We can help you find just the right firearm for your child!

The Village Arms is a family business.  I joined as the Business Manager just over a year ago.  As with any new career change, I had a lot of learning to do.  Now one would think that since I am Gene’s daughter, I would have had tons of shooting experience.  Ummmm… no!  As I took handgun courses and then persuaded my brother to take me to the range, I realized all that I had been missing.

Now Dad certainly tried to get me to shoot as a kid, but it was never really fun for me.  The guns were always too long and too heavy.  I could never figure out how to use the sights and properly hold the firearm at the same time.  And worse yet, I could never hit the target!  I ended up bored and Dad ended up frustrated.

Well now things are beginning to make sense to both of us.  I am short and my arms are short.  It is physically taxing and just plain uncomfortable to shoot a long gun that does not fit you.  The second discovery is that I am right handed but left eye dominate.  This is the main reason that I could never line up the sights and still hold the gun in the proper form.  I was looking down the barrel just like he told me to but not with my right eye!  I probably would have enjoyed shooting a handgun more but Gene is a rifle guy and we just never tried a handgun.

The moral of this story is that kids are not all alike.  Sometimes it takes some digging to get to the bottom of problems.  The good news is that we can help!

The first issue young shooters may face is the discomfort of the recoil.  It is important to choose a tolerable caliber.  Experienced shooters tend to forget how uncomfortable recoil is when you don’t have the physical strength or the practiced techniques needed to manage it.  Our experienced  Sales Staff is here to help you with this selection.

The second issue is proper fit.  Shooting can be exhausting when a kid is struggling to hold a large gun out in front of themselves.  Fatigue also decreases the accuracy of the shot.  So now they are tired and they are missing the target.  Talk about a total buzzkill!  We have lots of youth model long guns in stock.  We can also shorten the stock on any firearm for a better fit.  There are also smaller grips on the market for handguns.

The most important thing to remember is to be patient and have fun!  If your child is enjoying shooting, they will want to practice more and will naturally become better at it!  One key to the fun is actually hitting some targets.  Keep the targets close.   It’s also good to use targets where the strikes are easily visible.  Shoot-N-C paper targets or interactive targets are great.  Praise is key!  Keep the positive comments rolling and mix in some constructive criticism when needed.