RE: Youth gun
I got my son a NEF handi youth 243 when he was 8. Im not a huge fan of single shots,but it was a pretty good fit. Now that he is a little older Im going for the weatherby vanguard that comes with both a youth and adult stock in 7mm-08. Iam a big remington fan myself but you might want to take him to the store so he can see what fits him best.