Champlain I, I back you %100 on the 30-30 lever not being a starter rifle for a youngster just learning .
There is a lot for a young person to think about in the spur of the moment of seeing a game animal ? It doesn't seem like much to us older gun handlers but that hammer use has to be really embedded in a persons mind.
A bolt action is better to train them with. IMHO,it is easier to train them for a thumb safety to slide then to move their whole hand to lower a trigger .