ORIGINAL: MichaelT.

I would look into guns such as a Browning Micro Hunter, or a Ruger M77 Compact or a Remington Model 7 ( all are bolt action guns ) . Any of them in a .243 would be great. Another route to go is a single shot rifle like a Rossi, or a New England Firearms ( NEF ) in a .243. You can also get them in a heavy barrel model which will help cut down on recoil. And finally, you can get him a bigger gun ( depending on his size compared to other kids thatage....) in something like a 30.06 or .270 in a bolt gun and use Remington Managed Recoil rounds, which actually have a little less recoil than a .243. Then as he grows, he can move up to full size loads with the same gun. If you have not heard of the Managed recoil rounds, then go to the Remington website and read up on them. I have used them with a gun I bought for my wife, and they work remarkably well, and they are good to 200 yards.

One last note, you can get him a 30-30 and put a good recoil killing butt pad on it, and use the new Hornady leverevolution rounds. It is a 30 -30 with a soft point instead of a rounded nose, which gives the 30 -30 more down range energy, making it a true 150+ yard deer rifle. You can find info on that round at the Hornady website.

God Bless

Michael