Have 2 Hunt

I have three daughters,ages 19 months, 5 years and 11 years. When did you get your first gun. I got mine at about 13. I know it is different for every kid but I think my oldest is ready, (with close adult supervision), (she loves shooting). I live on a farm though where all the neighbors have had and allways will have, (as it should be) the right to take a gun from a kid cought doing anythig unsafe and beat them. It never happened when I was growing up but I would' nt test it.
Just curious, I ordered 3 guns today, atleast 2 will be in the gun safe for awhile but they will be there.

FL/GA Hunter

I got my first BB gun at 6, my .410 shotgun at 8, a .44 mag semiauto rifle at 10. I was also always a big (stocky) kid, and very mature for my age.

410ER

410 @ 2 yrs of age

Noleball

I got my first BB gun at 8 followed by a .410 bolt action at 10. I was not allowed to have a high-powered rifle for awhile and was relugated to using a 20guage and sloge until i was 13 or so and then I received an old 30-30 bolt action for deer hunting.

My brother and I are trying to determine what do do with my nephew (sister' s kid) at this time as well. He is 7 but is extremely well-behaved and mature and we think he is about ready for a small shotgun. He can already shoot a .22 as well as many adults while we are target shooting and he is very well versed in gun safety so far.

We may be getting him a .410 before squirrel season this year and take him out to see how he does.

I don' t see that there is a " set" age for kids and guns. I have seen seven year olds that would be good with one such as my nephew and I have hunted with 50 year olds that should not be allowed to own a weapon. Each case is unique and you have to judge it on your own. But it does sound like the elven year old is ready for one.

rhetoric

My only advice would be " stay away from semi-automatics" with kids. The temptation to get careless w/ bullets is increased when you can buzz through a big clip in a few seconds. A couple years ago in Buffalo a father was with his 10ish son at an indoor range trying to do everything properly (standing behind the kid, keeping him from spinning around w/ a " did you see that shot?" and etc.) and the boy fired the semi-automatic pistol (don' t remember what caliber) and the first shot kicked the gun straight back over the top so that the barrel hit his forehead -- the impact of the barrel on his head jarred his finger on the trigger and before anybody knew what was happening the boy was dead on the floor. Whenever I take my kids to the range it' s w/ Grandpa' s old single shot Winchester .22 (60A). I just think kids are more careful about the weapon when they have to shoot one bullet at a time.

8mm/06

I got my first gun that I actually owned myself when I was 15. I bought it myself form weeks of lawn cutting and window washing. I still have it today. It is a Steyr Model 1903, made in 1909 and chambered in 7 X 57 and still one of the smoothest bolt actions I have ever felt. I am toying with scoping it and cutting and turning the bolt form its original configuration. At 50 I don' t shoot so good with iron sights like I did when I was 15-25.
I recieved my first gift gun when I was 16. Still have it also. It is a Stevens/Savage double barrel SXS 20 gauge. Handles 3" shells and shoots odified from the front trigger (forget which barrel that is) and full choke from the rear trigger. If i lost all my other guns today, but kept those 2, I' d still be set to hunt most anything cept the real big stuff.

mauser06

hmmm i had a bb gun at 5 or so...then i got my first real gun when i was 11...a single shot 20 ga..then for my 12th birthday it was a 22 bolt...turkey hunted with the 20 ga that spring then squirrel with both...borrowed a 308 from my grandma(was my grandfathers) and took my first deer with it at age 12....bought my first gun at age 13...my mauser....and just bought my second at 16 today.....but i have many...dad bought me all but the mauser and my muzzleloader i bought today...we do most of our shooting and hunting together so if he wants to use a gun he knows where they are at.....his turkey gun was being worked on before the season....i told him he could take my new remington out and i would take my mossberg if his wasnt done! i have a great dad...its only getting better as we get older......i know i will be teaching him to muzzleload next year when he sees me having a blast this year!! good luck with your kids....get them hooked...they never want to do anything else.....i still think i was born with a fishing rod...i never got into school sports or anything....and even now i have no intrest....all i want to do is hunt or fish..i love it!

TREEDOG

My wife bought my first gun for me when we where dating it was a 20 guage nef single shot that counted for lots of critters back then. That was about 5 years ago then she helped me buy a nef 30-06 and now a 270 wsm model 70. Next year im gettin a Encore probly with a 7mm-08 barrel.

MR300WM

Just to let you all know that it is never to late I got my first at about 34 yrs of age. I bought one daughter a 410 when she was around 13 and my son his first at about 12 and my youngest daughter got hers at 11.

PABuck_HNTR

Daisy Red Ryder @ age 7 or 8. And my first deer rifle was a Savage bolt action 30-30 @ age 12.