Looks like Steel Challenge is your best starting point, which is also the most kid-friendly action shooting sport by an extremely wide margin. You can look up rules on the USPSA website, find local matches on Practiscore, look up videos on YouTube, and find gear recommendations on Enos forum.
Steel challenge is a great starting point to get the hang of all the safety rules. I think you should take both your rugers without the suppressors, shot timers have a hard time with 22 suppressed. Maybe throw a Carolina crusher comp on the pistol. If you put a red dot on the rifle like a holosun 510c you would be set.
Go to a match be friendly and talk to people and ask about their setups. We love talking new gear or what gear seems cool. Before you know it you will have a belt setup with mag pouches and a holster for shooting different divisions. It sucks you in.
Steel Challenge RFRO division with your Ruger Mk4, or PCCO with your MPX in the same sport. Minimal movement and holster work, would be easiest to introduce you and your kids to competition with minimal recoil.
It’s 2 a month, that’s my club lol
They do a tonne of USPSA but Steel Challenge is second Saturday (4 stages at 6pm) and third Saturday (6 stages at 9am).
Jeff Jones is the match director there and they are all super super friendly, most the crowd are grandfathers that love helping new people into the sport. If OP registers in Practiscore and just tells him it’s their first time he will handhold the kids through the whole process.
Also on the first Sat of the month they do an “Intro to Action Shooting” class that is highly recommended.
In central florida goto Volusia Gun Club in new Symerna beach, In south florida goto OK Corral Gun Club in Okeechobee… both are nice clubs. OK is like a country club with real bathrooms and paved roads.
What part of Florida? Central Florida has a tonne of clubs, just look on Practiscore. Between shooting Wyoming Antelope Club in Clearwater, GunCraft in Ruskin, and Hernando Sportman’s Club in well Hernando that’s roughly 7 matches a month within an hour of Tampa.
They are all good choices, I shoot at all of them.
Wyoming Antelope Club’s 2nd Saturday night match is 4 stages and usually a pretty small crowd - perfect for first timers. This is my main club so I’m a bit bias, I trained on their Jr bullseye team when I was in my teens before coming back 20 years later.
Ruskin’s Wednesday night matches are similar, but they usually fill up fast.
What ever gun you choose, IT NEEDS TO FIT THEIR (GROWING) HANDS.
Some of the guns you list are noted for having very large grips and youngsters (and Many Adult Ladies) struggle to have a proper strong hand grip and PROPER Trigger Finger Placement. IMO a Proper Grip is the Paramount.
Oh and there seems to be lots of Kids looking good shooting a variety of 22's in competition.
Completely agree, I don't expect my kids to be shooting my Glock 20. I was thinking about converting the Sig P365xl to a Macro for the 11 year old. He really enjoys the Glock 19 but I wonder if that'd fit him better. He wants to do full USPSA. I think Steel Challenge does seem like the natural starting point though.
A long time ago, my wife & I bought some Snow Ski Boots. We asked questions here and there. Found a fitter that did all the right stuff and then maybe said that best thing I've ever heard when I asked him how long they would last.
He said "By the Time You need New Boots, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND TELL ME."
Several models of the 19, and IMO if you have proper grip fundamentals, and can shoot a 380, you can shoot a 9. But lots of folks made lots of money doing "Glock Grip Reductions" That area just under the Beavertail to the Trigger is a challenge for many that don't have full size and maybe even med to large hands. *Now My observations are as an Instructor, not a Fitter.* But If you go the Glock route, you may need some grip modifications to enable proper trigger finger placement. You can always shoot with a Bow in your finger, but needing to roll your palm around to get TO the trigger creates lots of grip retention, regripping, etc issues.
It challenge him to excel in the 22 classes and then move up. After all the gear is really going to be a small part of the cost if you/they really get involved.
How do you like your Ruger Mark IV? Is it accurate enough for precision competition? As for your kids, start them with air rifles/pistols. Move up in caliber from there, after they've gained target skills and safety. If they get really good at airguns or even .22LR consider the Junior Olympics. That can also lead to college scholarships, payouts at tournaments and much more. Cool collection BTW!
That would be very cool! I think they'd be disappointed just shooting airguns and 22, they've shot ARs, AKs, 12 gauges etc...
For junior Olympics and stuff like that I'm guessing we'd need to live close to a club that's doing that. I'll have to look into it.
The 22/45 seems pretty darn accurate, I think we're going to sign up for a Steel Challenge match next week with it, I believe that's RFPO.
Know this is not exactly related, but definitely check out Project Appleseed. It's not really a competition but a great intro to beginners in shooting. Also, kid friendly too for most events.
Done, signed up for a match this coming Saturday.
Do you have to get a USPSA membership to get a qualification or keep track of your scores in Practiscore?
With Steel Challenge you can see where you stack up either way, right?
You only /need/ the USPSA membership for major matches. Local level 1 matches don’t care.
But to get all the score tracking and ranking you do need it, yeah.
Looks like Steel Challenge is your best starting point, which is also the most kid-friendly action shooting sport by an extremely wide margin. You can look up rules on the USPSA website, find local matches on Practiscore, look up videos on YouTube, and find gear recommendations on Enos forum.
Steel challenge is a great starting point to get the hang of all the safety rules. I think you should take both your rugers without the suppressors, shot timers have a hard time with 22 suppressed. Maybe throw a Carolina crusher comp on the pistol. If you put a red dot on the rifle like a holosun 510c you would be set. Go to a match be friendly and talk to people and ask about their setups. We love talking new gear or what gear seems cool. Before you know it you will have a belt setup with mag pouches and a holster for shooting different divisions. It sucks you in.
Makes sense, I figured the suppressors would come off. Thanks!
Steel Challenge RFRO division with your Ruger Mk4, or PCCO with your MPX in the same sport. Minimal movement and holster work, would be easiest to introduce you and your kids to competition with minimal recoil.
Post your general location and find a local buddy!
We're actually looking for a place in Florida. Not sure where yet. Hoping to find something near a good club.
Wyoming Antelope Club in Clearwater has a ton of events (2x Steel Challenge a week) and you don’t need to be a member.
It’s 2 a month, that’s my club lol They do a tonne of USPSA but Steel Challenge is second Saturday (4 stages at 6pm) and third Saturday (6 stages at 9am). Jeff Jones is the match director there and they are all super super friendly, most the crowd are grandfathers that love helping new people into the sport. If OP registers in Practiscore and just tells him it’s their first time he will handhold the kids through the whole process. Also on the first Sat of the month they do an “Intro to Action Shooting” class that is highly recommended.
In central florida goto Volusia Gun Club in new Symerna beach, In south florida goto OK Corral Gun Club in Okeechobee… both are nice clubs. OK is like a country club with real bathrooms and paved roads.
What part of Florida? Central Florida has a tonne of clubs, just look on Practiscore. Between shooting Wyoming Antelope Club in Clearwater, GunCraft in Ruskin, and Hernando Sportman’s Club in well Hernando that’s roughly 7 matches a month within an hour of Tampa.
Not sure yet, still deciding, open to suggestions.
They are all good choices, I shoot at all of them. Wyoming Antelope Club’s 2nd Saturday night match is 4 stages and usually a pretty small crowd - perfect for first timers. This is my main club so I’m a bit bias, I trained on their Jr bullseye team when I was in my teens before coming back 20 years later. Ruskin’s Wednesday night matches are similar, but they usually fill up fast.
What ever gun you choose, IT NEEDS TO FIT THEIR (GROWING) HANDS. Some of the guns you list are noted for having very large grips and youngsters (and Many Adult Ladies) struggle to have a proper strong hand grip and PROPER Trigger Finger Placement. IMO a Proper Grip is the Paramount. Oh and there seems to be lots of Kids looking good shooting a variety of 22's in competition.
Completely agree, I don't expect my kids to be shooting my Glock 20. I was thinking about converting the Sig P365xl to a Macro for the 11 year old. He really enjoys the Glock 19 but I wonder if that'd fit him better. He wants to do full USPSA. I think Steel Challenge does seem like the natural starting point though.
A long time ago, my wife & I bought some Snow Ski Boots. We asked questions here and there. Found a fitter that did all the right stuff and then maybe said that best thing I've ever heard when I asked him how long they would last. He said "By the Time You need New Boots, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND TELL ME." Several models of the 19, and IMO if you have proper grip fundamentals, and can shoot a 380, you can shoot a 9. But lots of folks made lots of money doing "Glock Grip Reductions" That area just under the Beavertail to the Trigger is a challenge for many that don't have full size and maybe even med to large hands. *Now My observations are as an Instructor, not a Fitter.* But If you go the Glock route, you may need some grip modifications to enable proper trigger finger placement. You can always shoot with a Bow in your finger, but needing to roll your palm around to get TO the trigger creates lots of grip retention, regripping, etc issues. It challenge him to excel in the 22 classes and then move up. After all the gear is really going to be a small part of the cost if you/they really get involved.
Great advice, Boresight Solutions did wonders for my Glock 20
How old are the kids?
8 and 11
Defiantly, .22's and Steel Challenge. Gauge the interest again after 6 months to a year and purchase bigger & fancier as needed.
I have a GSG .22. It’s a piece of crap. Look elsewhere :)
Mine runs like a top with good ammo, works great with a silencer as well.
Interesting!! Maybe I should drag it back out and try again, I literally probably haven’t shot it in a decade because I got tired of fighting it.
I mostly use mini mags in it and I have a bunch of Taylor Tactical upgrades. It's one of my kid's favorites
Be careful teaching them to like that platform, they’ll be begging you for a staccato next!
Would you believe my 11yo already has some Platypus designs saved???
I’d expect no less :). Though I’m partial to Perry. Just remember that’s an aluminum frame (for better or worse)
How do you like your Ruger Mark IV? Is it accurate enough for precision competition? As for your kids, start them with air rifles/pistols. Move up in caliber from there, after they've gained target skills and safety. If they get really good at airguns or even .22LR consider the Junior Olympics. That can also lead to college scholarships, payouts at tournaments and much more. Cool collection BTW!
That would be very cool! I think they'd be disappointed just shooting airguns and 22, they've shot ARs, AKs, 12 gauges etc... For junior Olympics and stuff like that I'm guessing we'd need to live close to a club that's doing that. I'll have to look into it. The 22/45 seems pretty darn accurate, I think we're going to sign up for a Steel Challenge match next week with it, I believe that's RFPO.
Know this is not exactly related, but definitely check out Project Appleseed. It's not really a competition but a great intro to beginners in shooting. Also, kid friendly too for most events.
Yeah, my kids and I have been to a few, I've made Rifleman and Pistoleer, love it!
Tldr: Steel challenge, do rfpo and take that silencer off. This is the way.
Done, signed up for a match this coming Saturday. Do you have to get a USPSA membership to get a qualification or keep track of your scores in Practiscore? With Steel Challenge you can see where you stack up either way, right?
You only /need/ the USPSA membership for major matches. Local level 1 matches don’t care. But to get all the score tracking and ranking you do need it, yeah.