How to get a 12 yr old to shoot a gun?

[jesseweaver]

alright i've tried everything and my little brother (who's 12) can't shoot a gun. It's a .270 and i've been shooting it for at least 10 years (im 19 now). he loves shooting claybirds with a 12 guage and target shooting with the .22 but he just cant pull the trigger on a .270. He's dry fired it before fine but as soon as there's a bullet in he just can't bring himself to pull the trigger.

idk what else to try, tonight i watched him multiple times stare through the scope for 5 minutes. he says he really wants to shoot it and he always wants to try but he never can then he gets upset.

and hes not small either hes really tall and built for his age, he can rip 3rd gear wheelies on a 450 dirtbike all day

[fastredrider44]

I don't know that you can do anything. It might just have to come with time. Once he does it once, It will be no problem. Just like building up the courage to hit a big double. Its nerve racking at first, but after you do it once, you can do it all day. Eventually he will fire it, then there won't be an issue anymore.

[jesseweaver]

yea i tell him that and he even knows that. it was the same way with a shotgun. he was so scared at first and did it once now hes wanting to shoot it everyday, he loves it

[wolfe 21]

This will sound insensitive, and I apologize in advance, but from your description it sounds like something about the gun has scared him off. My best solution is to not let him know its loaded. Take him to a range and let him practice dry firing it like hes workig on breathing or sight alignment or whatever. When he feels comfortable give him a loaded round, just don't let him know. Something low power/low recoil to start would be good. It shouldn't be any different in his mind than dry firing the rifle.

[Ichoptop]

Have him shoot from the hip first. Then he can feel that the recoil isnt bad.

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by wolfe 21
This will sound insensitive, and I apologize in advance, but from your description it sounds like something about the gun has scared him off. My best solution is to not let him know its loaded. Take him to a range and let him practice dry firing it like hes workig on breathing or sight alignment or whatever. When he feels comfortable give him a loaded round, just don't let him know. Something low power/low recoil to start would be good. It shouldn't be any different in his mind than dry firing the rifle.

i considered that, I'm just worried it might scare him even more

[Tommy Warren]

tell him not to touch it and then walk away....you'll hear it going off in under a minute:D

[quad2xtreme]

Get a chick to come with you and have her fire it. He will fire it out of embarrassment.

[OldGuyonaQuad]

Originally posted by Tommy Warren
tell him not to touch it and then walk away....you'll hear it going off in under a minute:D

beat me to it, one way to guarantee a kid does something is to tell them they are not allowed.

Other then that just wait until he is ready and don't make an issue of it.

[wolfe 21]

Yeah, quad2xtreme has a definite point. He should be at the point where girls are appealing now, so gettin shown up by a "skirt" just isn't an option.

As to my suggestion, scaring him off is a possibility. All depends on the gun. If it's a recoil beast, yeah tricking him is likely to do just that and he'll be pissed at you. If it's fairly tame (where I'd place a .270) then it should just show him there's nothing to be afraid of. I'd still suggest starting him out with something smaller and less powerful and build up to it. (.223, .243/22-250, 25-06, 30-30, etc.)

[CJM]

I started shooting very young, shooting an 06 for the first time scared me, then I learned it was fine and kept blasting away.

Start him off with something wimpy like a .22 or .223 or soemthing.

[finsteratv]

i always saw how much fun my dad had shooting so i was hooked from a young age. hunting too. i starte elk hunting with my dad around 9 or 10 and he then bought me a remington .243 youth model to try out. i got really comfortable with that and as i got bigger he got me a 300 win mag...that thing scared the shi out of me at first but he got some lower grain loads and ear muffs then i was fine. It definately intemidated me at first. Sounds like just needs to do it!! if he can shoot a 12ga he should be able to handle a 270. I like the lady embarassment idea! get him some ear muffs and you shoot it first to show him its all good.

[HondaRacing83]

get a different .270 , tell him its a .22 and tell him to a brace himself a little better because your using "higher grain" then after he shoots just be like, hey ya know.. you just shot a .270.. i shot my first gun at 8 years old, got my first gun at 10. got my .243 at 12, and got my 12 guage at 12. ive shot .270s, there not that bad at all. ive shot 30-06's there not bad at all. my dads 300 windmag just about knocked me on my *** though. when i first shot a gun, my dad was behind me and helped my hold it. then i was hooked..

[Tommy Warren]

my dads double barrel 10 guage with dual triggers it the only gun that makes me nervous and knocks me on my ***

[buck440]

if he is afraid to shoot it then leave it alone. if he wants to shoot it he'll shoot it. i'm scared of the ghetto store in the mall so what do i do? i keep my ghostly white *** away from it.

[slightlybent47]

What’s the hurry? He will shoot it when he is ready. We both know and he may know as well that a 12 ga. has as much kick as the 270 does, especially if the 12 is a single shot break over.
At least he is shooting something and enjoys it. just give him time.

[wilkin250r]

He might be afraid of something else about the gun, but just can't really put it into words (or, he might not even know exactly what it is)

For example, he might be afraid of the scope blasting him in the face. Maybe shooting it open-sight, standing up, just like he's done a hundred times with a shotgun, will make him feel a little more comfortable.

[Zakradu398]

Dad let me shoot a "12 gauge" at 11 or 12 years old that was infact an 8 gauge. Scared the &^%$ out of me/

[Zakradu398]

I'll get a pic of it tomorrow.

[ben300]

Originally posted by Tommy Warren
my dads double barrel 10 guage with dual triggers it the only gun that makes me nervous and knocks me on my ***


i have only ever shot 3 guns that have scared me..first was one of my ex's uncles had an A.H. Fox 10g double barrell, that was sawed off as close to being is it could be to being illegal while still being legal......it kicked like a mule, was loud as hood ******s with speakers, and made more smoke than a diesel truck...but after a couple of shots..i was ok with it

the second was a S&W 500.....and i jsut didtn know what to expect with it....

the third was my buddies flintlock. it was such a piece that i was affraid it would blow up on me when i shot it (that somtimes happens)..


my best advice would be let the kid go, adn do it on his own...dont force him to do it, and let him come to it on his own....if you force him to do it, he may end up hating it and thats not the outcome you want. if you trick him into shooting it, you may scare him and he never get over that. i mean the kid is only 12. thats still pretty young. he may just not be ready for it yet.

[ben300]

Originally posted by finsteratv
i always saw how much fun my dad had shooting so i was hooked from a young age. hunting too. i starte elk hunting with my dad around 9 or 10 and he then bought me a remington .243 youth model to try out. i got really comfortable with that and as i got bigger he got me a 300 win mag...that thing scared the shi out of me at first but he got some lower grain loads and ear muffs then i was fine. It definately intemidated me at first. Sounds like just needs to do it!! if he can shoot a 12ga he should be able to handle a 270. I like the lady embarassment idea! get him some ear muffs and you shoot it first to show him its all good.

saying that just because he can shoot a 12 gauge, he should be able to shoot a .270 is subjective........i have two .270's...both winchester model 70's....ones a custom shop, blued, with a nice wood finish that my dad got me before i was born and is my go to deer gun if i dont get one in archery season. the second is a new model 70 synthetic featherweight......

...both of these guns kick way harder than my goose shot gun.....my goose gun, works as advetised, has next to no recoil, but thast because i shoot one of these.......:devil:

[finsteratv]

Originally posted by ben300
saying that just because he can shoot a 12 gauge, he should be able to shoot a .270 is subjective........i have two .270's...both winchester model 70's....ones a custom shop, blued, with a nice wood finish that my dad got me before i was born and is my go to deer gun if i dont get one in archery season. the second is a new model 70 synthetic featherweight......

...both of these guns kick way harder than my goose shot gun.....my goose gun, works as advetised, has next to no recoil, but thast because i shoot one of these.......:devil:
we meant *average redneck shotgun :D

[ben300]

Originally posted by finsteratv
we meant *average redneck shotgun :D

hahaha, i know...im just teasing/showing off :cool:

[mcwilly]

If he doesnt want to shoot it, let it be. He'll shoot it when he's ready. Dont pressure him or trick him into doing it.
This year my 8 year old decided he wanted to shoot his own deer this year so I took him to the gun range a couple of weeks ago. He shot an AR-15, 7x57 Mauser, 9mm, .380 and several .22 pistols and rifles. He was nervous about the AR and the rifle, but I didnt force him into shooting it. He's shot pistols before and .22 rifles, but never a "real" rifle. The 7x57 kicked him pretty good but his two shots were "kill" shots on the paper target. When it comes time to point a gun at a deer, he'll be using a .243 or a .270....and I've told him it wont kick him as much.
We spent several minutes with the unloaded rifle getting used to the scope and positioning the gun so he was comfortable with it.
The AR was a different story....he was just eager to fire off some rounds :D

[HondaRacing83]

is that an actual AR or is it a smith and wesson mr 15-22?

[mcwilly]

Originally posted by HondaRacing83
is that an actual AR or is it a smith and wesson mr 15-22?

It's an actual AR. (5.56) .223

[HondaRacing83]

damn. ive got one of those in my gun safe, exact same looking thing. they look like twins cpt no scope but its a 22

[finsteratv]

lefty?

[HondaRacing83]

i just noticed that. odd