This is a general question for you younger hunters or parents. I am curious to learn when was the first time your child shot there first weapon. And what was it? I have a 5 year old girl who will be 6 in June. She loves the out doors and wants to go on a hunt with me, She has never shot a gun yet and i am thinking about getting her a little 22 rifle. What would you recommend. As a first rifle? i was even considering getting a bb / pellet gun.

I have 3 year old boy (as you can tell from picture) and although he is still little too young, I would suggest BB gun first for your child

I would suggest a 22. That is the first gun that i got when i was that age.

definitly go with a bb gun. i first shot a bow when i was 3(it was the tiniest bow ever but it got the job done) also when i was 3 i started shootin bb guns. also prolly about the same age my dad would take me in his 2-man treestand and i would sit with him(never saw anything, i wonder why) it was alla mistake cuz now im obsessed with guns and hunting and all that good stuff lol.

My husband started me off witha Beretta Bobcat. That's a little semi-auto pistol that fires .22 LR. It's very small and easy to handle. I had a blast with it. After I got used to it and developed some skill, he moved me up to a CZ 75 Kadett. Same size and weight as a CZ75 but .22LR instead of 9mm. I loved it. Next came a NEF .22 single shot.

I love shooting. One thing I'm grateful for is that he let me start out really small so I didn't experience any pain from shooting.

One thing to keep in mind. Heavier guns have less recoil. My favorite rifle is a .50 caliber Hawken style muzzleloader. Quite heavy but very accurate (up to about 75 yards) and almost no recoil.

We'll let Miriam start as soon as she shows an interest and can reliably follow instructions.