I leaned towards a Savage in .243 for kids.

A Savage with the accutrigger would fit the bill. Excellent guns.

I would go with the .243 or a .308. With the .308 he would have "enough" gun for almost anything he would want to hunt. Both seem to shoot the cheap ammo very good.

I saw a Tikka 7mm08 with a wood stock the other day that I really liked. I'm still looking. Thanks for input.

Savage would be a great choice. I have a few of them and they shoot. If he can handlena 308 that would fit the bill. You could ensure he could use it for larger game and get ammo anywhere. A 243 would also be a good choice for deer for a smaller kid. In fact a few use them in our group. 7mm-08 is also great but I have been having a hard time finding ammo lately and it's about ten bucks more than 308. I just picked up a savage 111 stainless composite and this thing shoots the lights out for 450 dollars (308).

Marlin xs7 would be another favorite. Great rifle for about350 dollars

I shoot a model 7 remington 7mm/08 and I love it. Great gun and cal. for young or old. I am old ha! ha!. OTo Jim

Lots of great advice here, but I really like the 7mm-08. My 12 year old daughter has taken several deer with hers. She has a Ruger youth model.

t/c venture

I've got a Savage 7mm-08 Model 11 GCNS with the wood stock,Accu-trigger in a bolt-action and its a reat shooting Rifle and it has an adjustable trigger,if You were to get one You could start your Kid out with the Remington "Managed Recoil" Shells and it will have a lot less recoil and they can always shot the regular load shells as they get older.