As I was shooting out about 300 yards my then 8 year old daughter came from behind the line of fire with her ear protection on and eye protection. She sat and listened to me shooting and kept hearing the ping of the bullet hitting the steel targets. She began asking me questions on how I was doing that from “so far away” which opened up a whole flood of questions to the point that I looked at her and said “Madeline, is this something you would like to do?” she responded with an immediate “yes dad I do”. So, I began my daughters journey into long range precision shooting and I immediately began looking for a solid build rimfire rifle for her. The only stipulation was “dad it has to be a pretty one” parents do whatever it takes to get your children involved in our wonderful sport.

Now, while I was shopping for the perfect rifle setup I kept in mind that if she did not like it that I would simply use it as a trainer for my long range practice. It is always good to buy a firearm that can serve multiple purposes an opposed to just one. So, we took to the internet and I gave her full control of all the options to build her the rifle of her dreams so she felt heavily involved. We decided on a Rigid Alloy chassis for a Savage .22 magnum heavy barrel stainless and a Mueller stainless scope. I also allowed her to pick out the stock which was an Odin works Zulu as well as the pistol grip which was a Venom Defense Rebel grip.

So, the wait began as we ordered everything together at once and she began her little happy dance knowing that she would be shooting beside her daddy soon. Finally, everything arrived and I patiently waited for her to get off the school bus and we assembled the rifle together. She wasn’t quite happy yet and I asked her what it was lacking and she says to me “daddy it needs more color”. So, I contacted my friend Chris of CJ’S Hydro Dipping and she chose the American Flags pattern and I paid to have it hydro-dipped. The end result actually came on her birthday and she was absolutely floored as soon as she seen it.

I gave it a few days to cure and then I had her assistance in assembling the rifle again I wanted her to be as hands on as possible so she knew the ins and outs. I did this for a reason it was because I wanted her to feel special and deeply involved in the process. You have to remember these are children and the more important you make them feel the more effort they will put in to making you proud. The end result after we assembled it was nothing short of a masterpiece in every way. She was so proud the she did extra chores just for more ammo to practice with it almost brought a tear to my eye seeing her put in so much effort into this.

Now just to be clear I am not saying to start your child off with a high dollar build like I did. I merely involved her in the build process to make her feel special so she will relate more and be a bit more dedicated. If you have an old reliable rimfire collecting dust in your closet let them put some stickers on it or find a way to let them personalize it to make it theirs. The pride of ownership is what is going to connect them to this rifle so let them make it theirs so they will take care of it and enjoy shooting. We have to find ways to connect our youth to our second amendment views and society.

First day on the range I did a quick zero on the optic just to get her on paper it was much easier that way. Once I got a very solid and tight group I let her start shooting and I may have had to make a few clicks to adjust but other than that she was dead on. Although this was just a 25 yard zero she was already hooked completely the smiles and laughter of pure enjoyment completely consumed her. She proceeded to ask me to step back another 10 yards at a time and she must of went through a complete 500 round case in about 2 hours. However, the further we got away the less interested she became because she was just shooting paper targets at the time.

So, after she consistently hit at the 100 yd mark on paper I made the decision to go over to the longer range with the steel targets. This is when she became instantly motivated with the *pings* of the steel and really started to excel. Steel targets provide an instant gratification and I highly recommend them for teaching children at a safe distance. Once I introduced Madeline to steel targets at further distance it was game on for her, she took to steel targets very well. She would shoot a 2” target and rejoice in such happiness that she would turn around in excitement after every shot.

Still, to this date she keeps asking me to keep taking steps back and that is what it all boils down to is the willingness to challenge yourself and keep taking steps back. We made choices for the future when we built this rimfire rifle I chose a bolt action so that she could be involved in every step. She loads her own magazines and inserts them all by herself under my supervision the lining up of the shot and actual trigger pull is all on her with her talent and honed skill. The skill in her may be considered natural as she has been watching me do it for years but her drive is something she created and is working on perfecting. The child must put forth the effort to continue harnessing their skill but making them comfortable and happy is a major part of that so build the rifle together and include them.

Presently, Madeline and I are at 150 yards still on the same 2” steel target. We kept taking steps back as she got comfortable and she keeps harnessing a great skill. The enjoyment as a father has been unparalleled almost to the point of bringing tears to this fathers eyes as she out shoots grown men. This journey is certainly incomplete as she wants to double her progress in the next 6 months to 300 yards and keep going. Give this opportunity a shot because it only happens once in a lifetime parents, do not let your children down.