at what age can we take children to range?
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at what age can we take children to range?
at what age can we take children to range to do some shooting? I am sure it's good to start them with a 22, right?
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Re: at what age can we take children to range?
As said above, they need to know the four rules. I took a friend and his kids shooting once, and they were 6, 8, and 10. All of them shot my Marlin 60 just fine and had fun. Shooting for the first time with them requires that you pay full and careful attention to them to make sure they are being safe. For my friend's kids, we were on shooting benches and were in direct control the entire time, standing next to them and supervising their actions.
Obviously, it depends on how well they take instruction and if they are capable of understanding the importance of the gun safety rules. That will have to be up to the judgment of the parents. My friend's kids had never shot firearms before, but he likes to target shoot air rifles in his back yard and had introduced them to the air rifles, which familiarized them with proper shooting in a low-risk environment. This may be a good way to start out, and doesn't require scheduling a trip to the range, provided you have a yard or other proper area to shoot the air rifles. Spinner targets and other reactive stuff (cans, plastic bottles, etc) will make the experience more enjoyable for the kids and get them excited about shooting.
The .22 is a good starter gun, yes. There's also the .410 if shotgunning is an avenue you want to pursue. The first gun I ever shot was a bolt-action .410 that belonged to my grandfather. I got to shoot an old antifreeze can up with it, and I brought it along with me on a hunt with my dad and uncle with the bolt removed to teach me safe gun handling in a hunting environment.
Obviously, it depends on how well they take instruction and if they are capable of understanding the importance of the gun safety rules. That will have to be up to the judgment of the parents. My friend's kids had never shot firearms before, but he likes to target shoot air rifles in his back yard and had introduced them to the air rifles, which familiarized them with proper shooting in a low-risk environment. This may be a good way to start out, and doesn't require scheduling a trip to the range, provided you have a yard or other proper area to shoot the air rifles. Spinner targets and other reactive stuff (cans, plastic bottles, etc) will make the experience more enjoyable for the kids and get them excited about shooting.
The .22 is a good starter gun, yes. There's also the .410 if shotgunning is an avenue you want to pursue. The first gun I ever shot was a bolt-action .410 that belonged to my grandfather. I got to shoot an old antifreeze can up with it, and I brought it along with me on a hunt with my dad and uncle with the bolt removed to teach me safe gun handling in a hunting environment.
Re: at what age can we take children to range?
Some ranges have different rules, but my rule for my son was that I had to think he was ready. He is 6 and went to the range for the first time this past year and shot my .22 as well as pulled the trigger on my AK while I was holding it. He liked that even more.
Santa got him a pellet gun for Christmas so he can have something even lighter and smaller to shoot.
Santa got him a pellet gun for Christmas so he can have something even lighter and smaller to shoot.
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onecoolpilot
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Re: at what age can we take children to range?
We've been taking our 5 year old for a while now. She liked it so much, we bought her a crickett. Of course it had to be pink.. 
Jeff
Re: at what age can we take children to range?
My daughter is six and shoots with me regularly at the Winchester Gallery in Fort Worth. The folks there are great, and even offered some tips to help her learn how to shoot the .22
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maximus2161
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Re: at what age can we take children to range?
My son is 8 years old. I take him up to my friends place in far N. Tx where he has 200+ plus acres to hunt and fish and has a private pistol and rifle range. My son started out on a BB gun and moved up to a 22 rifle and pistol. I bought him a Ruger 10/22 Charger that is about the perfect .22 for him. He knew gun safety WELL in advance before even setting foot on the range.
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The Annoyed Man
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Re: at what age can we take children to range?
I started my son at 6 years old. We've been shooting buddies for 13 years now.
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Re: at what age can we take children to range?
Start 'em young. My older son (now 23) started late, but caught up quickly - we took our CHL class together last year. He beat me on the test, I beat him on the range (both just barely). He got his plastic before I did.
My younger son was seven when we started shooting an air rifle in the back yard (with proper backstop and all the safety rules). Now almost 10, he's fired my Ruger Single-Six, Beretta .380 and 9mm, and our neighbor's .22 rifle and .30 cal. M1 carbine (with help). The range (Fort Bliss Rod 'n' Gun Club) where I'm a member allows children to shoot as long as there's an adult not otherwise occupied (i.e., not shooting) to supervise.
My younger son was seven when we started shooting an air rifle in the back yard (with proper backstop and all the safety rules). Now almost 10, he's fired my Ruger Single-Six, Beretta .380 and 9mm, and our neighbor's .22 rifle and .30 cal. M1 carbine (with help). The range (Fort Bliss Rod 'n' Gun Club) where I'm a member allows children to shoot as long as there's an adult not otherwise occupied (i.e., not shooting) to supervise.
Re: at what age can we take children to range?
My son first went to the range with me when he was either 5 or 6. It was either just before or just after his 6th birthday, though. He likes to shoot my .22 pistol. He's not much into rifles, yet. The range we're members at is not very busy, usually, so we often have it to ourselves, which is just the way we like it. I do not shoot when we go to the range together, except to demonstrate something. That is his time, not mine. And, if you're talking about more than one small child (I'm thinking less than 10), I would strongly recommend one adult per child, if at all possible. It gets hard to keep an eye on more than one child at a time, and you can't afford to let your concentration lapse with children on the range.
Start them young, but teach them right!
Start them young, but teach them right!
Remember, in a life-or-death situation, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
Barre
Barre
Re: at what age can we take children to range?
It largely depends on the range. The ranges I go to have allowed my son to shoot 22 rifle since he was 8. All of them require him to be 12 before he can shoot 22 pistol although at least one range allows him to shoot 22 pistol as long as I am closely supervising him. He is 11 now. At that range, he has shot rifles in a variety of calibers although he doesn't yet like to shoot anything other than a 22.