how do i make one object follow another in an animation

[alfie8010]

i've rigged a character to pick up a shotgun but i don't know to make it follow their hand, can anyone help?

[Girlgamer87]

an easy way is to parent a shotgun bone to the hand bone.

[Girlgamer87]

or parent an empty to the hand and the shotgun to the empty

[alfie8010]

ah yeah i went the stupid way of just making it move independently of the hand and then just tweaked the tweening

[alfie8010]

but now i know for future