calling a flier, and having her rounds hit within a quarter of an inch of center. One of my buddy's sons took months before he would shoot from the 50 yd line...

Let them pick their niche. I like the military weapons and gas guns. She has shot pistols, bolts, gas and machine guns. I offered her her choice of platforms, and to my surprise, she only is interested in precision long range shooting with bolts...

I just let her 7 yr old shoot for the first time the other day (cricket). He was hooked from the start. I think he will end up taking after me though...

The thing we have to think of more than anything is that the youth are the future. We are living in a society that is becoming more and more anti gun. Unless we start producing some mature responsible serious shooters soon, I am afraid the pro gun voices will become way too dim to be heard...