Teaching my 7yr old niece to shoot

[feedback]

I have a Ruger American rim fire in 22lr and I’m teaching my niece how to safely shoot it with open sites. It has a bipod on it. She’s doing so so shooting at paper targets and clay pigeons. I’m wondering if I should get a red dot or a Scope for it to get her dialed in better? She’s left handed and I’ve been showing her how to shoot it right handed. Till I can get her a left handed savage. Does anyone have anything that I could improve on. My thing is for her to just have fun and learn everything safety wise since she’s just seven. She’s having a great time every time we go to our local club to shoot. Thank you for your.

 

[VikingsGuy]

The very first question for any new shooter is not “right handed or left handed”, it is “right EYE dominant vs. left EYE dominant”. If that is wrong everything else will feel off. My son for example is left handed, but right eye dominant so I taught him to shoot right handed - easy peasy.

From the beginning shoot a gun that supports her dominant eye position. So if she is left eye dominant then find a cheap 22 lever action (fairly side neutral) or as you say find a cheap left handed 22. Even a BB gun that is left handed or hand neutral would would be better for skill development than shooting wrong eye early.

Have fun. I have found girls to be consistently faster learners and better shots than boys.

 

[brymoore]

Let me preference my remarks that in a previous life I was an NRA certified rifle coach. My kids competed in a rifle club. All three are distinguished expert rifleman.

First step is to find your nieces dominant eye. Have her shoot to that shoulder irregardless of action type. Dominant eye does make a very big difference in accuracy.

She should be shooting prone, the most accurate position. I’d lose the bipod.

I have other thoughts but the other most important is she’s young. We’d start kids in the rifle club at 10 and they’d struggle. 12 was a better age for competitive shooting. She’s young, just make it fun.

In my experience with a few hundred kids, girls outshoot boys consistently.

 

[Bonasababy]

The very first question for any new shooter is not “right handed or left handed”, it is “right EYE dominant vs. left EYE dominant”. If that is wrong everything else will feel off. My son for example is left handed, but right eye dominant so I taught him to shoot right handed - easy peasy.

From the beginning shoot a gun that supports her dominant eye position. So if she is left eye dominant then find a cheap 22 lever action (fairly side neutral) or as you say find a cheap left handed 22. Even a BB gun that is left handed or hand neutral would would be better for skill development than shooting wrong eye early.

Have fun. I have found girls to be consistently faster learners and better shots than boys.

Good advice, the only thing I would add is be sure to use ear protection, want to eliminate any chance of the sound being an issue. I wouldn't push her to do well if she doesn't have the right gun for eye dominance. I know some older guys that when starting shooting struggled with that then experienced a revelation when finally getting a gun that works. Like Vikings Guy said girls--I think because they didn't grown up shooting play guns and developing bad habits--take to shooting well faster. Just want to keep it fun.

 

[Don Fischer]

I think the best way to teach them is to teach them to shoot first. No bipod and no scope. After they learn to shoot then the after market stuff.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I think the best way to teach them is to teach them to shoot first. No bipod and no scope. After they learn to shoot then the after market stuff.

I am not sure that matters - if it keeps the kid interested to use the more modern looking stuff or the stuff “dad uses” there is no harm. Once you get eye dominance figured out, site picture understood (iron or scope), ear protection to reduce shy/flinch, and simple smooth trigger motion a kid has a transferable platform to shoot anything.

 

[feedback]

I just ran a couple different things to see which eye dominant she was. Being she’s left handed doesn’t always mean left eye dominant. And with them she’s left eye dominant. I always have ear and eye protection for the both of us. I figured having the bipod would be of help for her. But your right when teaching the very basics to start with.

 

[brymoore]

I just ran a couple different things to see which eye dominant she was. Being she’s left handed doesn’t always mean left eye dominant. And with them she’s left eye dominant. I always have ear and eye protection for the both of us. I figured having the bipod would be of help for her. But your right when teaching the very basics to start with.

One of my sons is right handed but left eye dominant. My wife is the same way. Son now owns a variety of left handed rifles and shotguns. He takes left, I’m right when bird/duck hunting so we don’t shoot empties at each other from our autos.

 

[EastTNHunter]

Now that eye dominance is determined… Natural point of aim (including stock-cheek weld), trigger control, and breathing

 

[std7mag]

I'd see if I could find a left hand Keystone Cricket.
The shorter LOP is going to be nothing but a help for someone in that age bracket.
Unless you're my daughter in the 95%. At 18 she was 6'3".

If you want to get her used to a scope, the 4X Cricket scope really isn't bad for it's price point.

 

[Farmer20]

I believe that teaching kids to shoot first is the greatest approach to instruct them.