Hi all, just got back from taking my 8 year old son Zachary shooting at my father in laws farm.  Man he had a blast, using his Ruger 10 22 and a 30 rd ramline mag..  lots of smiles ear-to-ear......  Poppimg them plastic large platic cat food containers filled with water, man he couldn't get enough. I must say I am proud of the kid, with his safety practices.  Gun in safety after through firing and keeping muzzle up.  I finally had to say, "OK" my turn.  Got my new RRA m4 thanks to Armyinf (Lane St John), topped with a eotech 511 which I got from Santa.  Awesome.....  also popped a 100 rds thru my Sig Pro .357, accurate as can be....  well I better start cleaning my kids now, I mean my guns....  Can't wait till next trip.  Have a Safe and Happy New Year to all...........

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Seriously, a recent study in Tarant County Texas (Fort Worth) showed that NO JUVENILE CRIMES were committed by offenders holding a valid hunting license. That's to say that if you hunt with your children, (even if its just plinking), you probably won't have to hunt FOR them later in life. ANYTHING that keeps a parent talking with their kids is keeping the lines of communication open. Also, if there is no "mystique" about the weapon, chances are better that a child won't play with it if they happen to find one without adult supervision. (Want to get your child to do something? Just tell them NOT to!)I bought my son his first weapon, a Chipmunk Single-Shot .22, on the day he was born. He started shooting it at age 3, even though it was just pointing and pulling the trigger to hear it go "Pop". He was still watching and learning safety and respect. He grasped the concept of sight alignment in his early 5's and at age 6 he can wreak hell on bowling pins at the 50 yard line. Can I suggest 2 liter plastic sodapop bottles filled with water? The kids get a kick out of seeing them explode and they're easy to clean-up with no hazardous shrapnel like glass bottles do. He's now shooting my Mini-14 and my pre-ban AR 15 and, last time at the range, was hitting the steel "pig" targets at 300 yards with open sights (ok, not every time, but he hit several times and always hit close to them. I'd fault the ammo before I fault his aim!) I emphasize that this is all done with the closest of adult supervision!!! A .223 has almost no recoil and most AR's have a short stock that kids can handle in a prone position. Best of wishes to you both!