Wow! The responses are really appreciated!
My boy is 14 this January. He has a 20 gauge (see picture) and is good with it. He is average height for an 8th grader, but toothpick skinny. He is recoil paranoid. There are folk around here who hunt every big game animal with the 243, so I latched onto the idea.
I'm thinking about the Savage Arms Axis Next Gen. 1 Combo in camo. Thoughts?