I am curious the current classes offered that you've seen for youth. What age is the typical starting age?
What age to start air rifle with youth?
- Thread starter plot346
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They had to be able to write and understand no. I was 12 when I took Hunter Safety Class and the youngest person there. That said I did not get a powder burner until I was 12....I think my first sentence is correct.The grown has to be the "gliding light".
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My daughter was 5 when she starred shooting and my son was 6. Starred them small and now my son comes out shooting all the time.
Of course don't just hand them a gun and say go have fun.
Of course don't just hand them a gun and say go have fun.
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Emotional maturity plays a huge roll in this decision, for example, i had to care for a 13/14 year old that had spent years consuming video war games. His persona was so warped, i couldn't trust him, even for a second, to not do something dangerous to himself or others.
When he tried making his own slingshot i thought "ok we will start here". I helped him make a slingshot and then ordered him one.
He lacked the patience of taking a single shot and reloading and learning from each previous shot... the video games had trained his brain to think blam blam blam was how you hit something and "kill" something.
In the end i never felt comfortable putting a high power anything in his hands, especially after he thought pulling the wings off flies was cool... what can i say... the brain was warped way before i tried to tame the beast.
In summary, start early, teach them to respect the power of even a simple BB gun or spear, and the safety that is required to use them.
Also teach them to respect life, all life, as it's easy to be cruel and want to seek revenge and lash out, but learning to be kind and honor life "all life" is a much more important lesson.
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+1, it's very child dependent. They must be old enough to follow instructions, and disposed to do so. Letting them handle a rifle (unloaded, but always treated as loaded) is a pretty good way to gauge that disposition. My son took quite a while to develop (or at least maintain) muzzle awareness whereas my daughter picked it up pretty quickly.
GsT
GsT
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GeneT and Cavedweller cover it pretty well.
It really comes down to how receptive they are to the first training and how concientious they are after getting it. It also depends on how well the instructor can do with them. (Those that suck at it don't usually know that they do.) I've watched others pass their bad habits on to the next generation at the range.
I had a really nice vintage Crosman 760 all prepped and ready to give to a neighbor's 8-year-old kid. Right up until I busted him chucking rocks at my dog. She'd started acting more aggressive toward those neighbors and I'd wondered why.
Dad gave my older brother an airgun for Christmas. He was twelve. No safety talk, no training, or anything other than an admonishment not to shoot windows with it. Those were the days.
Cheers,
J~
It really comes down to how receptive they are to the first training and how concientious they are after getting it. It also depends on how well the instructor can do with them. (Those that suck at it don't usually know that they do.) I've watched others pass their bad habits on to the next generation at the range.
I had a really nice vintage Crosman 760 all prepped and ready to give to a neighbor's 8-year-old kid. Right up until I busted him chucking rocks at my dog. She'd started acting more aggressive toward those neighbors and I'd wondered why.
Dad gave my older brother an airgun for Christmas. He was twelve. No safety talk, no training, or anything other than an admonishment not to shoot windows with it. Those were the days.
Cheers,
J~
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Started both my kids with slingshots around 6 or so. Then bow and arrows around 8 and air guns around 9 or 10. Both very smart and muture by then. They had to be able to hit bottom of soda can 5 time in a row constantly with iron sights before I scoped it.
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Wow, yeah.
With all kinds of potentially dangerous stuff (sharp tools, power tools, fish hooks, broadheads, guns, etc) around the house safety training started at a very young age for daughter and son. Since you can't watch everything all the time it's best that they are taught to see potential dangers and act accordingly.
By 5 years old they had shot slingshots, bows, and airguns. By 7 they had their own equipment. Both like shooting and are licensed.
Agree that gun training a maturity thing. Exposure, explanation and demonstration should start early. "Gun handling rights" should be carefully controlled and closely monitored.
The shooter needs to know the difference between guns in the real world, movies and video games. Lots of adults don't seem to have a good grasp on that!
That being said, my introduction to firearms was totally opposite. I was 7 years old, we were visiting people in the country and there was a .22 rimfire beside the door. I asked about the Cooey single shot, was shown how it worked, was given some safety instructions and told to go shoot at the tin cans on the sandbank behind the barn. That's it - 4 boxes of ammunition and no adult supervision. That was a long time ago (I'm retired) and still vividly remember how much I enjoyed that. Years later I asked my father about the lack of supervision and he said that they did watch from the window for a bit and thought I respected the rifle as being potentially dangerous was being appropriately careful.
Times change.
Cheers!
With all kinds of potentially dangerous stuff (sharp tools, power tools, fish hooks, broadheads, guns, etc) around the house safety training started at a very young age for daughter and son. Since you can't watch everything all the time it's best that they are taught to see potential dangers and act accordingly.
By 5 years old they had shot slingshots, bows, and airguns. By 7 they had their own equipment. Both like shooting and are licensed.
Agree that gun training a maturity thing. Exposure, explanation and demonstration should start early. "Gun handling rights" should be carefully controlled and closely monitored.
The shooter needs to know the difference between guns in the real world, movies and video games. Lots of adults don't seem to have a good grasp on that!
That being said, my introduction to firearms was totally opposite. I was 7 years old, we were visiting people in the country and there was a .22 rimfire beside the door. I asked about the Cooey single shot, was shown how it worked, was given some safety instructions and told to go shoot at the tin cans on the sandbank behind the barn. That's it - 4 boxes of ammunition and no adult supervision. That was a long time ago (I'm retired) and still vividly remember how much I enjoyed that. Years later I asked my father about the lack of supervision and he said that they did watch from the window for a bit and thought I respected the rifle as being potentially dangerous was being appropriately careful.
Times change.
Cheers!
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I had about 10 minutes of instruction before I was turned lose with BB gun and bow and arrow in 3rd grade. Brothers and sister learned at younger ages because they were following me around.
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I think the video games ( bang bang kill kill /blow up things )are having a detrimental effect on kids and adults !
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I've got my 5yr old son shooting airsoft. He enjoys it and has grasped the concept of the red dot sight. He's not overly enthusiastic about it... which is probably a good thing. My younger 3yr old boy gets to pull the trigger a bit too... he wouldn't have it any other way... but he can't hold or aim by himself.
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I started at about age 8 with a Daisy lever action BB gun. I’ve enjoyed shooting ever since. I started three of my nephews with Airsoft and then Marlin youth model single shot .22’s using cb caps when they were around 6. They learned to shoot safely and learned a lot about what NOT to do. The youngest just got engaged and all of them continue to shoot.
Rick H.
Rick H.
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I started shooting at a young age, i think 9 or 10, but this was club shooting so there was oversight, and it was 15 M rimfire.
The following summer i also did 50 M rimfire on the outdoor range, and i am not sure if it was the same or the next summer but then i was also shooting 200 M with 7.92 mm which was like a cannon for this scrawny kid, so on my #2 outing to the 200 mm range i brought padding for my shoulder.
BTW the clubs 200 M range ( the biggest shooting club in the countrys #2 largest city ) it was a old wooden train freight car that had one side removed, and there was no benches there.
The 50 M range was more up to par, it was a actual building and quite nice.
BB or air guns was never a thing in my childhood, though i do recall one of the guys that had a break barrel one which did not see much use, TBH i think it was his fathers rifle he " borrowed "
Now i dont have children myself, but i think i would be good when they understand the meaning of the word " consequences "
Something i would be very mindful installing in my kids if i had any, CUZ otherwise Danes only get to taste freedom / responsibility when operating a motor vehicle.
Anything else and it is assumed by the nanny state that Danes can not handle that.
So you can NOT carry a pocket knife, you can not have certain breeds of dogs, ASO - ASO
I am pretty sure that the people in charge, would very much like to ban hunting and any kind of firearm use / ownership, CUZ like with anything there are of course once in a rare while cases of misuse.
The following summer i also did 50 M rimfire on the outdoor range, and i am not sure if it was the same or the next summer but then i was also shooting 200 M with 7.92 mm which was like a cannon for this scrawny kid, so on my #2 outing to the 200 mm range i brought padding for my shoulder.
BTW the clubs 200 M range ( the biggest shooting club in the countrys #2 largest city ) it was a old wooden train freight car that had one side removed, and there was no benches there.
The 50 M range was more up to par, it was a actual building and quite nice.
BB or air guns was never a thing in my childhood, though i do recall one of the guys that had a break barrel one which did not see much use, TBH i think it was his fathers rifle he " borrowed "
Now i dont have children myself, but i think i would be good when they understand the meaning of the word " consequences "
Something i would be very mindful installing in my kids if i had any, CUZ otherwise Danes only get to taste freedom / responsibility when operating a motor vehicle.
Anything else and it is assumed by the nanny state that Danes can not handle that.
So you can NOT carry a pocket knife, you can not have certain breeds of dogs, ASO - ASO
I am pretty sure that the people in charge, would very much like to ban hunting and any kind of firearm use / ownership, CUZ like with anything there are of course once in a rare while cases of misuse.
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@plot48 A couple of similar threads.
Teach 'em young?
Once warmer weather is here, I plan to introduce airguns to my own children as well to some nephews. At what age should they get started? I have a 1st grader I am comfortable learning to shoot (obviously with me right beside him on the bench). Is this maybe too young? I'm spoiling them with...
www.airgunnation.com what age to start teaching to shoot
i have a 7 yr old niece that i am thinking about starting the basics with next spring. she will be 8 then. do you think this is to young. what age do you start teaching your children
www.airgunnation.com As for the courses, maybe ask members like @L.Leon that I’ve read post about shooting with young people. There was another but I canno recall who it is at the moment.
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I was shooting a .22 rimfire when I was 5 yrs old and hunting when I was 10 with shotgun, but that was 58 yrs ago.
As said maturity and willingness to listen should be key criteria.
My dad drilled gun safety/gun care into me every time I handled a firearm. Ive hunted with air rifles of one sort or the other since I was 10 also.
As said maturity and willingness to listen should be key criteria.
My dad drilled gun safety/gun care into me every time I handled a firearm. Ive hunted with air rifles of one sort or the other since I was 10 also.
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