[bbycrts]

I took my recently-turned-9 son out to the club for the first time last night. I've had a rifle for him since he was about 2, let him know about it when he turned 8 (when I first felt he was mature enough), and then waited for him to ask to go shooting. He asked last weekend, but yesterday was the first time our schedule would allow.

He has shot BB guns at Cub Scout day camp before this, but this is his first time to handle the .22. He has his own CZ Scout (with a Brookie's kit, of course ).

The results were way beyond my imagination. We only had time for 20 rounds, but 14 of them were in the black of a standard 50-foot target. We had to adjust the scope at one point (never been zeroed), so the group was considerably larger than it could have been.

Best part of all was the enormous smile on his face and his very enthusiastic "THIS IS SO FUN!" There was another father and son at the range, and when Ben took his target down during a cease fire I said "Go ahead. Show off." He immediately ran over to the other pair to show off his target.

I've been waiting all his life for that moment - it surpassed my wildest dreams, and better yet, he's already pestering me to go again!

Jon

 

[Vincent]

The pestering isn't going to stop any time soon either. My daughter is 18. Started shooting 22s at 8, pellet gun at 4. Has her own 4 gun collection going. I enjoy shooting with her just as much now as ever.

Good for you and your boy. It's a tradition well worth keeping......forever :t

 

[newmoss]

:t That's great, amigo. Nothing better than to have a youngster enjoy an outing at the shooting range and shoot good to boot! I know you all will have many more.

 

[Spike52]

Oh NO!

WHAAAT!
You got the lad a Scout? And a Brookie's trigger kit??

What have you done, man!
That tears it. The boy is ruined for life.
When he's ready for an upgrade to a full-sizer, and complains about the "trigger creep" on an Anschutz, you'll realize your error. :1t
Geez, man, why don't you just mount a Leupold, sell the farm and give him the checkbook now to save yourself the trouble...

J/K. Seriously, got my 13 y/o girl a Scout and she's so proud of that thing. That's her rahfle! Not a gun. Not a firearm. It's a rahfle. Serious shootin for serious people. :1t

She's been allowed to bring it out to show a select few of her friends. I leave it up to her to let them hold it. (Barks safety rules just like a rangemaster. Makes a papa proud. )

Congratulations on the young man's first -- and very successful -- outing with a real shootin gun! You should be very proud. It's the generation that will be caring for us in our golden years.

Now go get those buttons sewn back on your shirt.

-S

 

[2587]

I LOVE reading stories like these..

It's great to pass traditions like that down to the younger generations.. :t

None of you will ever do ANYTHING more important as shooters than the deeds mentioned above with those kids!!! :angel:

Good on all of you!!!!

 

[steinie]

Love it. Love to see stories like this. Keep up the good work.

 

[akrimfire]

Start 'em young and start 'em right... you give 'em a great pastime for a lifetime. Great to hear stuff like this!

"akrimfire" :snipersmi

 

[goodwrench00]

I started my boys at about 9. Now one's moved away and married, the other's 20 with a g/f. So I really enjoy the times when we do get to go bust off a few rounds!

 

[21832]

Glad to hear that your son had a great time on his first outing... we started out my GFs son lately at 9 also... bought him a Marlin 915Y and mounted a Nikon 4x scope on it... he loved it...the guy that owns the shop I work at PT knew I wanted to get him into a 10/22 but he is a smaller kid and it wouldnt have fit him.... so unbeknownst to me he had our carpenter cut down a stock and gave it to me... of course that means I had to go shopping for a gun =) which was realllllly rough... lol... he loves to shoot now and we bring him along whenever it is possible...

 

[steinie]

heh.. Just got back from the range.

A Grandpa was there showing his grandson how to shoot his brand new Steven's Favorite Single shot. It was his very first .22 after using BB guns before. He set up a couple targets and stapled some small round ballons on the board at 25 yards to give the kid some fun targets with feedback. He was having a ball, and paying **very** close attention to everything Grandpa had to say. Nice to see.

I gave him a 550 shot bulk pack of Remington Golden bullets I didn't need just to help the cause along.

Love to see this kind of stuff. We need all the youngsters we can get who like the sport.

 

[RonSC]

bbycrts:

KUDO's to you and your grandson.

My Dad was never an avid shooter so the task was left to my Grandfather. I will always cherish our time together and the memories are as crisp as if they were yesterday, as your son's will be. There's just something uniquely 'American' and VERY special about the time a boy spends with his Dad or Grampa learning to shoot and hunt. Just being "with" Granpa was reward enough for me not to mention the wealth of knowlege and insruction I gained. And the best part is you get to see the fruits of your labor as he improves his skills to the day when he 'outshoots' his dad.! The added bonus is when he grows up and has a family of his own, he will pass on what he learned from you to his children to keep the legacy from dying.

I have 2 married daughters who I taught to shoot when they were big enough to squeeze a trigger and they still remember it. The yougest is an NRA life member while the oldest has blessed me with FOUR grandsons so my job is still not over. After cutting his teeth on a Daisy BB rifle I took the oldest squirrel hunting the year he turned five and created a monster. needless to say his three brothers are waiting in the wings and chomping at the bit. Sadly. this is a dying tradition and you are to be commended for your efforts. :t

Ron

 

[Spike52]

Many young people at the range today! A very pleasant day.
A father with two young boys and another dad with a pair of little ladies with matching CZ Scout's (Me and 'Dad' enjoyed comapiring our Specials).
And a young woman first-time shooter with a .38 revolver. (I will not lie and say she was hard on the eyes. With the boyfriend or husband, so I wasn't rude. :angel: )
-S

 

[richbich]

WARNING!!! do not make the mistake i made!!!

my boy touched off his first rimfire at 4 ( off the bench with me sitting with him practically holding the rifle ). at age 5 he wanted to try my CZ 527 in .223. OK i said, just put the X on the target and SQUEEZE the trigger gently. local range has 8" gongs at 225 yards. imagine mine and the range officer's shock when 1/2 second after the shot comes the most satisfying thunk of a dead hit!!! THEN HE CLEARED THE MAG MISSING ONLY ONCE (excited i guess). NOW I GET RAZZED EVERY TIME I TAKE HIM TO THE RANGE!!! oh the shame of having your kid outshoot you. on the other hand it was one of the coolest moments of my fatherhood and a great excuse to buy another gun; uh, for him,,,, really.

Roger