Good stuff Ivory. Great times ahead. Have a 7 yr old grandson we are starting to work with.
Relative to recoil concerns. If by 22, you mean a rimfire, I'd take a pause. Then work up to a centerfire 22 before a 243. If it was a centerfire 22 you refer to, and you are worried, suspect your son has caught on to the concern, but he may not know why. So I might, and have, used a thin piece of closed cell foam, aka a sissy pad, between the rifle butt pad and kid. Let him see you use it first. I still use one myself, I hate recoil on the bench, both my boys laugh, and think I'm soft. I say nope, but that extra pad sure is soft.
With a new shooter, another concern is muzzle blast, if he's not used to a big blast/bang of the centerfire sort, it can give a new shooter a pause. So I've been known to insist on ear plugs and ear muff style protectors over the ear plugs. I'd also give some thought to starting a new shooter with a 243, on light varmint loads at the range, if he'd not shot a 223 or the like. Then heavier pills more suited to big game later. When shooting at the range, after 2-3 shots where accuracy was bad with an accurate rifle, I'd pretend to load a round and watch...
Have fun, great memories to be made for sure.
Relative to recoil concerns. If by 22, you mean a rimfire, I'd take a pause. Then work up to a centerfire 22 before a 243. If it was a centerfire 22 you refer to, and you are worried, suspect your son has caught on to the concern, but he may not know why. So I might, and have, used a thin piece of closed cell foam, aka a sissy pad, between the rifle butt pad and kid. Let him see you use it first. I still use one myself, I hate recoil on the bench, both my boys laugh, and think I'm soft. I say nope, but that extra pad sure is soft.
With a new shooter, another concern is muzzle blast, if he's not used to a big blast/bang of the centerfire sort, it can give a new shooter a pause. So I've been known to insist on ear plugs and ear muff style protectors over the ear plugs. I'd also give some thought to starting a new shooter with a 243, on light varmint loads at the range, if he'd not shot a 223 or the like. Then heavier pills more suited to big game later. When shooting at the range, after 2-3 shots where accuracy was bad with an accurate rifle, I'd pretend to load a round and watch...
Have fun, great memories to be made for sure.