[MrMcCrackin]

i have a 9 yr old son

we have been to the range with a .22 before and he has a pellet gun and so on


when is a good time to step him up to say my .40?


i personally think he is ready, though he is a little apprehensive - someone has told him that anthing bigger than a .22 is too much for him


granted i would put him behind a 12 gauge 3" slug just yet, but whats wrong with a 9mm or .40, even a .357?

his hands are big enough to grip my sig .40 securely with no issues and the sig is heavy enough to reduce the recoil to smooth effortless action

 

[fatcat]

dont force him to do it just help him hold it the first few times, im sure he will like it... my dad gave me a 12Ga when I was 8 and told me nothing about recoil as a joke...

 

[robb]

I would say age wise he is ready.

As long as he is safe, and had good handling skill, he should be fine.

I was 4 the first time I shot a 22 LR, 5 the first time I shot a 30-30 pistol, .357, 7mm, and 308. 6 for a 12ga, and was competing (large-bore pistol silhouette) unassisted before 7, so age is not the issue, it's when he's ready in his mind. I didn't learn reloading until 10.

 

[jamz]

Yeah, it depends on the kid, their maturity and the strength of their arms and hands.

If I were you, I'd do anything I could to not make him apprehensive. See if you can grab a .22mag, a 9mm, a nice .38 special, etc. and keep moving up and let him develop his own comfort level.

 

[Shortythefirefighter]

+1 on not starting him off with a hand howitzer...

.22 is a great foundation to start with, the pellet gun as well. You learn fewer bad habits like flinching and antcipating the recoil, and it's not abusive like some of the larger calibers can be. That can take some of the fun out of shooting after a while.

A .40 cal may or may not be a big step up, it depends on how well he can hold it and how comfortable he is. If you've got a .357 revolver, a .38 might be a better first step, but it's all dependent on the shooter's comfort level. I personally prefer the recoil of a .45 to a .40, I think it's less snappy and more of a push. However, recoil is all personal preference as no two shooters feel recoil the same way. I say take it slow and see how he feels...no sense in scaring him off or starting bad habits he'd have to unlearn later.

<-----shoots more .22 than anything else for training to get the fundamentals down. Makes the .45ACP practice much more worth it.

 

[Mach5]

... my dad gave me a 12Ga when I was 8 and told me nothing about recoil as a joke...

I think every dad does something like this...my dad handed me a 12Ga Shoty for the 1st time with 3 shells in it, the first 2 were 2 3/4" dove loads and the last one was a 3" Mag.