Getting my son a Ruger 10/22 for Christmas

[AgentZ]

Growing up I did not shoot firearms. I bought my first pistol back in 2011. I went shooting with some friends and they brought there kids. I was amazed at how responsible a 7 year old can be with a .22 rifle when properly parented and trained.

Now my son is 8, and I want to take him out to shoot targets. I was wondering if anyone here has advice or some good rules to set for kids. I didn't have an example so looking for parents advice with much more experience than I.

Starting with,
Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
Know your target and whats behind it.
Do not point a gun at anything you don't intend on destroying.

[Fishwishin]

I did grow up with firearms. Points to talk about with your son:

Treat all guns as if they are loaded at all times
Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to shoot
Keep finger off trigger until the sights are on target
Be sure of the target and what lies beyond

In this video game age impress upon him there is a certain degree of finality with firearm negligence- there is no respawning. People can die or suffer lifelong/life changing injuries.

Never handle the gun without your supervision- never.

[AgentZ]

Originally Posted by Fishwishin

In this video game age impress upon him there is a certain degree of finality with firearm negligence- there is no respawning. People can die or suffer lifelong/life changing injuries.

Never handle the gun without your supervision- never.

Concerning the video game topic. I agree %100. This is one of the reasons I want him to learn to respect firearms.

Also 100% agree on never handling the gun with MY supervision specifically.

Thank you for the reminders. I'm excited to take him out and I just want to have a good set of talking points and instructions before going out. Much appreciated.

[Jeepergeo]

Cool dad, Smart dad.

IMHO, a bolt action with iron sights would be a better choice for his first 22. He'll learn trigger control and slow and steady on the bolt action, as opposed to spray and pray on the semi auto, then move him up to a semi auto at 13 to 16. He'll continue to cherish that BA and will keep it to hand off to his kids!

If he is mature, get him into a Hunters Safety Class... he'll learn a ton of safety and probably outscore some adults in the class.

The Eddie Eagle materials from NRA are great learning tools. NRA has a great youth oriented magazine too. A NRA life membership at his age would be great!

[Fishwishin]

Originally Posted by Jeepergeo

a bolt action with iron sights would be a better choice for his first 22. He'll learn trigger control and slow and steady on the bolt action

Good point and I concur. Going this route will likely make him a better shot.

[Mr. Beretta]

Dad...don't forget to buy extra mags & a good amount of CCI Mini Mags.....

[WOODY2]

Originally Posted by AgentZ

Growing up I did not shoot firearms. I bought my first pistol back in 2011. I went shooting with some friends and they brought there kids. I was amazed at how responsible a 7 year old can be with a .22 rifle when properly parented and trained.

Now my son is 8, and I want to take him out to shoot targets. I was wondering if anyone here has advice or some good rules to set for kids. I didn't have an example so looking for parents advice with much more experience than I.

Starting with,
Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
Know your target and whats behind it.
Do not point a gun at anything you don't intend on destroying.

Starting with first ALWAYS clear the weapon when you pick it up

[RNE228]

I started my son on a bolt action single shout. Then moved to a bolt action with a couple in the mag. Then he moved on to a 10/22. Would also let him shoot light loads in black powder rifle.

Also got him in 4H shooting program. Bolt actions one round at a time.

We always started out with safety review, and then a little target work. 4H was same. Then we'd plink at cans or steel targets.

He started at 6, and is 24 now. He's an excellent shot.

10/22's and other semi's are nice; have a couple. But for kids, I have seen too many that just shoot a bunch, with no marksmanship.

I've taught a lot of kids to shoot. My mainstay is my Dad's old Mossberg 142 bolt action. With some simple instruction(NPOA, squeeze not pull trigger, sight alignment etc) they did very well.

I found for rifle or archery, balloons are a fun target, after they practiced on paper a bit.

I'd highly recommend 4H shooting sports. Also look in to the local ranges; some have youth shooting events and instruction. Sac Valley, and El Dorado Road and Gun have youth events.

[Teachu2]

In spite of being a 10/22 fan, I got one of these to start my grandkids: https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...+22LR+AT+YOUTH

Surprisingly accurate right out of the box, not picky on ammo. You can start with open sights and one round at a time, move on to full magazines, and add an inexpensive scope later. Mine has a Simmons 3-9x32 AO from WalMart on it - which is a great value and won't break the bank. With this setup, the kids can get a clear view of the target at 25 yards, and see where they are hitting. This aids in learning and improving skills quickly. It's possible to shoot some very good groups with this little rifle.

Second gun is a scoped used Marlin 60. If they develop an interest in modifying firearms, then a 10/22 and a pile of aftermarket parts to make it shoot as well (and then better) than the Savage and Marlin.

The four rules are taught before a gun ever reaches their hands, and reviewed before every shooting session.

[Skip_Dog]

I second bolt action or semi with one round to start. Put a few 100 rounds down this way and let him move to 2, 5, and finaly the Ca dreaded 10 rounds.

[ThePlinker]

My sons began at age 5 , with my first rifle as a kid. Tube fed 22 Winchester Model 190.

They learned to field strip and clean before they ever pulled the trigger. I used a 39 cent rubber duck and when we left the range we chose who earned the title of shooter of the day. Got to keep the duck in their room until next range session.

Only thing I did different was as they were ready to send a round downrange they did not move their index finger until dad tapped their shooting arm on the shoulder. That told them they did everything right and range was hot.

They are in high school and college now but are training their 4&6 year old cousins the same way.

The right to keep that rubber duck is just as important today as it was when they started.

[hmvan]

I bought my son a 10/22 for his 10th birthday. He is an excellent learner but I should have started him with a single shot bolt gun.

That being said, with a little extra work and patience he is an excellent marksman. Still much to learn but he has great respect for firearms and the responsibility that comes with them.

[92562]

My Dad got my brothers and I 10/22s when we turned 10, so I did the same when my son and daughter tuned 10. Of course we had been shooting a few years before. For targets with young ones I am a big fan of prone shooting. They have a lot more control and usually have better success. If you have a proper shooting "desk" that would be good too but you'd need to find/build a small one.

[johnk518]

My daughter is 11 and started out with a Walther ppk CO2 bb gun. It is a blowback design (1/4 of the co2 goes to cycling the metal slide, 3/4 shooting the bb). It kicks more than a 22. That was literally 1 year ago, this Christmas was a bit different.

Now she has a 10/22 Backpacker, Glock 19 with Advantage Arms 22 upper, and a Rough Rider. I have more fun shooting 22s with her than I have shooting anything else (although I just picked up a CZ).

The Glock 19/Advantage Arms is great, when she's ready I'll move her over to centerfire and swap out the upper to 9mm and use that new training low recoil round.

[M1NM]

Include some NRA Eddie Eagle info. https://eddieeagle.nra.org/
My grandson is now 9 and has a Ruger Bearcat, Norinco Browning auto knockoff, Ruger 10-22 and 80% AR in 5.56. Plus all my other stuff my daughter doesn't want when I kick off.

[I take shots]

On the topic of never handling a gun unsupervised. I think it's helpful to explain that any time they want to handle any gun they should just ask, and you'll always let them under your supervision. No guns are off limits for unloaded handling. Takes the curiosity out of it.

Guns are tools, (really cool tools) but they aren't pieces of fine china. Let the kid get his paws all over it. Let them try and rack the slide, shoulder it, look down the sights, then clean it up and put it away.

There's a lot less motivation to sneak around if you know all you have to do is ask and someone will let you look it over and hold it.