I'm trying to teach my 5 year old to shoot a rifle with iron sights. Nobody taught me and I was much older when I learned to shoot. I'm having a real hard time trying to explain how to line up the sights properly. I've tried drawing it for him, but it doesn't seem to correlate for him when we go to the rifle. Just wondering how some of you guys have taught youngsters to shoot. Thanks and merry Christmas!
1. Cut some over sized sights out of cardboard; the front post/ramp and the rear blade or peep sight.
2. You can then lay your paper target on the table and position the post where you want the point of aim to be.
3. Follow that with lining the blade up over the post.
4. Then ask your kiddo to do the same.
5. Once they seem to have that figured out, tape your cardboard sights to a dowel rod and explain that you have to line the sights up the same way on the target. The dowel rod with over sized sights should allow both you and them to see the sights at the same time so that you can tell if the line up is correct.
6. Once that is mastered, move on to the rifle.
The most important rule to remember is to be patient and have fun. It's great to teach someone the sport, but it can be ruined for them if they feel they are failing or don't see the fun in it. Use reactive targets like balloons, water bottles or tin cans. Make it fun and give lots of encouragement. No matter how many things they might do wrong, find at least one thing they did right and brag on that A LOT!
Good luck!
2. You can then lay your paper target on the table and position the post where you want the point of aim to be.
3. Follow that with lining the blade up over the post.
4. Then ask your kiddo to do the same.
5. Once they seem to have that figured out, tape your cardboard sights to a dowel rod and explain that you have to line the sights up the same way on the target. The dowel rod with over sized sights should allow both you and them to see the sights at the same time so that you can tell if the line up is correct.
6. Once that is mastered, move on to the rifle.
The most important rule to remember is to be patient and have fun. It's great to teach someone the sport, but it can be ruined for them if they feel they are failing or don't see the fun in it. Use reactive targets like balloons, water bottles or tin cans. Make it fun and give lots of encouragement. No matter how many things they might do wrong, find at least one thing they did right and brag on that A LOT!
Good luck!
Taught my kid with a red rider. He learned the bullet drop also.
I have him check to see if my deer rifle is on. He can out shoot most of us old guys.
Props to getting him started early, he'll get it!
I have him check to see if my deer rifle is on. He can out shoot most of us old guys.
Props to getting him started early, he'll get it!
Get them started early! Make it fun for them. Don't worry if they don't get it right the first time or even the tenth time. Have patience
I started my son out on a old BB gun with a peep sight installed, his choice. I got a paper towel roll, attached a dowel for a "stock",
taped a washer to one end, stuck a chop stick painted red through the other end. Started him out by looking
through the hole at things, then next day, added putting the red thing on top of the "target", everything was a target except people.
Painted the tip of the front sight white, then worked to "white out" a target.
On to the back 40, and a few dozen shots each evening. Very soon was moving on to normal sights, and then to a 22.
Skip a few years, at 16 he was shooting an 8" gong at 400 Mtrs with hand loads in a 223. From there 1000 Mtrs with his own hand loaded 300 WM.
Now at 23 I am glad he is on my side :-)
You have to find something that is fun for the child, and is like a reward to be able to shoot.
He had rubber band guns and nerf guns from a very young age, and learned gun safety from day one. No pointing at people, and no nonsense.
I started my son out on a old BB gun with a peep sight installed, his choice. I got a paper towel roll, attached a dowel for a "stock",
taped a washer to one end, stuck a chop stick painted red through the other end. Started him out by looking
through the hole at things, then next day, added putting the red thing on top of the "target", everything was a target except people.
Painted the tip of the front sight white, then worked to "white out" a target.
On to the back 40, and a few dozen shots each evening. Very soon was moving on to normal sights, and then to a 22.
Skip a few years, at 16 he was shooting an 8" gong at 400 Mtrs with hand loads in a 223. From there 1000 Mtrs with his own hand loaded 300 WM.
Now at 23 I am glad he is on my side :-)
You have to find something that is fun for the child, and is like a reward to be able to shoot.
He had rubber band guns and nerf guns from a very young age, and learned gun safety from day one. No pointing at people, and no nonsense.
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Patience. Might not be ready yet. take the sights off and do instinct shooting.
When my dad first taught me to shoot at the age of 7, I had real trouble lining up the sights even though I understood the concept of the sight picture. Turns up I'm left-eye dominant and was trying to shoot right handed. Doesn't work. Check his eye dominance and see if that's his problem. You can do this at home pretty easily.
Have him hold both hands out at arms length and make a triangle with his thumbs and forefingers and look at you through the triangle. While he stays focused on you through the triangle, have him bring his hands back until they are touching his face. At this point, he should have the triangle around one of his eyes, and the other eye will be covered up with one of his hands. Whichever eye is in the triangle is his dominant eye. If it turns out to be the left eye, move the gun to his left shoulder and teach him to shoot from there instead. It will be awkward at first, but he'll get used to it.
Have him hold both hands out at arms length and make a triangle with his thumbs and forefingers and look at you through the triangle. While he stays focused on you through the triangle, have him bring his hands back until they are touching his face. At this point, he should have the triangle around one of his eyes, and the other eye will be covered up with one of his hands. Whichever eye is in the triangle is his dominant eye. If it turns out to be the left eye, move the gun to his left shoulder and teach him to shoot from there instead. It will be awkward at first, but he'll get used to it.
That's one issue I figured out the other day. He is left eye dominant. He seems to be right handed, but I'm not convinced. I think they have taught him to be right handed at school. We shot his new red rider Christmas afternoon and he was able to keep it on the 12x12 paper. I was quite proud. I think he's slowly getting it well keep practicing and having fun. Thanks for all the good pointers so far. I really liked the oversized sight idea.
