To those that think the .45ACP is difficult to handle

[NoGo]

http://www.hunt101.com/img/327584.jpg
My eldest daughter, age 7. Hammering away at steel plates with my (Hers now) Kimber, running 230gr LRN over 5.5gr of 231.

We skipped right past the 9mm and started with 185gr SWC's over light loads of Bullseye or 231. She's pretty accurate now, but 7 year old arms fatigue pretty quickly, so we limit it to short sessions and take fishing breaks in a nearby stock pond to keep it all fun.

[Goober35]

LOL the pistol is as big as her fore arm. Nice timing on the picture. I love shooting my 45 but my G/F wont even tought it.

[OUSooner]

Great pic NoGo! Is that your land, if so where about's is it? The cows in the background don't seem to be fazed.;f

[larry starling]

Wow, The young boy's better watch out when she get's older.....;a

[quantico]

Excellent job raising a daughter that will be able to have some fun and take care of herself .... I will be sharing your picture with my 12 year old daughter .... I took her to the range yesterday and she was not interested in shooting herself... but at least got to see what it is about. That gun looks huge on her...

what was the first gun that you started her on ??? and how did you make the range experience fun for her ??? What distance did you start her shooting ??? just curious ... thanks

[Jim Watson]

I shot the IDPA Nationals yesterday on squad with a 13 year old girl; our club pharmacist's daughter. In a complete reversal of the conventional wisdom for picking handguns for females and the young, SHE shoots the .45 ACP, Dad goes with the .38 revolver. Just neat. (Do kids say "neat" these days?)

[NoGo]

OUSooner- Not my land. A friend has a section (640ac) out past Binger and built a 0-400+ yard range. Worth the drive for a quiet & safe place to shoot.

Quantico- All of my daughters have been around guns (Literally) from birth. Gunsmithing projects are ideal when at home, taking care of a newborn. As such, they've helped me clean, visit while reloading, etc..

I let my two oldest, currently 4 and 7, shoot a pellet rifle at balloons and whatever targets I hang out behind the barn. It's a good start, since they rely on me to cock it and help aim. They started at 3 with the pellet rifle, 4 with a .22 rifle- iron sights first, then scope, 5-6'ish for pistols and by 7, my oldest was easily ready for the .45. She likes it better than the lightweight .40's.

Still, it takes very close supervision to keep it safe. Repeating the rules of firearm safety over and over on the way to the range helps, but I still load/ cock and manipulate safeties then hand the pistols to them from behind. Rifles are easier, since they rest on a table and are less likely to be swung around and swept at someone. The key being to hover close enough to prevent/catch safety issues before they cause problems.

With SA rifles/ pistols I start with 1 round followed by a snap cap per mag. Then after they get the hang of it, 3-5 rounds per mag. Occasionally mix in snap caps to check for flinches. Hand loading soft recoiling loads help to reduce flinching.

Well fitting safety glasses and T shirts (Not as in the pic) help to prevent hot brass related burns and gun dropping. Kid sized ear muffs are a must. My kids won't tolerate ear plugs.

[Freeze N]

Haveing grown up in Oklahoma and living there for 28 years, nice to see some RED DIRT!
Excellent pic of you daughter. Hope you have many good times together.

[Make Mine a .45]

Good job NoGo!

I know a few manly men, who need to see this....and will!

It would be really cool if you could post a short video clip of her shooting.

Sounds like you have a pretty cool kid there.

[Brian Dover]

You've mentioned this "club pharmacist" before. Man, my gun club doesn't even have a bartender...:)

[freepatriot]

Very excellent.

[pesticidal]

Cool!

[misskitty5077]

Great! :) :) :)

[MOHAA Player]

Originally posted by NoGo
[B]http://www.hunt101.com/img/327584.jpg

When someone messes with NoGo he gets his daughter after them;f

[proguncali]

^c^c^c^c

My son who is 8 is dying to shoot the pistols. I guess we might give it a shot....

[quantico]

Originally posted by Brian Dover
You've mentioned this "club pharmacist" before. Man, my gun club doesn't even have a bartender...:)

I think I must ask how much dues cost ???? A club needs a pharmacist to compete these days... what with the internet and all ;Q