My oldest grandson turned 7 yrs old earlier this month. I had started his Dad out in shooting just about at 7 yrs old, so buying this little guy's first rifle was a duty for me that I gladly accepted. Besides, his Dad reminded me it was now a family tradition and the time to carry on that tradition was NOW.

Believe me, there will be quite a lot of time spent on teaching and stressing safety to this grandson too. I have a rifle range right here on my place and therefore I can take all the time I want to for instruction, combined with shooting.

After looking around in many stores, I surprised myself and instead of buying him a brand new one, I found a used 22 that was as clean as any new one I had seen. It is a Marlin, Model 60, semi auto 22 w/ a wood stock. Not a mark on the stock or barrel and as I said, it looked brand new. It is a tube feed, and I got it at a great price compared to what the new ones were costing. It's good looking and I think he'll enjoy it, especially as he gets older. It's one of those rifles that he can keep all his life. You know, there's just something about that first 22 a young man gets that makes him want to keep it all his life!

For a few years yet, it will be kept and used at grandaddy's for safety reasons, but I look forward to the day too, when he can take it home with him.

You know, being an "old fart" isn't bad at all and definitely has it's good points too!!

That is awesome.

That is awesome, do you guys have to get courses? In Nova Scotia a kid must get a hunter safety course, firearms safety course and one more? This is just to shoot a rabbit. It is pretty sad, just like the ATV rules.

That's great UB. Good choice in rifles too. ANY Marlin is good in my book. I don't own a model 60, but I hear nothing but good about them. I do have 6 model 39a's though, and a 1897.
Both my daughters will be college grads in May, and I'm sure it won't be too many moons before one of them presents us with a grandchild. Boy or girl, I'm really looking forward to introducing them to shooting and hunting as well as ATV riding. Who knows, maybe one of them will inherit a Marlin or 2 someday. I need a shooting partner in the worst way!

HondaCrazy,

No, here in Texas and especially on our own place with some acerage, no classes or state licenses are needed to shoot or plink at whatever. However, young people are required to take a Hunter Safety class to get their own hunting license. It's been years, so I'm not sure of the exact age, but I believe its 12 yrs old as the minimal age to take Hunter Safety, and 16 yrs old to get their own hunting license. Prior to 16, I believe they must be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter when they go hunting on a junior hunting license. No license or class is required to shoot at a public range and definitely not on our own place at my range.

Again however, we live in a rural area of Texas and so when he got old enough, he could go out plinking rabbits and no one would say anything. At 7yrs old, that will be a few years from now, believe me!

UB,

It is the same here if your born after 1986..once you hit 16 you have to have Hunter Safety to get a license. I've seen some guys that need hunter safety also....my personal feeling is that everyone should be required to have hunter safety. I'm getting ready to take the class with my two sons.

au2183,

You will really have something to look forward to with the grandchildren my friend. I taught my son how to shoot and had him out hunting dove with me at a very early age. I taught my daughter to shoot too, at an older age, only because she is actually my step daughter and I didn't have her until after the age of 13.

All that was fun and well worth while for sure, but there is just something special about grandkids. They look at you like you are something very special too, kind of like at your age, with gray/white hair, you must have all the knowledge of the world inside your head.

We have an 8 yr old grandaughter who is really into sports like soccer etc, but her desire for shooting will come about later I'm sure. Her Dad ( another son) is a law enforcement type Texas Ranger. Her little brother is only 3 yrs old, but this son and I have already made plans for that little bugger with hunting, shooting, etc. Right now, his main goal in life is to aggrevate his older sister as much as he can!!

We also have two other "honorary" grandsons, in their teens, both of whom hunt and shoot too.

Let me give you a hint to help you with all this. As soon as the first grandchild is born, no matter whether a girl or boy, get them a small set of cute cammies. By doing this you'll accomplish two things. First, you'll set the stage for what you would like to do regarding the hunting and shooting thing, and second, you'll find out immediately if either of the parents are in ANY way against the idea. That'll give you plenty of time to work on that parent to alleviate any misconceptions about shooting/hunting they might have, BEFORE the grandchild is old enough for you to start.

The 7 yr old I bought the Marlin for is another one of my son's son. His mother is a really pretty young woman, but she is deaf and because of that and the fact that her family never hunted or was interested in shooting, she knew nothing but negative about the sport. Exposure to hunting/shooting through my son after they got married was new to her and the idea of her own young son now being around guns and especially shooting one was very scarey to her. All she knew was how dangerous guns were, because that's all she had ever read. Through 7 years of talking to her and her observing situations at my range, her mindset has been changed, but it took seven years. See where I'm going? You never know who your child will marry and that person's perception of our sport of hunting/shooting. As I said in the beginning, it's never too early to start exposing folks to the truth about the sport of hunting/shooting.

Oh, and that daughter of mine I mentioned, is due any day now with her first child. It'll be a girl, but my daughter's husband has been an avid hunter and shooter since he was very young so I've already been told that I will have help in teaching that grandbaby how to shoot and hunt as soon as possible. Her daddy has already bought her a little cammie outfit! Easy sailing on the subject with that grandbaby!!

SilverTipGrizz,

I agree with you that everyone should have to take a Hunter Safety course. Most wind up taking it for one of two reasons, even if they don't have to due to their age. Either they're a Dad like you and take it with their kids, or they go to hunt in another state, like Colorado, that requires all out of state hunters, born AFTER Jan 1, 1949 to have a certificate of completion of a Hunter Safety Course from their home state in order to even allpy for a license to hunt.

A good friend of mine and fellow Vietnam Vet used to teach it here in Texas, so I attended many of his classes and helped him out, up until about 8 years ago when he had a very untimely death from war medical complications at the age of 53. Texas lost a very good man that day too!

Sorry about the loss of your friend...i know when i was hunting in Louisana my blackpowder course card got me thru....there if you born after 1969 you have to have it.

I took hunter safety when i was on the rifle team in school but lost the card plus it never hurts for a refresher plus i want to show my boys how important it is..a few hours of my time for a lifetime of knowledge is well worth it

SilverTipGrizz,

Thanks!! and we definitely agree on what you said in your second paragraph.

That buudy of mine was a sniper in the Army in Nam and he could still sit down with you and recite ballistics on many different calibers, with different weight bullets, from many different distances, under many different senarios, exactly. He would shoot a full out running whitetail, in the head, with his trusty 243 at 300-400 yds and not even blink. He was really quite something to go hunting with, believe me.

unclebuck,

Thank you kindly for the very sage advice. I will take it to heart. I like the idea of the cammies a lot.
My oldest daughter shows no sign of marrying, but did go deer hunting with me this year and last, as a casual observer. She helped me dress and drag out an 8 pointer last fall, and I think she was at least as excited as I was. She demanded that I wait for her to be with me before I shot another one! Well, no such luck this year. She says she won't hunt deer, but she did take her safety course, and is going to get into upland bird hunting with me. We'll start with some trap shooting in the spring. I have a nice little 20 sxs that will fit her nicely, and it'll be hers if she takes to it, though she doesn't know that yet. 25 may be a little late to get her started, but better late than never.
My other daughter is 22, about to finish college, and is engaged to a nice young man. Neither one hunt, but they both enjoy eating wild game, and they already know of my plans for their offspring. I think my future son in law may just get interested too if I play my cards right.
Hunting was a way of life in Maine when I grew up, but it's really gone the other way the last 20 years or so, as it has everywhere else in the country I suppose. We all need to do our part to protect that heritage IMO.

au2183,

If she would rather just shoot and not hunt, or shoot and go bird hunting, but no deer hunting, let her have at it. I had 3 stepchildren in another life, and the youngest was a 9 yr old girl, with the oildest two being boys, ages 11 and 13. I broke them all into shooting and hunting, and that youngest girl and the oldest boy were avid hunters as a result. The middle boy seemed upset a lot during deer hunting season and so I sat him down finally to ask why. It turned out that he loved shooting rifles and shotguns, and loved bird hunting, but for some reason deep down inside himself, he got very upset about shooting a deer and didn't like it.

He and I had a long talk that day and I explaned to him that there was no shame in not wanting to shoot a deer or not liking shooting a deer. I told him that he didn't have to go deer hunting with us if he didn't want to, or he could go and just "observe" if he wanted to. He said he loved bird hunting and range shooting, just not actually shooting and killing a deer. From that point on, he seemed to hold his head a little higher during deer season, he went as an observer sometimes, but stayed home sometimes, BUT he NEVER missed a bird hunt or a trip to the range.

Just some advice/suggestion and it's free, and we all know what free advice is worth, but it worked for me at one time. I haven't seen any of those 3 kids in well over 18 years now, so I don't know if they continued with the sport, but prior to that they were very excited every fall when deer and bird hunting seasons came around.

Sounds like your future son in law has a lot of promise too!! Why not invite him to the range with you a couple of times. That ought to "hook him"!!

unclebuck,

We had that talk, or one very similar. I told her whatevet she was comfortable with and wanted to do was fine with me. I also tell her every time she comes along how much I love her company. I try to teach her a little something each time, and she really enjoys it.
I'm planning to invite all three of them to the range in the spring for a little target shooting with 22s to begin with, then take it from there. If they like that we'll take the next step and try a little trap shooting and maybe a mild rifle like a 30-30, or the 270 when they think they're ready.
Most of all, safety first though. My oldest already knows the first thing you do with any gun when you touch it is clear it first, and never to point it in anyone's direction. She knows how the accidents happen, and we discuss it everytime one comes up on the news.

au2183,

I should have known better my friend. Sounds like you've got it covered as well as anyone could and a plan to match. See!!!...that's why I didn't charge anything for that advise and those suggestions I gave!!

Seriously, it really does sound like you've got it covered with a well thought out plan. You should have several hunting/shooting partners when it's completed and a whole bunch of family fun. I wish you many years of that fun too!

Hey, GRANDPAbuck, believe it or not, I turn seven later this year. I'm just saying this as an FYI which in no way is a hope that you are getting senile in your old age and are willing to buy a Marlin for anyone sayin they are turning 7 and calling you Grandpa.


Really....







Seriously, though, great gift.