The child’s age is only limited by your ability to safely teach them. Some basic rules of thumb are:
- Make sure the child is big enough to hold the firearm correctly.
- Make sure you only load one round at a time until the child is very comfortable with the operation of the firearm.
- When more than one round is loaded in the firearm keep your hands very close to the child’s to prevent any significant muzzle rise.
- Make sure all shots are on paper.
- Make sure the trajectory of the bullets does not cause rounds to hit the ceiling.
I recommend starting with the 10/22 or the Ruger Mark III (be careful with the semi-auto’s). Strangely, I have found that, with proper instruction, young children shoot handguns better than rifles.
If you would like help, we offer training sessions for young children.