I don't have an axiom, but my daughter and niece both hunt with Weatherby Vanguards (aka Howa 1500) in .243 and hey are 8 and 11 years old and small framed girls (my daughter weighs all of 47 pounds and she handles the 243 fine...but she shot a 22 and 223 for 2-3 years before moving up). The 1500 is a great gun and will serve you well for years to come. We added Limbsaver pads (the actual screw on type) to both rifles and felt recoil is less than on either of my AR15's. I have also have a Limbsaver on my Tikka T3 Lite in 270 WSM and it made a huge difference. They really do work...some people also really like the Pachmeyer recoil pads equally.

I don't think you can go wrong with a Howa...they make a good product and as has been mentioned, the Weatherby Vanguards are Howa 1500's.

Redfield is now owned by Loopy...they are made in the USA (Oregon) and are a good product...I have 1 on a 257 Bob...you can also find the Nikon Prostaff's onsale in your price range as well, and I have been very happy with 3-9x50 on my 270 WSM...so that is also a good option. Some of the Bushnell Elites can also be had in that price range as well, I have an Elite 3200 (4-18x50?) on my 25 WSSM...is also is good glass. Most important is eye relief, so make sure that it has plenty of eye relief for him as a new shooter.

Also, don't forget the option of using the reduced recoil loads offered by some companies as an option to helping him ease in to shooting. Even as an experienced shooter, I would be leery to let a kid hunt deer with a 223...shot placement is critical when using a bullet that small, and a couple inches off can result in a wounded, lost animal and a long day. His heart will be pounding 10000/min and he's not going to have a bench to shoot from...just something to think of.