congrats!! good luck to you and your son!! i started on the 308 myself....fine deer round.........keep your son shooting pretty often.....too many kids only shoot once a year and go out and miss/wound deer all the time....dad bought some cardboard deer cutouts and put them in the woods(where it was safe to do so) and had me sit down like i was hunting and fire at that.....taught me the vitals.....and shooting from hunting positions.......thats funny your dad went and bought it lol.......surprised that the 7yr old can handle it yet i hear grown men cry about it! lol.......i never thought it had much recoil myself.....but i grew up shooting guns of all calibers...its all about good form and hanging on....you have bad form and let the gun go and your going to get whacked pretty good......good luck!!! post the pics after the season!!