Spencer, thanks for the kind words, my son and I are really close, and like all the same stuff. Airplanes, WWII history, and especially guns. His first few years were spent at my knee, learning all I could teach a young 'un of that age about the history of weapons, and he loaded his first box of ammo before he was five. His older sister got the same lessons, but grew tired of it after awhile. She still likes to outshoot her old man now and then, but isn't into it like my son is. His first trip was when he was almost four, he begged to come along, "Just to watch". His mom was out of town so I said yes. After a couple hours he begged to try a shot with my Buck Mark 22, so I loaded a single round, and made him recite the five rules of safe gunhandling. He rattled them off without a pause, and I handed him the 22. He took aim at a soda can I'd placed about 25 feet away, took a deep breath, steadied the gun, and drilled it dead center. I've never been so proud in my life. I still have the can! Before the day was over, he'd shot my duty gun (with 38's!) my Mini-14, my 22 rifle, and a 20-gauge shotgun, with a little help.
Come Tuesday, we're going to my club range, where he has decided he wants to shoot my Redhawk 44, with Specials, as he only weighs 75 or 80 pounds. Then my M-65 3" on bowling pins, the Marlin 30-30 he thinks is his, and the new AR-15 A2 he begged me to buy. We loaded 400 rounds for it yesterday, so there's plenty of ammo for both of us. But his favorite of my guns is my Marlin 336C in 35 Remington, I load light pistol bullets for him to shoot, and he consistently hits soda cans at 50 yards off his hind legs. Did I mention I'm proud of this kid?
As for my daughter, she's 18 now, and I thought she'd forgotten everything I ever taught her. But right after Christmas we went shooting together, and she asked to shoot my duty gun, a 1961 vintage S&W Model 10. She's not into Magnums, she likes 38's, and she proceeded to hit 12 cans with 12 shots, double action, at 25 yards with it. My son turned to me, and said, "Pop, can you do that?" I said, "Sure! Gimme the shotgun......" :roll: He thought I was kidding.
Papajohn the Proud Parental Popcan Plinker