I bought my son the same exact gun when he was 8. One thing to be aware of: the gun weighs about 1 pound and 3" turkey loads kick about as much as my 300 Wby Mag - no kidding, it really does!!!!

Start him off practicing with the 22 barrel. Then get 2 3/4" dove loads. I even got a slip-on recoil pad for it because it just had a hard, plastic butt plate.

It's a great little gun that will serve him well for years. I love ours.