My Son and his "first" handgun.

[Buckskinner]

When my son turned 6, I ran out and bought him a CZ Scout for his first .22 lr rifle. I equipped it with a Leupold 4x compact for him and his first formal year of entry into the shooting sports began.

This year, for his 7th birthday, I bought him a Ruger single six. It is a pre-warning Colorado Centenial model with s/s grip frame, hammer and trigger with 6 1/2 inch Bbl. I realized that it was a collector gun, but to me, it makes the "first" handgun all the sweeter for a kid who loves the sport as much as I do. Some folks have looked at me rather strange when they see this boy take out this special little six-gun and begin handling it like a pro and show it to them. I suppose they think that I am breaking some old rule concerning "collector" guns....My contention is that a boys first handgun should be "special" and I wanted my son to experience what I missed in that regard.

We will be performing the usual action and trigger work on it once we get moved and my new gun room is set up. If he takes the kind of care of it that he is being taught, the value may still diminish, but to him it will always be "priceless".

[Jerry Lester]

Good deal Buckskinner!

I'd say the odd looks are more the fact that he owns a revolver than the fact that it's a collector. I used to get the same looks when people found out my boy had his own gun cabinet filled with his own guns!

I hope your boy enjoys that Single-Six as much as me, or you would. Be sure to let us know when he starts hunting with it!

My boy will be 15 this fall, and it's my intentions to buy him a new 5.5" stainless Single-Six of his own. I'd have done bought it a long time ago, but my wife goes nuts every time I mention it. She's a city girl, and just can't grasp the fact that he's a country boy, that loves guns, and hunting.

Tell your boy I said congratulations on his new gun!

[Buckskinner]

Thankyou Jerry,
I appreciate your attitude towards starting kids out in the shooting sports. My wife had some reservations about getting our son his first handgun at such a young age, until I gave her the run down on the rules of conduct and how his general attitude and conduct outside of shooting and being outdoors will effect his relationship with this handgun! She saw the intent to bring responsibility into all aspects of his life and learning process and agreed that it was very likely a good choice for him. I think that it will have a positive effect on every aspect of his life as he grows up.

[papajohn428]

I've said it before, I'll say it again.  Since you can't child-proof your guns, you have to gun-proff your children.  Mine were taught gun safety from age three or four.  The first time my son went shooting with me, it was "just to watch".  But after an hour, he couldn't stand it, and begged to try my Buckmark.  I asked him the five main safety rules, and he rattled them off in short order.   His first shot at a soda can was at 25 feet, and he drilled it dead center.  Before the day was over, he'd shot my Mini-14, a 38 revolver, and (with a little help) my 20 gauge.   :eek:
He was a month shy of his fourth birthday.
I don't know who was more proud, me or him!  
PJ

[44 Man]

Gunrunner, I tried to post the other day but with the server problems, I couldn't.  Things seem to be better today.  Don't worry about that gun being a "collector".  It was designed and built to be shot and shot a lot!  I had the opportunity to buy an unfired Colt from the Gene Autry Museum a while back.  Thought the clerk was going to faint when I said it would be shot a lot if I bought it.  Turned out someone else bought it before I made up my mind.  Anyway, I admire your attitude with the kids.  My Grandchildren (have 14) all look forward to shooting at Grampa's.  They learn "Grampa's gun rules" first.  I have a couple of small sized .22 for the littler ones and plenty for the others.  For handguns, we start them on an old Sheridan Knockabout.  Tip up barrel, single action, single shot with a small grip frame.  From there they go to a Ruger Bearcat and Charter Pathfinder.  We have stopped a couple of shooting sessions when one or the other didn't listen.  Only have to do that once for any child and they get the point real quick.  You will never have "gun" problems with a child that is trained in responsible gun handling.  I can't wait to start the 3 year old who will be 4 this summer!  When they get around 10 or 12, I give them one of the .22s for their own.  (That's getting expensive!)  Keep up the good work, we need to teach the next generation the truth about guns!  44 Man

[Bikenut]

This post isn't about guns... and yet, in a way, it is.

When my oldest son was 5 years old I bought him a motorcycle all his own. Not a toy motorcyle, a real one in child size. And the lessons began. We started out with the bike on a milk crate. The engine wasn't even started up for a couple of weeks until he learned where all the controls where and what each control did plus what he could do with them to make the bike do what he wanted it to do. Also how he could use those controls to make the bike stop doing something he didn't want it to do. He learned where it was safe and ok to ride it, and where it wasn't safe and ok. He learned everything I could think of to teach.

That boy soaked up knowledge like a sponge left in the desert soaks up water. He made mistakes... but never made the same mistake twice. Then the engine was started but the bike stayed on the milk crate until he could start it, stop it, shift it, all easily and naturally. Then he was allowed out of the garage and into the yard for his first ride all on his own. That boy was so proud! And then he crashed. Unhurt he picked the bike up, started it, and rode off.

My youngest son also went through the same thing with his own motorcycle. Both boys never rode unsuprevised until well into their teens. And father and both boys spent hundreds of hours riding together through the years. Both boys went into racing and are still racing today. Poor dad got too old to race............ but still goes to watch his kids race and cherishes the memories of riding with his sons.

But, the thing is, kids are not stupid. Kids, even at a very young age, are eager to learn and are capable of being extremely responsible with things that could be dangerous. Motorcycles or guns... I think it mainly depends on how the parents teach the child.

Oh yeah, would you believe I had a nosy busy body arsehole tell me that teaching a 5 year old to ride a motorcycle was child abuse? I'm still trying to understand how the heck anyone could arrive at that conclusion!

[Jerry Lester]

bikenut,

You make a very good point, several  really, on the whole issue of introducing kids to stuff like guns, and also riding.

As far as "child abuse" goes, this is how my "backwoods" brain sees it. It seems to me that knowing your child will most likely end up getting his hands on a gun, car, motorcycle, or any number of other potentially dangerous items, probably before he's even close to being 18, or legaly an adult, wouldn't it be more like abuse not to try to prepare him(or her) for it early? I mean, even the dumbest parent knows that kids are most impressionable in the years up to maybe 10 years old, so it just makes good sense to me that if you want them to aproach these potential hazards later in life with some common sense, and responsibility, you need to start them out while they're most easily trained.


This is a great post Buckskinner.