Update, of sorts, on my son's Jesse Tischauser jersey

[runawaygun762]

For those of you reading this who didn't see it on Facebook, Jesse sent my son one of his Stag Arms jerseys, an absolutely wonderful show of class and support for the future generation of shooters. My son, Matthew, is seven and will be shooting his second Steel Challenge match this Saturday with his Smith M&P-15/22 along with two of his cousins. I jokingly told Matthew he should wear the jersey to the match. Guess who took that as a great idea? Guess who also went to bed wearing the jersey because it "feels silky" singing "I'm a professional shooter and my daddy isn't".

Jesse, my wife and I created the monster, but you clothed him in black and green.

Incidentally, while practicing on my steel in the back yard, my son discovered the need for holdover up close with his RDS on the rifle. The kid is barely big enough to keep the gun up through five strings of fire, but has already figured out holdover. Talk about one proud papa.

 

[Clint Dismore]

That's awesome. I wish I had someone teaching me things like this when I was that young. Keep it up!

 

[runawaygun762]

I look at the shooting sports today and realize I couldn't have had an early start on it, other than fundamentals. When I was a kid, matches like Steel Challenge, SPSA, and 3 gun simply didn't exist in most places, and my dad wasn't into that sort of thing anyway. My son will learn to handle his guns safely, quickly, and accurately. Even if he finds interests that don't involve guns, he'll have the option

 

[MarkCO]

Jesse is one of very few "Pro" shooters who actually understands, and then acts on that understanding, the promotion of the shooting sports to the younger crowd. He has provided Swag for Junior Shooters every time I have asked him.

Good on you, good on your son and good on Jesse.

 

[Glockman85]

Just out of curiosity at what age generally is a good time to introduce little ones to shooting? I would like to be able to shoot with my kids as they grow up. At minimum I want them to have knowledge of firearms. Just recreationally and I'll let them do with it as they want.

 

[02Fatboy]

I started my grandson in steel challenge matches when he was 7.

 

[MarkCO]

Tom, I started my boys on airsoft and BB guns at 5, by 6 they were shooting .22Rimfire and by 8 they were shooting .223ARs. My 13 year old started USPSA pistol at 11 and 3Gun/Shotgun at 12. The 10 year old will start 9mm pistol this summer. You might have seen the article on my kids in the current issue of FrontSight. The 13 year old shot a deer and an elk last year and a Pronghorn this year and we will go after his elk later this month.

A local top GM (who asked me if he could) has recently started training my 13 year old on pistol. He was impressed by his muzzle awareness and safety and saw some potential. I answered that my goal was to ingrain them with awareness, respect, weapon manipulation and not to just jerk the trigger. Blake runs a plate rack in about 2 seconds, so something must have worked. In 2013, they took a class from Tim Norris (top rimfire shooter) and went on to shoot the RFC worlds. It was the first time my wife or either of my boys had a firearm in their hands without me right on top of them. The response I got from the squad mates on the safety aspect made me very proud of them.

Exposing my kids to top shooters and different disciplines has certainly raised their skillset, but the most important thing was the safety. They both took Hunter Education and they are instinctive in checking the actions before they will accept or hand off a firearm, and muzzle awareness is there too. I think that is the most important thing, and it should be obvious if they are getting it or not. I am not sure there is a "prefect" age. We have had some juniors come shoot action pistol that we have had to back off their parents and get them to take a step back. There are a few "kids" out there who have become a bit "famous" for shooting 3 gun or USPSA at very young ages, and having run the timer on them, they were MUCH too young and were safety risks. Parents can not live vicariously through their kids, and letting them use firearms too early can damage them in more ways than one. So, no roadmap. I do encourage the idea that another shooter you trust should do some coaching training with you as an observer. Good for the kid and good for the parent.

 

[Glockman85]

Thanks!

 

[runawaygun762]

Matthew fired his first round from my AR at a year and a half, obviously with me holding the gun. I based all my decisions on his relative maturity level and his ability to follow instructions. Steel Challenge is perfect for younger shooters as it requires almost no movement and the parent can be right there to ensure safe handling. My club doesn't do the Outer Limits stage very often, so having him shoot a .22 AR works perfectly. He's too small for USPSA because he can't manipulate the gun dynamically yet. I think the primary consideration is physical size and ability to handle the gun safely.

 

[luke.reninger]

All five of my siblings and I started with pellet guns around 5. The rule was you couldn't shoot anything larger until you had shown 6 months to a year of safe gun handling. Then 22lr happened and centerfire rifle and pistol. Maturity is key.

The one thing I can say is be active with your kids. You can have a profound influence on your kids behavior towards firearms.

 

[DC4OU]

My son is now 11 years old. He is asking for a Glock 34 or a SW M&P Pro for Christmas. He is perfectly capable of safely shooting a 9mm, however he wants it to shoot competitions. I am worried about him drawing it from a holster. At what age do you think that is wise? I see a lot of grown men on You Tube shooting themselves in the leg. I don't know enough to train him on drawing from a holster. Any suggestions?

 

[dennishoddy]

Theoretically, the requirement for a holster to cover the trigger area was supposed to help cover the accidental finger in the trigger, but in the draw there are many opportunity's to have an AWSHIT.

Kids at that age, and adults at any age need to practice dry fire until it becomes second nature.

 

[MarkCO]

My son is now 11 years old. He is asking for a Glock 34 or a SW M&P Pro for Christmas. He is perfectly capable of safely shooting a 9mm, however he wants it to shoot competitions. I am worried about him drawing it from a holster. At what age do you think that is wise? I see a lot of grown men on You Tube shooting themselves in the leg. I don't know enough to train him on drawing from a holster. Any suggestions?

11 is not too young if he can manipulate the firearms and show complete muzzle and trigger awareness. Drill the 4 laws of gun safety into him. Decide which gun he wants, buy a holster rig and then get the airsoft or BB gun equivalent. My boys set up and shot mock matches in the backyard with the airsoft and BB guns, both S&W M&P clones that fit the holsters. Find someone capable to work with him, show up at a few matches and ask around.

Muzzle control and trigger awareness have NOTHING to do with actual shooting skill, just the safety aspect. If that is the initial training, then the rest is a LOT easier.