Kept a promise today and took the 5 year old grandson to the range for the first time. We'd planned to shoot the new Daisy BB rifle but it absolutely wouldn't pick up a BB and fire. Even though I didn't expect a problem with a new gun I never go out without a backup. The one I pulled out of the safe for backup was a Pat. 1913 Stevens Crack Shot along with a box of 22 shorts that I stumbled on last year during the COVID craziness of empty ammo shelves.

It was a fine day made unexpectedly special by him taking his first shots with his great great grandfather's Crack Shot and doubly exciting for him because right after this picture he broke all four balloons with four shots. On the way back to town in the "huntin' truck" he kept talking about the last balloon being blown about by the wind and how he had to shoot it while it was moving "just like I will a running deer." Oh, my!

I read your whole post with a smile on my face and broke into a chuckle at the last line in quotes! Good stuff! I hope someday he will.

Good on ‘ya.

Best,
Ted

Good luck gettin' him to take to a BB gun, now!

Great story. The kid will remember the day you taught him to take his first shots fifty years from now.

Excellent day. And I agree with Stan. You’re in it now. Ankle deep. Haha.

well, you can forget about the bb gun, now that he has been introduced to a real gun...

That is one nice lookin' lad-big for his age too. My oldest grandson (of two) got his first ever 4 point buck yesterday here in Central MI-farmlands- ued his new Kimer BA .308 with Leupold scope- one shot-one kill-- He plans on getting a European type mount, and his Mother (our gal Julie) is looking for room in the frezer for some venison. In light of dropping license sales and lowered interest in hunting of all species legal game in MI, this is a good thing. His Dad and I started him on woodchucks, he took and passed his Hunter Safety course too. RWTF

Warms a man's heart to hear of kids shooting with Great and more Grand Pas

Thanks
Mike

Amen to that one Skeettx.

Reflection always enriches an experience and that has certainly been true of this one.

Gratifying to see that our previous discussions of basic safety rules bore fruit. In the photo, the gun is unloaded (we checked), his finger is off the trigger and the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction (without a reminder). That is very gratifying.

The simple richness of sitting on the tailgate on a glorious high plains morning and wondering what Grandma packed in the snack bag for us. And then after we’ve dug in, thinking out loud about our excitement over what the morning holds.

Wondering what it says about our manufacturing quality that the 100+ year old gun saves the day when the new one lets us down.

Living in a land where we can own and freely use firearms, especially those that have been held and shot by the generations who came before. That legacy is priceless and must be preserved.

The encouraging discovery that he naturally recognized the distinct challenge of hitting a moving target. I’ll not be discouraging thoughts of “running deer” but I will be encouraging him toward the indescribable joy of shooting flying.

And the power of testimony. His Dad called on his way home from work last evening to say he’s been telling (and retelling) his family all that that special morning held.

I need not forget any of this and give thanks.

Love stories like that!