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What Guns Do Your Kids Like?

wmg1299

wmg1299

Professional
For Father's Day, I decided to kill two birds with one stone. We went to visit my wife's parents at their land in East Texas. She got to spend time with her dad while my sons and I went outside for a day of shooting.

My sons (16 and 13 years old) are athletic kids who have been playing Call of Duty with their friends online for years. Given this background, I was sure they would love my AR-15's and striker-fired polymer semi-autos. To my surprise, the 16 year-old's favorite handgun was my old Taurus PT92 with walnut grips, and his favorite rifle was an old Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle. He has liked revolvers since he first started shooting at age 7, but I assumed he liked them because he enjoys engineering and he could see/feel more of how revolvers work than he could with a semi-auto. Apparently, his Grandfather's old S&W Highway Patrolman revolver is still one of his all-time favorites. My youngest also likes revolvers, and both of my boys like shooting my Henry and Marlin lever-action rifles.

Do any of your kids/teens prefer classic models to modern semi-autos and sporting rifles? Both of my boys seem drawn to older wood and blued steel guns of all types. I love those guns too, but I was surprised to see younger shooters preferring them to everything they see on TV and in video games.
 
BBF6CB43-5DE0-4FBD-BC91-A7F1A9A9E6E5.jpeg

This is one of my boys favorite set up’s supplied by Air Force.
 
My daughter loves the .300BO pistol for hogs. She’ll snag that from the gun case in a nanosecond.
She also declares the Sig X5 Max pistol as “hers”.

My son likes the Steyr AUG and my Springfield .45. He’ll shoot the Barrett .50 cal every chance he gets though
 
Going from oldest to youngest
1. 300wm (Bolt), no favorite as of yet on AR's, 40s&w (xmd precision)
2. hasn't shot any yet, 308win (an AR I built), hasn't decided
3. hasn't shot any yet, s&w 5.56, 357sig (p226)
4. hasn't shot any yet, 10mm (mec-tech), 10mm (g40)
5 and 6 hasn't shot any yet. Haven't had time to take them.

As far as game guns........
I can't keep up with which is there go to load out. 2nd oldest bring up the 6.8ACR. I do have 2 in that cartridge and will let him have a go with it soon.
 
My boys like shooting all of my gun. Of course their favorites are usually the ones they are most accurate with. My youngest especially likes shooting this because accuracy is really not essential for enjoyment. If you like guns!
firing M60.jpg
 
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Being a city slicker, I have SW, Colt and Springfield of which my boy never took an interest in my firearms and never was a bit curious either - or in cops n’ robbers, cowboys n‘ injuns, GI Joe bazookas, squirts guns, cap guns, nerfs, BB’s or even sling shots.
Later on he eventually sought the need for a 9mm EDC when he became and adult owing a small business and chose Sig Sauer.

One thing that I did find with youth today, and you may hear them clamor when passing by a group, is that their interest in guns and the influence comes from what they seen on cable television and Hollywood (what you say, McConaughey). I don’t ever recall kids today yearning for those that The Lone Ranger or Harry Callahan carried.
I never seen A Christmas Story and wonder…have they cancelled or edited out Ralphie’s Daisy scenes yet?
 
Area52 said:
Being a city slicker, I have SW, Colt and Springfield of which my boy never took an interest in my firearms and never was a bit curious either - or in cops n’ robbers, cowboys n‘ injuns, GI Joe bazookas, squirts guns, cap guns, nerfs, BB’s or even sling shots.
Later on he eventually sought the need for a 9mm EDC when he became and adult owing a small business and chose Sig Sauer.

One thing that I did find with youth today, and you may hear them clamor when passing by a group, is that their interest in guns and the influence comes from what they seen on cable television and Hollywood (what you say, McConaughey). I don’t ever recall kids today yearning for those that The Lone Ranger or Harry Callahan carried.
I never seen A Christmas Story and wonder…have they cancelled or edited out Ralphie’s Daisy scenes yet?
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I felt the same way, but many of the teens I'm exposed to today are showing to be quite different. I'm old and broken know, but I was a decent grappler in my younger days and had a few pro fights in the early days of MMA. One of the other dads in the neighborhood is still fighting in the UFC, so they brought the two of us in as volunteer coaches for the wrestling team.

I do not know if this only applies to athletes who like to challenge themselves, but the kids I work with have almost an anti-tech bias in many areas of their lives. They love their phones, and probably play some games, but they seem to desire an escape from tech in other aspects of their lives.

I have been blessed with a good job and live in an upper-middle class neighborhood. There are only two categories of vehicle that the neighborhood kids want to drive. The first group of kids (usually the girls, but some guys) want a high-end European passenger car or small SUV. The other group wants an older (2000's or earlier) Jeep or pickup. The weird thing is that the 1998 Dodge Ram pickup or 2002 Jeep Wrangler is considered equally as cool as the $70,000 Audi in the school parking lot.

I worry that we may have lost the generation currently in their 20's and 30's, but there is a glimmer of hope in some of the current teenagers. I'm just trying to figure out if it is only with the kids I meet who are looking to challenge themselves and have a desire to compete, or if it is starting to show up in other teens as well.
 
“I worry that we may have lost the generation currently in their 20's and 30's”

Don’t give up on us too soon. I’m 35 and the wife is a couple years younger. I’ve been shooting most of my life. She’s a late bloomer that came around after we got married burt owns, shoots and carries her own handgun. We have a 5yr old and a 7 year old that will begin shooting with us by the end of the year. Shooters our age may be less common but we are still out here.
 
None of my kids, when they were little, liked the larger boomsticks, but they will shoot .22 LR from a rifle or pistol any day of the week. The loudest and most dangerous one they tolerate is .38 Special out of my Taurus Model 65.

The older they get, the more tolerant they become. The 3 oldest all carry and shoot anything from 9mm to .45 ACP.
 
In a word .22’s.

Anything center fire was too loud and muzzle blast wasn’t a hit either. Now they certainly liked the “gangsta” look of the SIG‘s and a few hero pics were always appreciated.

My grandkid is ate full up with hunting, trapping, fishing, but. He has so little interest in “hunting rifles”, it’s all black rifle. I’m good with it pretty much. As a kid all I knew was SAA Colts, and Winchester lever actions, John Wayne. I have one of each now, appreciate what they are and represent.
 
Older son loves his dog, kayaking, photography and cooking. No interest in firearms at all.
Younger son is a decorated marksman in the Air Force with commendations in proficiency and target acquisition from helicopters. Radio call sign Hawk.
 
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