A last minute decision saw me heading out to the Range with two of my grandsons for a day of plinking. The elder of the two (15 yr old) I have taken out before so it's not new to him, but the 12 yr old has never fired a rifle of any kind before, so it was a really exciting day for him.

I set targets at 25, 50 and 100 metres, gave the young fella a rather comprehensive lesson on safety and the basics of a rifle (parts etc) and the "sequence of firing a shot". All my rifles have scopes because of my eyes, but I seriously considered removing a scope so he could learn how to align and use open sights, but I thought, nah, let him have fun on his first outing...the hard work can come later.

He started out with my little single shot Bayard .22 rimfire rifle, firing Remington Subsonics (this rifle loves them). He wasn't sure what to expect and was a bit concerned about possible recoil, but the first shot ended those concerns and bought a massive smile to his face. The results on his very first target at 25m only broadened his smile more.

The white circle, inside the red ring, is 75mm (three inches) in diameter so we were both pretty happy with his first group ever.

I then moved him onto one of my old, but very reliable, .22 rifles, a bolt action Slazenger Model 12 made in the late 40's early 50's.

I alternated his shooting between 25m and 50m to give him a little bit of a challenge but ensuring to just let him enjoy himself. His groups opened up a bit because of a change of ammo, and I also gave him various different brands to try. He put holes in targets though, so he was happy.

I put out a "rabbit" target for him to have a bit of fun with and he really had a ball with that one. I started at 25m then moved it back to 50m and he showed that any rabbit within 50m was gonna be in a world of hurt, not to say the pot.

I got him to move his point of aim to different parts of the bunny, hence the body shots, but he showed that head shots were not a problem.

Later in the day I gave him a couple of shots from my Savage .223, but the rifle didn't fit him very well so recoil was a little bit of an issue for him as he isn't a big kid.


All in all, we had a great day. I managed to chrono some new loads so I have some data to play with on PB and the boys had a ball. The young fella goes back home after the school holidays to his Mum in Mt Isa (about 1800km away in the north west of our State) and he will have some good stories for his mates and the targets to back them up.

great stuff Mate, them lads will be talking about trigger time with Pop for weeks to come.

Looks like Ripley Vince?
Great place if it is
Grand kids are fun, looking forward it will be another 9 years for me to take the Grandson

Yes Tiks...Ripley mate. It's a great venue...relaxed and good facilities, and cheap.

Great!

Now: not looking at the law, at what age should a grandfather start to teach his grandson or -daughter to shoot a gun? And does it make a difference rifle or handgun?
Or does it just depend on how much time is needed before this grandchildren can talk and walk? And once they can talk and walk...

Aloysius wrote:

Great! Now: not looking at the law, at what age should a grandfather start to teach his grandson or -daughter to shoot a gun? And does it make a difference rifle or handgun? Or does it just depend on how much time is needed before this grandchildren can talk and walk? And once they can talk and walk...

My grandson is 11 nearing 12 years old Aloys. Apart from the legal side of things, I think the best time to start is:

1. When they show an interest in shooting.

2. When they are able to comprehend, understand and apply safety rules...under supervision.

3. When they are big enough to hold and control a firearm.

4. When Grandad has the patience to teach and supervise the grandkids.

Each and every child will be a little different then the other, depending on their upbringing and family values.
A child who lives in a rural setting and is used to seeing firearms stored at home and being used regularly will be a lot different to one who grows up in an urban environment with no contact at all with firearms.
Then there is the kid who plays all the "shoot 'em up" video games...these are the ones you need to watch like a hawk when they first come into contact with real firearms. More often than not these kids have no real understanding of the dangerous nature of firearms...they are conditioned to SFX results of shooting.

Soooo, I think the answer to your question is really when you think they are ready to understand and be safe in the handling of a firearm.

No Aloys...Benn is not old enough yet mate.

Vince wrote:

No Aloys...Benn is not old enough yet mate.

I do have this little Encore with the 15" barrel in .22 Hornet and when I pull the hammer myself... maybe make an extra short stock...
it kicks less than a spring-operated airrifle...

but you think I still have to wait for another year?

I am with Vince on this. The child may be ready to start young or, well, never ready. Some people, child, teen or adult, should never be allowed near a firearm IMHO. If they are disobedient, won't take direction, disrespectful or lack self control, then let then stick to video games.

I started my son on a low powered BB gun at about 8 YO He has always been a careful kid and readily took to the safety side of things. The next step was a .22 single, a Cooey/Winchester 39. He lost interest and I also took a hiatus from shooting and hunting for a number of reasons. A couple of years ago, after I got back into the sport, he (26 YO now) asked to go to the range. He still remembered his safety basics. After trying several rifles and handguns he held on to my 1875 Remington replica revolver and went through a couple of hundred rounds. By the time he finished he was breaking clays set up on the 20 meter berm with hardly a miss. He is hooked now.

NCE JOB, Vince.

Age is not an issue. Mental maturity and physical size are the main issues.

I started my oldest boy at age 6. The others started a bit later, but all were shooting my .22 rifle by age 10 with supervision.

Hell...I was humpin' the woods and fields (without supervision) with a .22 chasing down rabbits at age 9. But that was a different era.

Good work Vince!

I finally made it to the range yesterday. I had one rifle to zero and one revolver load to test. Drove 45 miles one way, pouring rain, and got soaked getting the gate open. Found an open pistol bay and parked under the "car port". Rain stopped so I unloaded everything. Went to put my targets up and there was no stapler in my range box... Asked the guys in the next bay if I could borrow one one and they laughed, they'd forgotten theirs too. Luckily I had a .22 pistol and ammo with me so I plinked on steel for a while. I picked up a bunch of brass that had been left lying around too. Not a totally wasted day. Maybe I'll go back again tomorrow...

If you go to Google maps at 35.751117, -80.404656 you can see the range. From the south: 100 yard range, five handgun bays, 200 yard range and five "tactical" bays.

Great job and I am sure a great and memorable experience for all. I'm with Bushy, I was 8 or 9 when I was out with my 22, no dad, no supervision, and very lucky. The only thing I would add is helping the young develop a strong respect and appreciation for the sanctity of all life, not sure video games do that. No offense MacD.

Strange.. I am sure I replied to this thread yesterday..

Anyhow, you and your grandson have done well.

Start them as young as possible.
Mine starter before they could hold the gun up. I taught them that pointing it at the floor was part of being safe. (you could see the pride well up inside because"they were being safe".
They learned that the first step was to clear the gun. That has stuck with them ever since.

Good kids, good shooters and good parents. I am looking forward to teaching my great-grand kids.

Pumpkinslinger wrote:

Good work Vince! I finally made it to the range yesterday. I had one rifle to zero and one revolver load to test. Drove 45 miles one way, pouring rain, and got soaked getting the gate open. Found an open pistol bay and parked under the "car port". Rain stopped so I unloaded everything. Went to put my targets up and there was no stapler in my range box... Asked the guys in the next bay if I could borrow one one and they laughed, they'd forgotten theirs too. Luckily I had a .22 pistol and ammo with me so I plinked on steel for a while. I picked up a bunch of brass that had been left lying around too. Not a totally wasted day. Maybe I'll go back again tomorrow... If you go to Google maps at 35.751117, -80.404656 you can see the range. From the south: 100 yard range, five handgun bays, 200 yard range and five "tactical" bays.

Nice looking complex Punkin.

This is the range I took my grandsons to the other day.

Google Maps -27.743520, 152.849084

It's at Ripley in Brisbane. 50m Pistol Range at the nice silver shed, 300m range with about 15 benches under the long thin covering and a clays range to the left of the dam above the 300m range.

Thi is the other range I visit...

Google Maps -27.512945, 153.127425

That's a nice looking Range Complex Punkin.

This is one of the ranges I visit. It is in Belmont Brisbane and is one of the biggest range complexes around. I have used most of the ranges at one time or another over the years, but these days I only use the Sporting Shooter Assoc ranges. Looking from left to right on the pic, it has a 300m rifle range with benches, a 500m Rifle Silhouette Range and a 200m pistol range where they can shoot IHMSA. They also have a Clays range, but I haven't used it yet as I belong to a small but friendly Clay Target Club a little to the north of this range.

The range I took my grandsons to is at Ripley in Brisbane.

Google Maps -27.743370, 152.849202

A 50m Pistol Range under the larger silver building, above that a 300m rifle range under the long narrow covering and a rudimentary clays range to the left of the dam. I like this range as it's small, relaxed and friendly.

This is the Clay Target Club I belong to.

Google Maps -27.241539, 153.075431

We have four layouts...three Down The Line and one Ball Trap. Again a small friendly club.

gelandangan wrote:

Strange.. I am sure I replied to this thread yesterday.. Anyhow, you and your grandson have done well.

Thanks mate...fun times were had all round.