young shots

joelewis1971

Well-Known Member
Advice welcomed

I am lucky enough to have a son who is mad keen on all things shooting

He has just started (Age 10) using a 9mm garden gun and small air rifle which has taught him to deal with mild recoil and a little noise ,and how to use a bolt safely

He has handled this well and is now looking to progress further .
And this is were my dilema starts . I dont know what to progress him onto i have a bolt action .410 that fits him ( bigger bang more recoil)

or

Do i start him .22lr tel sights and so on

All of his shooting is on either bowling rabbit clays or paper targets with a open sighted air rifle @ 25m range

He has know intrest in shooting live game at this stage

your thoughts please if you have taught others ?

Your thoughts on how you started out

Joe
 
My eldest is 10 and has had a junior air rifle and a over and under Lincoln .410 which he is bloody good with! I tried too early to move him onto a 20 bore and nearly put him off. The 410 double is great because it is short but quite heavy and absorbs recoil. He started with 9 gram loads and no uses 16 grams no bother. Don't underestimate the range of a 410 either! It has a higher muzzle velocity than a 12 bore and if on target with a tight choke will kill out further than a 12 as he proved to me on a recent trip out on the pigeons!:oops:
Don't just get a full size 410 and cut it down though as the balance will be ruined.
Both Webley and Lincoln do a junior range of shotguns. They will cost about 400-500 pounds for a second hand one, but if looked after can be sold for the same once grown out of!
What price do you put on getting your future shooting buddy hooked for life?;)
MS:)
 
hows about a semi auto 20bore shooting a light load, i know he is only 10 but he will soon grow into a 20bore if he is not already big enough to handle it now and a semi will abviously dish out less recoil. 410's are great guns but lets face it there not the easyist thing in the world to shoot and the bigger pattern of the 20 weilding more hits will help him with his confidence as he is learning, all the best S-L-A
 
Semi autos are the obvious choice as they are light and don't recoil too much. There are, however, safety issues with them. My lad walks around with his O/U open until I let him close it and shoot. Semi's are great, but can lead to problems, especially with youngsters. My mates missus took up shooting with a semi and looked good to make the Suffolk ladies team - right up until she had a stoppage and nearly blew her own head off when trying to sort it out! She hasn't shot since and the gun was sold!:(
If you are rough shooting I would advise against them.
 
but they have to ask not be told there going shooting.
regards john[/QUOTE]

could not agree more with that statement, worked with mine.

CF
 
My lad started shooting a rested 22 rimmy when he was 6. He found it easier to shoot than a webley springer air rifle. At 10 he killed his first fox with a 22/250. He is 13 now and has a 20 bore SA but uses my 12 bore OU more often than not. Not a big built lad but once the upper body strength came his shooting got better and better. These days he is lured by a different sort of vixen. That said he loves beating and helps me and his grandad on the rearing field no end. I never force him to go and though he ain't white hot at the moment he hasn't lost his interest and I don't think he ever will. Once it's in the blood it will always draw you back. If they're keen nurture it. If it wanes accept it, but ultimately the call of the fields will always be too much to resist.
 
Joe (and son), No-one has suggested the 28 Bore. An old keeper I knew always called it "The boys gun that a man can shoot". A friend of mine had lost his right hand and learned to shoot his 28 left handed and resting the forend on his forearm and boy could he shoot. It was an AYA No.2 and he could bring down high pheasants as well as anyone in the team with it.
 
Use a .22 and don't worry about teaching how to absorb recoil. Teach him how to hit where he is aiming and focus on just that task. When the time comes to move to a heavier weapon he won't notice the recoil. Supply him with as much ammunition and time as you can afford. Worked with my kids.~Muir
130yardsGroundsquirrel-1.jpg
 
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Joe
Whichever firearm you chose, make sure it still fits as your son grows. I got a 12 bore at 12 and I didn't get the butt extended as I grew. When it was eventually extended I never really got to grips with it. Secondly, check out which is his master eye, I have a good friend who shoots right handed, but his master eye is his left. It has stopped him getting to the top of the DTL game. Rgds JCS
 
It's all in the young eyes (Well that's my excuse !)

Recently started teaching my 16 yr old daughter to shoot. (Sporting and target). Started with PCP air rifles and pistols, moved up to .22 rim and .17HMR and then on to the .243. Recently picked up a .270 X bolt and asked her to come and spot whilst I zeroed in.

Straight out of the box and after 10 shots (to clean through and rough sight in) I shot a 5 group within 1.5" at 100mtrs. At this point I was pretty well chuffed to bits.

I then say to daughter "go on then have a go". After a bit of trepidation on her part regarding the recoil etc. she decided to give it a go and took the plunge. The thing that really pxxxxd me off was that she then grouped 4 in sub 3/4 inch. !

Just makes one feel really inadequate !

Rocky
 
I THINK STARTING WITH A .22 IS A GOOD IDEA ,THERE EASY TO USE AND WILL BUILD CONFIDENCE.
I would advise against a .410 as there not an easy gun to be successfull with ,very small pattern and if he struggles with it he could lose confidence and get frustrated ,as i did as a child!
If it must be a shotgun go with a 20 or a 28 with light loads.
 
I would agree with the 28bore its a much better gun to start a youngster on than .410 you actually need to be a very good shot with a .410 and IMO not a good choice for someone just starting, however if as you say he is already shooting quite well with a .410 just watch the improvement when he moves up to something a bit bigger.
 
A 28 bore is also a good choice but you try finding a double barrel one below 300 quid! There are loads on Guntrader and only one below 300 quid! Cartridges are also VERY expensive too and you'll not get the variety you will with a .410 either. They not much different anyway and some of the 3 inch 410 loads are up to almost 20 grams!
MS:)
 
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