RE: Marlin recoil for an 8 year old?
Visible shot effects are cool. Being able to see the result of a good shot is a lot more fun than waithing to walk down to check a target, for kids and adults alike.
Soda cans also make great explosive targets when filled with water and nailed with a 22-250. Another great thing about then is they are small and accurately reflect the kill zone of most varmints, so they are great practice for precision shooting too. Set a few pop cans at 200 yards and see who is the first to blow all theirs up. Great fun!
Mike