My personal thought is to get him the .410 and loan himyour Ithaca when he's ready to hunt deer. You'll want to be with him for the "experience" when he shoots his first deer, so you can probabally share a gun. I shot my first deer with my father's 16 gauge deerslayer and it is a memory to last a lifetime. At his age, the .410 would be great for squirrels, or rabbits or cans, or pumpkins, or rats or whatever he cares to shoot. There will be very little recoil and he will have confidence in his shooting abilities. If he were a little older, I'd maybe get the 20, but if he wants a gun right now, like the rest of us, I'd get the .410.

KEJ