hunting vise question

jr23

Button Buck
ok i have what may be a dumb question. I have never shot out of a sled before. always just used sand bags to sight in. My question is this my daughter is 8 and loves to go hunt with me. I would love to teach her to shoot this year. so im looking for a shooting sled that will take away the majority of the reciol and one i could potentially put in a blind and let her hunt this year. Is this a legit question or do i just need to wait until she is old enuff to manage the gun on her own with out the help of a vise?
 

KTMan

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
To each their own. This will be a decision only you can make. Me personally I think a person should be able to control their own weapon before the use it to harvest an animal. Lot of children can handle a gun appropriate for them at that age. I do suggest something for the child to rest gun on but not something to fully hold and they just pull the trigger.

I also think before they are ever allowed to hunt on their own they should have a good understand of how the gun works and be able to do minor field repairs to the gun. IE.. a gun jam. Unfortunately I see a lot of adults that can't do minor repairs on their weapon.
 

jr23

Button Buck
no i agree with you. i never once even though about this befor when my son was growing up and learning to hunt/shoot. He learned the same way i did. and i guess i ask this more out what yall think. becasue i know alot of people around the house who have had very small kids hunt out of a vise and i didnt like it and though it was "cheating" But becasue it had became so prevalient around here it has made me question if i was being stubburn and "old school" or if this was just another way of people "cheatin" the system
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
SOG extreme shooting rest is nice !!..and a lot of good deer calibers have little to no recoil.
 

nontypical

Ten Pointer
I know some guys that use the caldwell field pod ( I think that’s the name)

No different than shooting off a shooting rail in my opinion
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
Not trying to be argumentative, but why has "old school" become such a negative thing? My personal opinion is that some people are rushing their children into doing things that they aren't physically nor emotionally ready for. My son was " shooting" when he was 4 years old because he wanted to shoot but he never hunted till he was old enough to handle a firearm by himself and knew what killing and eating what you kill was all about. In today's world it seems to be a different situation and mind set but to each their own. A lot of people don't really care what others think.
 

41magnum

Twelve Pointer
A) THERE ARE NO DUMB QUESTIONS.........you are seeking education with questions. Teach this to your kids and family!
B) this is EXACTLY why "Reduced Loads" / "Reduced Recoil" ammo was invented and marketed.
It is available for most popular calibers.
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Heck, a lot of elevated shooting houses I built back in the day had office chairs and benches in them with sandbags on them! Why wouldn't I use everything I could legally use to my advantage to make a more accurate shot? Why should anyone take offense if I do?
To answer the OP's question, I don't see anything wrong with helping them to be more accurate from a blind.
 

nontypical

Ten Pointer
Heck, a lot of elevated shooting houses I built back in the day had office chairs and benches in them with sandbags on them! Why wouldn't I use everything I could legally use to my advantage to make a more accurate shot? Why should anyone take offense if I do?
To answer the OP's question, I don't see anything wrong with helping them to be more accurate from a blind.
Amen brother. Get em in the woods early and often!
 

jr23

Button Buck
old school is not a negative thing thats the way i operate in 90% of my life but there are time i have to step back and think is there a better way of doing things. Im being 100% honest here the only part of hunting that is holding her back is her size. She understands what hunting and killing and eatin means. and i am honestly probably rushing the process a little here which is why i ask opinions. I appreacte all ur thoughts thats what im looking for.
 

bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
Too many people are quick to take a child's innocence. Let them be little, they will only be little for a little while.

As far as confining a gun to a sled there is a huge con, mobility. Wildlife don't just freeze in time to make it easy to line up. If the child is unable to articulate the gun and vise, you would have to line it up for them and then yield the gun back. In that short time, the animal may move which increases the probability of placing a poor shot wounding the animal if it's not a miss.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Get her a gun that doesn’t require a sled for recoil and use a sandbag. If you still want to use some kind of field pod for steadiness, let her adjust it.
 

brownisdown

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
My son shoots the crossbow and the new Ruger 350 Legend by himself off the bench and off a caldwell field pod. I set the tension on the knobs just tight enough to keep it steady and he moves the rest as he needs to get on target with no help. When practicing I intentionally move the rest off target so he has to move it back to shoot.

I have been thinking about getting a new BOG Deathgrip tripod for me and him.
 
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mattperry

Spike
Contributor
a little more effort, and a long wait. but i got a suppressor and have really enjoyed it. makes shooting a lot more enjoyable. It helps a lot with both noise and recoil. Most any gunsmith can thread a barrel for you. I would think it would be a good investment for someone with young children.
 

Winnie 70

Ten Pointer
jr23, she sounds like you got a future hunter on your hands and if she is ready to take this on, I would put her is a stand and start out with a 22 letting her get all the mechanics down, using whatever is comfortable with her to hit the target...whether it be sandbags, a rail, etc....just learning how to hit a target out there. May take several sessions but you will know when she has got it. Then move up to a little more powerful round with little more kick....again, you will know when she is ready. All this being said, you will along the way know if she really likes this and is enjoying this shooting a gun. Will all fall in place as you take these steps with her, and hopefully she will be your hunting partner for life.
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
dont want to hijack the thread, but what ammo have you found best for deer for .357? wouldn't mind trying it with the pistol

I like a 158 gr soft point. They leave bigger than a quarter size exit hole even a big body deer at an angle. Rifles gain 600 fps over a revolver...
 

30/06

Twelve Pointer
I'd check out the Caldwell field pod. Only you can decide if your kid is mature enough to hunt, I'd say that is more important than being able to shoot offhand or whatever. As long as they're SAFE and have the emotional maturity to realize what they're doing I say get em out there asap! The longer we wait they harder it is to get a kid into the outdoors, especially hunting where there is lots of waiting. In the digital age if you don't hook them on the sport then Apple, the internet and youtube will take them! Just this one guys opinion.
 

41magnum

Twelve Pointer
if the Reduced Recoil ammo won't work, learn to OR hook up with a reloader, and use the downloaded charges in some of the books.
Mine is in an old Speer manual.
 
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