I have two .22s I inherited from my dad that I highly recommend...

A Browning SA-22 Takedown, and a Thompson Center Arms Encore with a few barrel sets including the .22 which is super accurate.

I can plink 1/2" groups at 50 yards all day long with the TCA CCI MiniMags, and its Pentax scope.

The action and barrel sets are stainless, and the stock and forend are synthetic on this one, although nice wood ones are available.

The TCA Encore system has a great safety and a dual firing pin hammer that works for rim and center fire cartridges.

The neat thing about the system are the interchangeable barrels, which allow you to shoot all kinds of ammo and, keeps things on a decent budget and are extremely accurate.

The Browning SA-22 is a classic with an 11 round tube fed magazine a cassette type action that pulls out and takes down for easy servicing.

Mine seems to prefer any cartridge hotter than a short to faithfully cycle the action.

Whatever you get I am sure you two will have a lot of fun, and I am happy to see another father passing along such a great tradition.