My daughter, who will be 10 in October, wants get involved in some type of competitive shooting. She has experience with a .22 and a little with my AR-15. Not sure she's ready for handgun. I've seen stories on kids her age competing in 3-gun, but she's not close to being ready for that. Thinking something more along the lines of shooting from the bench. Any suggestions?

You might look into .22 Benchrest shooting.
It is an accuracy game shot from the bench with rests.
Can be an equipment race but doesn't have to be.

Info at www.22central.com and about lots of other things .22.

Local range has small bore rifle juniors divisions, but it's the same night as boys' scout meetings. She might be suited to rimfire rifle steel challenge, which would probably hold her interest more than punching paper. I'll have to see if they have a minimum age requirement.

Find out if there is a 4H shooting sports chapter near you. It's NRA sponsored, and has state and national competitions in archery, rifle and shotgun. Children can join at 6, but your daughter is the perfect age to start.

Our 4h club won 1 & 2 & set new records in July. Type in Lamar county Texas 4h club for info. They practice 3 miles from me & fun to watch. It is normally a 3 hour supervised event so if you have something pressing you can drop the kid off & come back. It is a good way to meet people. Most clubs furnish everything.

Thanks. I looked at 4H but don't think there's a program close by. I'll do a little more digging, though.

You might want to contact the NRA and consider starting your own club. Well over 50 years ago my grandfather did for my brother and me. As I recall he organized a competitive 22 long gun group for ages 10-14. With NRA sponsorship we competed shooting prone, kneeling, sitting, and offhand. There were about 25 kids in the age range and we all enjoyed the experience. To this day both my brother and I credit this for the enthusiasm we both have for firearms and target shooting.

If you want to start a shooting sports chapter, contact your local county agricultural extension agent and find out who the county 4-H adviser is. That's the person you need to talk to about a new club.
It's also possible one of the existing clubs may pick up shooting sports as part of their program.

I'm a big fan of 4-H shooting sports, if your county is interested it may be possible for you to start a club.

4H can be good but is usually bullseye oriented and extremely BORING.

For "competitive shooting" one of the best may be the NSSF (formerly Ruger) Rimfire Challenge events. The matches are meant to be (and are) FUN and new shooter and kid friendly. They are also definitely competitive.

Rimfire Challenge | National Shooting Sports Foundation

This is perfect! Thanks.

True, it may be boring to us but 10 year olds find it quite a bit of fun. Both my daughter and son shot in a local Junior Deputies program put on by the sheriff's department. Small bore 22 rifle NRA target and they loved it and still talk about how they enjoyed it....my daughter is over 40 now.
They will enjoy shooting anything , they have to learn safety and basic marksmanship first, it doesn't have to be three gun action shooting for them to enjoy it .
Gary

Our IHMSA matches often include youth in the 10 year old range. The club keeps a Ruger Charger with scope and bipod they can shoot prone. I've also seen Cricket pistols used as well as TC Contenders.

Here's a link to a photo of a talented young shooter trying his hand at air pistol silhouette:

IHMSA Forum ? View topic - Cherokee Gun Club - Feb.7, 2015 Results

And another good day with photos:
http://www.ihmsa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=2229

Found the thread for which I was looking:

IHMSA Forum ? View topic - Cherokee Gun Club - Apr 4, 2015 Results

I see you are from Arizona.Search out a contact for the Arizona Rifle & Pistol Association.State associations are active in all aspects of the shooting sports on local,state and national levels.Look into High Power (service) rifle.Arizona has fielded some very strong junior service rifle teams over the years.If you are anywhere close to the Ben Avery range complex you are in a hot bed of the shooting sports.Some of the best junior shooters l have coached at Camp Perry were females who started their interest at the same age as your daughter.Good luck.

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SWCA#2288
SWHF#407

See if there is an active Scholastic Pistol Program team close by, starting age for involvement is age 12. It is very similar to Steel Challenge with the same rules. The big difference there is only 4 stages, and they are a little easier than some of the steel stages. I run our local program, last year our juniors took the Wisconsin State junior rimfire title, and placed 8th in the nation at Nationals at Sparta Illinois. This is a lot of fun, and really keeps the kids interested and sharp. Scholastic Pistol Program - Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation

good luck

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Shoot Straight and Shoot often

Granddaughter belongs to 4H. Their shooting program is respected. I ask her if the local club did shooting. She said yes, but she had to be ten. She is now ten and will enroll.

I gave her her great grandfather's beater - but very accurate - 510 Remington Targetmaster single shot a couple of years ago. I have a very nice 511 repeater for her club work if needed.

My ladies all shoot. Youngest daughter would likely miss you with a 20 ga shotgun, but don't mess with her if she has a 60. Go figure?

Jack