Teaching a 7-year old. Looking for tips.

[Peace Meal Farm]

My youngster has a Savage .22 Rascal. He's well adept at safely handling his rifle as he takes the responsibility very seriously.

When it comes to the actual technical aspect of shooting I don't truly know how to best help him improve. He has likely put about ~50 to 75 rounds through his rifle in his life - all concentrated in the last month or so - and as such he's still quite green. As it stands he is putting up honest 7" groupings at 15 yards.

Are there any tips and tricks for a young rookie shooter which help improve form and accuracy? While I am competent myself, I am largely self-taught and I make no claims about being God's gift to marksmanship. I can hit a moose or a bison from 100 yards and that's good enough for me! I feel that for my boy if I can give him good instruction right from the start it may engrain some good long-term habits. Instilling a love for shooting safely is paramount, but some accuracy would be good as well!

[huntinstuff]

My method

I watch the shooter, not the target. I see what they do right and I see what they do wrong. Correct or praise immediately.

One shot at a time, like every bullet costs a million bucks.

I had one son who just wasnt getting it. Too much unlimited ammo on Nintendo. Didnt matter what I did or said, he would launch a round regardless.

Finally, I put up a man silouette target. And beside the mans head I drew a circle. Told him that circle was his mothers head.........game changer...... every round from then on has gone on target. No fliers. If the shot isnt perfect, he doesnt take it.

Maybe Ive scarred him for life but I dont care. The shooter is responsible for every round he shoots and where it goes. This isnt vietnam

[hogie]

I use balloons with my girls. Target can be changed in size easily. Start close distance and move out until it begins to get more difficult. Cheap reactive target. Call the colour for them to hit.

[58thecat]

Make it fun.....I never had anyone as a youngster give me proper technique or form or whatever the so called experts advice just new which end was dangerous and how to handle the gun safely.
So a lot of plinking at can etc as a kid and soon it became natural to acquire the target through the sights and make the shot count.
We use to compete with each other as kids so when my kids came of age and showed an interest in shooting we sat down and they watched me, we talked about the gun, got them shooting safely then put out a few cans.
This was all resting on a bench and once the shots got accurate and the poor cans took a beating I took 5 golf balls, drilled holes through them, put a rope through them with a know and hung them of a tree placed horizontal across two other trees.
Off hand 30 paces see if you can hit the golf balls.....killed hours and hours doing this.
Lots of gopher shooting then and once they wanted to know more about guns etc we explored that too....sighting in, Calibers , scopes, etc
I always say first they gotta show interest and make it fun.
Good luck.

[raised by wolves]

Definitely keep it fun and positive with lots of praise for being safe and hitting paper. But, start teaching breathing and trigger control. I started young due to the right coaches and the result was becoming an accomplished long range competitor at 13. My boy also picked up on the breathing and trigger pressure quickly. At 9 he was knocking the heads off ruffies and now at 17 I have no concerns about his safety or ability to put meat in the freezer.

[Ackleyman]

New shooters seem to pick it up if they start shooting off a bench / picnic table or what ever with a good rest. They get comfortable with their rifle , learn not to over grip/ strangle stock ,cheek weld , aiming , adjusting scope, reloading etc . Shooting free hand is tough even for a lot of experienced shooters.

[DirtShooter]

We had gopher fields when we were kids, feedback was either a dead gopher or not.

Reactive targets are fun, get some bowling pins or silhouettes.

[Phil]

I started my 2 girls with a Cooey Rabbit gun equipped with a red dot sight and shooting off the bench. I had them concentrate on technique and having fun. I thought it was easier with the red dot sight then having them figure out iron sights to start.

I then moved them from paper to one of the swinging targets and then the fun really began. We were shooting on a range where cans etc. were not allowed.

If you can use cans where they shoot, then use different sizes and make it a game. Have them start with shooting the larger targets and they can't move down the line until they've hit the larger target. With 2 kids shooting it becomes a real competition and really encourages the desire to hit every time.

Enjoy the process.
Phil

[Bigwoodsman]

With my daughter and step daughter we used the cooey open sites. Started with paper and cans. Then went to hollow points using juice boxes, after that Navel Oranges, then mandarin oranges then cherry tomatoes. The hollow points added a dramatic effect.

Thing is to have fun, show the technique and correct when necessary keeping it fun. Once they would blow up the orange, they were hooked. From there we graduated to the .270 and longer ranges, to where they each took a Mule Deer buck one fall.

BW

[Groundhogger]

All great advice I can see from skimming over the thread, going to comment even if some of what I write has been covered off.

1.fit-the Rascal is an EXCELLENT rifle, but the diminutive size can be outgrown quickly too. Make sure the rifle fits, and that he's in a comfortable position shooting. ALL very key, young/inexperienced shooters can be eager and just try to compensate. Make sure he's in a comfortable position with the rifle supported. I like shooting bags, but I added a small Harris bipod for unplanned shoots!

2.reactive targets-kids get bored easily, and fun targets make them try harder. They just do! Someone mentioned balloons-these were a big hit when my kids were young, I'd sharpen a stick...jam it in the ground, blow up a balloon and puncture the loose part of the knot end over the top/end of the stick. X several sticks. By the time I'd done this a couple of times, you realize kids can even become impatient while you blow-up more so at home the night before, I'd pre-blow-up a bunch of balloons and bring them in a tied-off green garbage bag. I've done this with all 3 of my kids, and for new shooters. You'll run out of balloons before they run out of interest shooting at them. To add challenge, I'd move the balloons out further vs. blowing them up smaller.

3.sitting clay targets are well received, and bright orange/easy to see.

4.ammo-I started with CB longs to keep it quiet then moved to CCI Quiet-22. Don't need high velocity, and the lower report is welcome. When the kids were more experienced, I'd take something like CCI Velocitor and freeze some tired old apples or carrots if I had them lying around. A Velocitor hitting a large frozen carrot is wonderfully explosive.

I started my kids with open sights, them upgraded to a small scope on Savage's scope bases. They didn't provide enough clearance and chunky rings actually blocked the bolt travel. Ordered an EGW (SAvage Rascal) scope base from PRophet River=problem solved. From there, I could move to very small targets out some distance. My daughter got so good with that rifle we'd be asked to clear barn pigeons from a buddy's property. We were in the ground level of his barn one winter day clearing pigeons from in/around the floor joists above us, he would ask; "I can get her closer to take that shot?", referring to a pigeon in a hide-y hole at the opposite end of the barn, little more than it's head showing. I asked her, she said; "nah, I'm good dad" She rested the Rascal on the pen gate and "pop", down goes the pigeon 40+ feet away.

Enjoy, they're only young once!

[Groundhogger]

............and.....snacks.

I learned that shooting can be the most fun thing they've ever done, but could only last 5 minutes too. Go by their schedule/desire, even if their 5-10 minutes of shooting took dad a couple of hours of prep. lol

Their desire to go again and again will be built off of good experiences and memories. I figured that out early, make it all good/fun....and they'll want to go again. Bring their favorite snacks and maybe suggest a "snack break" if they lose interest fast.

[fps plus]

Always safety first .
4 rules
1. Always keep gun pointed in safe direction , never pass muzzle across anything don’t want to destroy .
2 . Treat gun as it is always loaded .
3.Keep finger off trigger until on sights and ready to shoot .
4. Know your target and what is behind .

[Jayhad]

My boy is 7, he has a Savage Rascal.

Great tips here, I will add one thing.

every once in a while I'll give him a box of ammo and ask him what he wants to shoot, if it's appropriate I tell him to have at it. I sit back and just supervise.

[fps plus]

I grew up on a farm a few hundred yards from Keho lake. After getting a few years of supervision and safety instructions , dad cut me loose by myself to go plinking. Rules were only got 5 rounds , couldnt shoot any song birds etc, follow the safety rules and only got 5 rounds for the day. I could shoot them all off in 30 seconds or make them last all day . I learned to choose my shoots carefully and tried to be as accurate as possible ! He never wavered from the 5 round rule !!!

[Peace Meal Farm]

There are some great ideas, suggestions and themes in this thread. Thanks for so much inspiration!

I just finished moving approx 12 of clay for use as a backstop at the end of my field. We now have a 350 yard range at the back of our property, and making use of a bunch of the tips listed above we're going to have some great times.

[wolf308]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

My method

I watch the shooter, not the target. I see what they do right and I see what they do wrong. Correct or praise immediately.

One shot at a time, like every bullet costs a million bucks.

I had one son who just wasnt getting it. Too much unlimited ammo on Nintendo. Didnt matter what I did or said, he would launch a round regardless.

Finally, I put up a man silouette target. And beside the mans head I drew a circle. Told him that circle was his mothers head.........game changer...... every round from then on has gone on target. No fliers. If the shot isnt perfect, he doesnt take it.

Maybe Ive scarred him for life but I dont care. The shooter is responsible for every round he shoots and where it goes. This isnt vietnam

Jeez. That’s pretty dark HS

[antmai]

We used subsonic ammo and eggs as targets. Go up from there.
No need to clean up. Reactive when hit and fit nicely in a sight picture. Only advice beyond that is that i am not a fan of letting them shoot something with lots of recoil until about 12, and even then…only if they are asking to do it.

[spiderweb]

Iron sites or scope? Have you shot it to make sure it's all good? Practice makes good, hold the breath, squeeze.

I've never been a great shot to be honest. Couldn't hit a squirrel at 100 yards with a 22, but a moose broadside...

Good on you for teaching em young.

[wwbirds]

I was let loose with a bb gun pellet rifle and even a 22 in southern ontario growing up as a child. Thought I was a pretty good shot as the neighbors were buying a lot of my ammo as a teen as I was keeping squirrels out of their attics in some cases and starlings out of their precious fruit trees on the block.
My first job at 17 brought me to a small gun shop who outfitted me with beginning equipment for centrefire so I could join the family annual moose and deer hunts. the owner of this little gun shop was a former policeman who had large reloading equipment in the back and a contract to make reloads for the boys in Waterloo County. Best advice he gave me was to buy a small reloader to make my own shells and join the local benchrest club for $20. a year to practice as much as possible. My first visit to the shooting club I met the president who was a college professor actively competing in BR. He watched me and offered many suggestions my first year but most important corrected a lot of acquired bad habits by not knowing better. Few deep breaths before exhaling half, hold steady and squeeze. Proper rest is important as are the grip of the rifle. Many still pistol grip a rifle with thumb wrapped around tang. Behind trigger guard or straight up tang to counter the finger squeeze with thumb is preferred and prevents "rolls". Seen and heard of a lot of pie plate shooters for whom pie plate accuracy at 100 yards free hand is good enough but if you teach the proper stance with bipod in prone, sitting, sticks or even a fence post and practice those positions you very seldom have to take a free hand shot. Patience is also required, gramma said it you dont think you can make a kill shot dont shoot!