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Grandchildren and guns


Centrepin
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In view of a couple of threads about kids shooting and suitability of guns I thought I'd start this thread.

Having been shot in the calf as a young soldier by a negligent ossifer, I'm very keen, over keen some would say in gun safety. With my kids and grandchildren, zero tolerance and zero warnings once taught. Sent to sit out the remaining time in the car(no phones), It works.

Don't even start me on instructing soldiers or potential officers, suffice to say no one offends twice.

I taught my kids safety and shooting from being around 5 years. Firstly air guns, then hand guns then small bore rifles.

I make simple stands and static targets. Clays held in place by blutac, fizzy drinks in cans shook up(from a tip on here), powder paint, coloured water in plastic bottles, the list goes on. Currently my daughter is experimenting with soft, safe exploding targets. Shot at various ranges it surprising how many adults ask to have a go. It's just a little bit of fun.

The oldest grandkids also fire at moving clays now. Limited amount of cartridges, never more than 10 for the little one, 15 to 20 for the 13 year old. The 16 year old gets 25, sometimes more.

When we fired .22, 5.56, 7.62, .303, 9mm, .45,  it was mostly 30/50 yards indoor/outdoor, occasionally up to 200 yards outdoor and 30 to 50 rounds depending on calibre. Grandkids don't currently have those calibres available.

Before being allowed to fire they're taught safe handling and importantly how a gun works, if it fails, why it fails and what to do. Stripping cleaning and reassembling helps them understand the what's and whys. 

My oldest Granddaughters have both been taught by my son. Oldest at 16 shoots an O/U lefthanded 20 bore. 13 year old a right handed .410 SxS.

My 8 year old Granddaughter is not really bothered so she's not pushed but knows it's there if she wants.

My 6 year old grandson is very keen but everything is far too big....so, I asked my RFD for a .410 with a short butt suitable for him. After a few months nothing came up that met my needs. It has to be single barrel and preferably hammer. 

Last week he called me with a possibility but not a short stock. 

I purchased a .410 Cooey Model 84, single 26" barrel, 3" chamber, hammer action, ejector. Fixed full choke, I would have preferred open. Made in Canada between 1903 and 1967 they made around 1.9 million, before being taken over by Winchester and being made as Model 840 until 1980. So, loads available, cheap, spares and scrapers a plenty.

I took it out same day and fired just 10 x 2" x 9 gram 6s. Works fine, no issues, zero recoil and hardly a pop shoots straight and I hit easy clays up to about 35 yards.

Today I started the work of making it a safe, reliable, useable long term fun gun to fire.

Complete strip down and clean, fortunately no parts need replacing at this time. I'm glad the stock bolt was 7/16th (11mm if you talk europeese) and not Whitworth as I don't have small enough WW sockets in 1/4" drive.

Removed the varnish from the fore grip, easyish as is not chequered. Ironed out the dents and smoothed out the little nicks and chips. Kept trying a refit as it's easy to take off too much and be left with a poor fit. Marked the butt up for cutting and began the varnish removal. 

Hopefully this is going to be finished for Sunday, so working again tomorrow as I'm shooting Friday. 

Currently my daughter is making a custom fit, waterproof fleece lined slip for it. 

Work in progress:

 

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Edited by Centrepin
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39 minutes ago, team tractor said:

My grandad didn’t like guns but was brought up in the war so could be why. As said I wish my grandad did this for me  . 
I have fun playing around stripping and cutting about 

I too am envious, I never had grandparents or any family who shot but took my dad out as my lamp man when I was 12/13, a rabbit or two squealed as it was a windy night and I was shooting freehand with a heavy spring air rifle (TX200HC) and it traumatised him. He had nightmares that night and never came shooting again. 

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My grandad took me fishing, hunting, poaching, foraging, taught me to respect the countryside and wildlife but to live from it. Never take more than I needed to live on and always allow plants, trees and wildlife enough to re generate. If nature put it there, it's there for a reason so we take only what we need.

He also had several allotments and was a keen gardener, but that by passed me and now my daughter has taken has taken a huge plot of land that she can almost live on.

He also brewed beer and made wine, that didn't skip any generation.

When I was a school boy it wasn't uncommon for kids to be able to recognise trees, plants, herbs, wildlife in general and also tell you the uses of each and habitats.

I passed that to my kids and now to my grandkids. My daughter often accompanies the little ones on school nature walks and says its utterly outrageous that the teachers can't even name trees.

How can some one reach 30 or even 20 and not know for example that a dock leaf relieves nettle rash.

My 8 year old Granddaughter suggested to her teacher that she made a poultice from comfry for her bruised ankle and the teacher had no idea what comfry was. The school was amazed that nettles stalks can be stripped back and the fibres used as string. Leaves for tea, soup, or beer. Sap from silver birch used as sweet water for tea, drinking, or brewing.

As a nation we are losing so much of what our grandfathers took for granted as kids push their noses further into the latest computer game or watch mindless TV.

How many kids nowadays have skinned or plucked and prepared their own food? Caught, gutted and fried a trout? Mine have.

It's not rocket science and kids are empty vessels that drink in knowledge. They ask to be taken out and shown things. Building a den and playing hide and seek in the woods is the first step to camoflage and concealment. I'd like to think my grandkids could build a fair pigeon hide if they were asked. I know they can sit still enough to observe as we've watched foxes, badgers and deer from hides made from scratch.

I also had the advantage of living on a farm during the school holidays so learnt about hard dawn to dusk work and countryside values there as well.

Ramble over, got a gun to get on with.

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19 minutes ago, Centrepin said:

My grandad took me fishing, hunting, poaching, foraging, taught me to respect the countryside and wildlife but to live from it. Never take more than I needed to live on and always allow plants, trees and wildlife enough to re generate. If nature put it there, it's there for a reason so we take only what we need.

He also had several allotments and was a keen gardener, but that by passed me and now my daughter has taken has taken a huge plot of land that she can almost live on.

He also brewed beer and made wine, that didn't skip any generation.

When I was a school boy it wasn't uncommon for kids to be able to recognise trees, plants, herbs, wildlife in general and also tell you the uses of each and habitats.

I passed that to my kids and now to my grandkids. My daughter often accompanies the little ones on school nature walks and says its utterly outrageous that the teachers can't even name trees.

How can some one reach 30 or even 20 and not know for example that a dock leaf relieves nettle rash.

My 8 year old Granddaughter suggested to her teacher that she made a poultice from comfry for her bruised ankle and the teacher had no idea what comfry was. The school was amazed that nettles stalks can be stripped back and the fibres used as string. Leaves for tea, soup, or beer. Sap from silver birch used as sweet water for tea, drinking, or brewing.

As a nation we are losing so much of what our grandfathers took for granted as kids push their noses further into the latest computer game or watch mindless TV.

How many kids nowadays have skinned or plucked and prepared their own food? Caught, gutted and fried a trout? Mine have.

It's not rocket science and kids are empty vessels that drink in knowledge. They ask to be taken out and shown things. Building a den and playing hide and seek in the woods is the first step to camoflage and concealment. I'd like to think my grandkids could build a fair pigeon hide if they were asked. I know they can sit still enough to observe as we've watched foxes, badgers and deer from hides made from scratch.

I also had the advantage of living on a farm during the school holidays so learnt about hard dawn to dusk work and countryside values there as well.

Ramble over, got a gun to get on with.

hello, nice post centrepin

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Just before Xmas we were looking after two of our granddaughters for the weekend,  one of them had homework to do on nutrition and digestion...she's 7

went onto the Moss to my mates barn where there are a couple of barn owls

got a load of owl pellets. Soaked overnight then dissected in the morning

she then rocked up,at school,Monday morning with a big board tha she had glued all the skulls, jawbones etc on and written a little story about each. She even found a chart on tinternet about identifying the bones. Teacher didn't even know about Owl,pellets   GAnddaughter  very proud and smug......rightly so

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47 minutes ago, Centrepin said:

My grandad took me fishing, hunting, poaching, foraging, taught me to respect the countryside and wildlife but to live from it. Never take more than I needed to live on and always allow plants, trees and wildlife enough to re generate. If nature put it there, it's there for a reason so we take only what we need.

He also had several allotments and was a keen gardener, but that by passed me and now my daughter has taken has taken a huge plot of land that she can almost live on.

He also brewed beer and made wine, that didn't skip any generation.

When I was a school boy it wasn't uncommon for kids to be able to recognise trees, plants, herbs, wildlife in general and also tell you the uses of each and habitats.

I passed that to my kids and now to my grandkids. My daughter often accompanies the little ones on school nature walks and says its utterly outrageous that the teachers can't even name trees.

How can some one reach 30 or even 20 and not know for example that a dock leaf relieves nettle rash.

My 8 year old Granddaughter suggested to her teacher that she made a poultice from comfry for her bruised ankle and the teacher had no idea what comfry was. The school was amazed that nettles stalks can be stripped back and the fibres used as string. Leaves for tea, soup, or beer. Sap from silver birch used as sweet water for tea, drinking, or brewing.

As a nation we are losing so much of what our grandfathers took for granted as kids push their noses further into the latest computer game or watch mindless TV.

How many kids nowadays have skinned or plucked and prepared their own food? Caught, gutted and fried a trout? Mine have.

It's not rocket science and kids are empty vessels that drink in knowledge. They ask to be taken out and shown things. Building a den and playing hide and seek in the woods is the first step to camoflage and concealment. I'd like to think my grandkids could build a fair pigeon hide if they were asked. I know they can sit still enough to observe as we've watched foxes, badgers and deer from hides made from scratch.

I also had the advantage of living on a farm during the school holidays so learnt about hard dawn to dusk work and countryside values there as well.

Ramble over, got a gun to get on with.

The western world is urbanised now, no need or want for any of the above when everything comes via ocado, deliveroo, uber and satellite.

22 minutes ago, Diver One said:

Just before Xmas we were looking after two of our granddaughters for the weekend,  one of them had homework to do on nutrition and digestion...she's 7

went onto the Moss to my mates barn where there are a couple of barn owls

got a load of owl pellets. Soaked overnight then dissected in the morning

she then rocked up,at school,Monday morning with a big board tha she had glued all the skulls, jawbones etc on and written a little story about each. She even found a chart on tinternet about identifying the bones. Teacher didn't even know about Owl,pellets   GAnddaughter  very proud and smug......rightly so

Excellent.

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29 minutes ago, Diver One said:

Just before Xmas we were looking after two of our granddaughters for the weekend,  one of them had homework to do on nutrition and digestion...she's 7

went onto the Moss to my mates barn where there are a couple of barn owls

got a load of owl pellets. Soaked overnight then dissected in the morning

she then rocked up,at school,Monday morning with a big board tha she had glued all the skulls, jawbones etc on and written a little story about each. She even found a chart on tinternet about identifying the bones. Teacher didn't even know about Owl,pellets   GAnddaughter  very proud and smug......rightly so

That's the way it should be, a proper education and using the tinterweb for something useful. Things they'll remember. Teachers amazed at things they should have at least a basic knowledge of. Kids chuffed because it's something new and they're a step ahead of the class. I wonder how many other kids can take in a jaw bone or skull or a shedded snake skin. At least your grandkids know that food doesn't come in blister packs from a non descript supermarket. 

 

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I had a very similar upbringing from my Granddad as Centrepin by the sounds of it, and feel extremely privileged to have done so. Luckily my Dad also shoots so there has never been a shortage of air rifle pellets and. 410 cartridges from when I big enough to hold them. I'm trying to do the same with my 2 children, but my fear is when they discover smartphones etc they will lose interest but fingers crossed!

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Step daughter has no real interest in the countryside, she's very faddy in general really. She knows more than a lot of her friends about where food comes from because I've either grown it, killed it or butchered it. Even with the sheep she's got no real interest, she likes to look at the baby lambs in the shed but has never shown any interest in getting involved with lambing or learning about them. Her life centres around youtube! And when we get her back on an even keel it's time for her weekend with her dad again who has no hobbies or interests short of spending money and eating out. I'm hoping our little 14month old takes an interest. I love taking people out and showing them stuff that's in plain sight that they can't see because they've never looked. Mrs BTJ had never seen a litter of fox cubs until she met me. Or deer unless they stepped out into the road. Unfortunately we're moving further and further away from the real world.

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My eldest son (25) is really into his shooting and is lucky enough to have access to a shoot in Scotland where he's not yet failed to make a kill. Problem is that he brings back chunks of animal and expects me to butcher it. The end result is generally nothing like anything you'd see in a butchers shop!

The other lad (23) is very much into his rugby but comes with me on the clays occasionally. Our 16 year old daughter was accidentally introduced to "how to wring a chickens neck" at the tender age of three. (Much worse than that in reality because my son tugged a little too hard, head come off, blood everywhere...). Didn't seem to do her any lasting harm and she's very aware that the meat she loves to eat comes from those cute things that wander around fields.

But we are lucky in that we live in the countryside. I have no idea how we expose and educate the youngsters in the towns and cities if we are to stand any chance of preserving the country ways of life. Sad.

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2 hours ago, WestonSalop said:

Our 16 year old daughter was accidentally introduced to "how to wring a chickens neck" at the tender age of three. (Much worse than that in reality because my son tugged a little too hard, head come off, blood everywhere...). Didn't seem to do her any lasting harm and she's very aware that the meat she loves to eat comes from those cute things that wander around fields.

I was walking the dogs over Christmas and spotted a widgeon in a small marl pit that had clearly been pricked by someone on the marsh in the morning flight. It was in distress so I sent the dogs to pick it up out of the water and bring it back to me for dispatch. Quickly dealt with, my 1 year old had his first lesson in wild game. Doubt he will grow up to be too squeamish! 

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This is what we should be doing with the kids. My grandkids often bring me stuff from the allotment they've grown and are really proud of. Often it doesn't get to the cooker as we walk round munching on green beans, peas, stubby carrots and fresh mint. We have fresh strawberries if we manage to get them home and when the blackberries and raspberries are out we have crumbles, pies, jams, tarts, and some for wine. This year they planted and are nurturing a gooseberry bush for next season. We sank an old bath into the ground and are encouraging frogs, next year  we'll  have frog spawn and tadpoles. I acquired an old IBC container, cut off the top, cleaned it out, mounted it on some pallets and filled it with water. They've now got an outdoor swimming pool and my daughter has water for the plants. We've built dens and hides, put up hammocks, made mud slides and have mud fights. They come home filthy dirty, looking like poor orphans from Victorian times, but happy and far too tired from playing in the fresh air to worry about who's on strictly no talent.

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Today's efforts so far on the Cooey.

Boil washed then white spirited the metal parts, dryed and currently soaking in WD40 prior to drying and reassembling.

Cut down the stock, measure twice, cut once ringing in my ears from my late father in law.

Rubbed down and prepared all the wood. 

Fitted a plate and using Land Rover special tool number 2(angle grinder) roughed it to size. First with a file and then sand paper, made it fit. Removed it and re sanded the stock. 

Applied the first coat of wood stain and it's now stood drying while I'm about to take my afternoon nap.

 

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Taught my son and then his four kids to shoot, fish and to drive.   Lucky to have the space because I was a part time keeper with a very understanding farmer.

My other son wasn't interested.

Eldest Grandson got married last year.   He publicly thanked me, during his wedding reception speech, for me teaching him all these things and taking him camping.   He is now a sergeant in the RAF.   I interrupted him to point out that I had also taught him how to do the paperwork.   Wiping his backside afterwards...

Got a good laugh from his mates and his wife added that he had forgotten how to do it!

We didn't go into more details on that one.

Now I have a Great Grandson coming up.   Here we go again.

Very good post Centrepin and I did it pretty much the same way as you. 

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We have 6 granddaughters and one grandson aging from 1 to 9. I would love nothing more than one of them to take an interest in shooting or Diving but I am leaving it up to them to ask....prob ab bit young at moment

our youngest daughter would have been the youngest qualified Diver in Europe BUT her Open water qualifying dives clashed with a horsey competition she was in. Somtye diving came second. Wasn't bothered about doing it following weekend and didn't actually get her ticket for a further 12/13 years!   But I Have got her eldest (4) swimming 10m along bottom of pool on one breath!!!!

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6 hours ago, Benthejockey said:

Step daughter has no real interest in the countryside, she's very faddy in general really. She knows more than a lot of her friends about where food comes from because I've either grown it, killed it or butchered it. Even with the sheep she's got no real interest, she likes to look at the baby lambs in the shed but has never shown any interest in getting involved with lambing or learning about them. Her life centres around youtube! And when we get her back on an even keel it's time for her weekend with her dad again who has no hobbies or interests short of spending money and eating out. I'm hoping our little 14month old takes an interest. I love taking people out and showing them stuff that's in plain sight that they can't see because they've never looked. Mrs BTJ had never seen a litter of fox cubs until she met me. Or deer unless they stepped out into the road. Unfortunately we're moving further and further away from the real world.

I’m the same with my boy. His mum leaves him on YouTube for days and I mean days and then becomes dependent on it and won’t switch it off.

ill have on my weekend and start to get some where and boom it’s mums time . 

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