Teaching a Teenager to Hunt/Shoot

So I have been dating a girl for a while and am now to the point of getting to know and connect with her 14 year old son. Lucky for me he loves guns but has never been hunting and only shot a shotgun a few times. So what better way to connect right? I typically hunt, dove, deer and hog with the occasional rabbit and other such varmint. I hunt with a Remington 700 in .270. I also learned to shoot from my dad on a .22 and then the Army did the rest.

My question is what rifle and caliber would you suggest to teach this young man to shoot on, with out breaking the bank or buying something entry level and realizing the kid doesn't actually like shooting and I am stuck with an entry level rifle. As well it has the knock-down power to do some hunting in South Texas.

As well is there anything I should teach differently or approach differently due to his age?

For a start, take him to the range and let him shoot your 270 and see if he likes that!!! My first rifle was a 6mm Remington and I still take it on hunts sometimes!!!

Without breaking the bank, teach him w/.22 since he has never shot anything but a shotgun. Get the fundamentals down such as breathing, trigger control, aiming to name a few. Once both of you feel comfortable then try the .270 or maybe buy a Rossi rifle chambered in a 243. They are fairly low priced.

Sound advice concerning range day's and .22's, always a good time. Also look into accompanying him to a Hunters Safety course, pretty good bonding time and heck if you are like me and a little gray around the edges a refresher never hurt right? ;-)

This ^^^^^^

.22s are cheap and you can practice, practice, practice. Once he shows good mastery, let him shoot the .270. You won't need another gun for a while because he should be hunting with you until he proves he can adequately kill without needing supervision.

Actually, I'd start with a pellet BB gun. You don't have to go anywhere special to do it, there is no noise to speak of and minimal investment. I always try to start people with open sites and I remain convinced the Marine Corps had it right. You really learn to shoot and the cause and effect with iron sights. Then using a scope is a piece of cake. I did it that way with my sons and all 3 are good marksmen.
Good Luck!

I would say a .22 would be a good place to start. Single shot. Go to a pawn shop and pick out something used to train him with.

I like the pellet gun idea. Also I think practice is needed. I think way to many people see a chance to take a person hunting with no experience, give them a gun and a shot at an animal. I would make them practice, learn to shoot, then where to shoot animals, and also like the hunter ed idea along with iron sights.

That's the beauty of the pellet gun, you can practice almost anywhere. Heck with some of the pellet guns on the market today you can squirrel and rabbit hunt as well as you can with a .22, ammo is plentiful and cheap.

Start him on a pellet gun or 22lr if you have firearm shooting facilities convenient. Once he demonstrates mastery of SAFETY and skills for accurate shooting and has completed hunter-safety course, get him on a .243 (savage brand with accutrigger - they are plenty accurate) & economical and (the potential wife) can shoot it too. Let the kiddo work up, and give him something to look forward to. Start him on small game, and work up to deer/hog.

Yup! just don't fall asleep

Sounds like someone with experience in this.

I agree on getting a Savage with the accutrigger, once he graduates to that level of hunting/shooting. They're great guns, go for about $550 with a 3X9 scope and are available in multiple calibers. At 14 years old now, he should be big enough to handle a caliber bigger than .243 (nothing against the .243, though) that may be more versatile for larger game. I agree with all the advice to first start with a pellet gun and .22, too. Good luck and enjoy the experience to bond over the outdoors with the young man.

X3

It would also allow for some friendly competition between the three of you. My wife, daughters, and SIL's had a blast after Christmas dinner trying to see who would be the first to shoot a BB into the top opening of a plastic Dr. Pepper bottle with my old Crossman.

I agree on the open sights. Start on that to learn to shoot and a scope is a piece of cake. I started on an old pump action .22 with open sights after the BB gun with open sights. Kind of like learning to drive on a stick, after that you can drive dang near anything. I started my son with a .22 and a scope. He is a good shot, took 2 deer this year at 10, but part of me wishes that I had a .22 with open sights so he could see that there is a little more involved in shooting.

I would start him off with a .22 and a BB gun to plink with. Heck, I still like sitting around plinking with a BB gun. I think that starting him off with the .270 is a bit much and he is liable to shy away from shooting, plus it is much cheaper to shoot other calibers. Once he shows proficiency, graduate him to a .257, .243, 25-06 or even the .270.

When I learned, it was with a .22, then a pellet gun, then a 30-30. When I taught my niece, it was pellet gun, .22, then a .243.

Don't think there is a wrong way to do it as much as there are a lot of right ways. Good luck and make sure you both enjoy it.

how big of a 14 yr old is he? I got my first rifle around that age. It was a Remington 742 in 30.06. No recoil pad. I was about 135 lbs soaking wet. I'd get a caliber you would like in case things don't work out. Another .270 so you can share ammo wouldn't be a terrible idea. .308, 30.06, etc are also good choices. Unless he's on the small side, I wouldn't go with a lighter caliber such as .243 or .223.

X2 on the .22. My son and daughter started their training yesterday. My old 10-22 with a cheap ole tasco scope. Just to get them into the groove. I think my daughter can group

As for teaching a kid how to hunt, it really begins by teaching them about deer behavior and how to identify deer sign. While the deer woods are full of it, most kids today have probably never seen a rub or scrape, much less understand why deer make them.

Basic woodsmanship is another "must have" if the goal is to provide a more comprehensive approach at teaching what they need to know to fill an ice chest. The ability to read and use a compass comes in handy when it's time to head into the woods to track a deer that was obviously hit a half hour earlier. It's truly sad that many kids today equate hunting skills to nothing more than riding an ATV to a box stand and watching a feeder for hours on end.

The good news is that weekend trips during the off season with both mother and son provide great opportunities to teach such things.

Start of on a low caliber. First rifle I ever shot was a .22 lever action with a friends dad and I was hooked! Unfortunately, I didn't get to fire my next rifle until I was 20, I fired a friends .243 and .270. I shot the .243 much better because I didn't flinch at all with the low recoil.

My brother shoots a 30-06, and I do not like to shoot it at all. I am a bit recoil shy, but I do not have a flinch (that I know of). Teach him proper technique with a low recoil rifle, thats my opinion.

Any in .22lr
Or better yet
CZ rifle in 7.62x39

Start him off with a .22 and or a pellet rifle.
Also be sure he is aiming with his correct eye. Use an eye patch if needed.
Do not make the mistake of letting him shoot a rifle that's going kick him like a mule.

I started with a Benjamin air rifle when I was 8. We didn't really have a good .22, but I shot the one we had some, and also shot a 20ga some. Eventually shot my dad's .243 and when I started hunting solo at age 11 I had my own .243. I learned on iron sights and still like to shoot guns with iron sights today when plinking/hunting close.

This is how I learned to shoot and taught my daughter to shoot as well. I started her shooting the pellet gun at about 6 and let her start shooting the 22 at 9. She has never missed an animal all one shot kills. Her first center fire rifle was a 270 and she was never bothered at all by the jump up to it from the 22. First buck kill 175 yards DRT.

I started with a single pump Daisy BB gun. I started my son off the same way with a little nicer BB gun.
Its a natural progression that pays off

Thanks for all of the advice. He is about 5'6 and a solid 160. Plays football and such so I think he is big enough to handle a larger rifle but may not like the kick. He is into airsoft and from the few times I have seen him in the back yard he isn't half bad. He needs some real coaching on some of the basics which is what I am looking to do before taking him out with me and my hunting buddies. I am not sure how ballistically true an airsoft gun is, but my assumption is it must be close to the same thing as a BB gun.

I may look at the .22 and start him there. I was going to take him to the range and let him shoot everything I have, or everything I can fit in the truck, and see how he takes to it. He has this grand idea of growing up to be a Navy Seal so I may have my hands full. We all know Army guys shoot better than any one from the Navy

This. I think a .22 pellet gun would be a better option though.