Teaching kids, trigger question

[DDustin]

I have 3 girls ages 4,8, and 10. When I take them to the range they cant really shoot anything other than prone supported and still have issues with length of pull and seeing the sights. So I'm building an ultra light AR to double as a backup/ loaner 3 gun rifle but primarily as their training rifle. Obviously the 10 year old is the one doing the actual training, the 4 and 8 year old are just basically doing assisted trigger pulling. So far I plan on using an ACE stock, Adams Arms Ultra light 16in barrel with their lightened carrier and a Lancer 16.5" carbon fiber handguard.

My question is, when training a new, young shooter, is it best to go with a light weight match trigger like the Hiperfire, a 2 stage match with some play like the Super 3 Gun or a heavy gritty factory trigger. I have all three which is why it's so specific. I personally learned on crappy mil triggers which helped me appreciate a good trigger and in my opinion shoot faster once I went light weight, but I also wasn't 10.

Any other tips on teaching sight alignment, stance, and marksmanship to tiny people would be appreciated as well.

Thanks a lot

Dustin

[LilBunniFuFu]

I would highly recommend hitting up an Appleseed shoot if you have any that come to your area.

Usually done with .22's but you can use 223 if your range permits.

Good luck with the little ones.

They are the future of our sports.

[Dranoel]

Just curious.... Why teach them on an AR instead of a good .22 youth rifle?

[DDustin]

I've considered Appleseed but they seem more adult/teen oriented. I think at least while they're this young it might be best for me to give them most of their instruction. I think 12-15 might be good for appleseed.

I've also heard some negative stuff about Appleseeds training program not being great and being centered around completing the old 80s era marksmanship test as opposed to teaching good positions and marksmanship techniques. I haven't been personally it's just what I've read.

Any opinions on the trigger?

[DDustin]

Just curious.... Why teach them on an AR instead of a good .22 youth rifle?

It's what I have (I won a new lower and have tons of extra parts), also it's "America's rifle" and I have no real source for .22s. But mainly I want them to learn to manage some recoil. .22 is too close to just shooting a bb gun. I learned in black powder musket matches, by the time I switched to .223, recoil managment was cake.

[Springer]

Both of my kids (8 boy & 10 girl) started out on a cricket .22 for about 6-8 months and then steped up to whatever ar I had at the time. I found witht the adjustable stock they were able to get a good shooting position. They both strated shooting at the age of 4 and have been shooting ever since. My 8 yo son is now shoooting my limited Glock 35. He will start shooting USPSA next year, just trying to decide on the pistol for him. My 10 yo daughter dosen't shoot as much anymore as she is now into girly things, but when she does she can put three rounds within a quarter at 50 yards with my ar.

The crcket is nice to strat n but they got bored with the single shot so when they got their 10/22 they progressed faster as they were having more fun. I started having them shoot for score againist one another and the competition help them focus. My son now attends matches with me every weekend and the ROs usually let him shoot a classifer for fun, just pisses some of the other shooters off when he is faster and more accurate, He has to pick up the brass and paste targets to earn the chance to shoot the classifer. He is even figuring out how he would shoot each stage as some of the other shooter will walk him through the stage and give him tips.

Best thing is I get to spend time with my kids doing something I love and passing it on to them.

[DDustin]

I tried starting them off with a 22 last summer but 22 ammo tried up. They can't seem to keep a stable standing position with any of my standard caliber rifles. I can't imagine them using a full caliber pistol, but that may be just my own nervousness. How did you get them to be able to hold and handle the recoil of the pistol and AR?