Not sure how big your boy is but I started my oldest daughter with a full size 7mm08 Browning on shooting sticks. I let her practice with a .223 then handed her the 7mm08 when it came time to hunt. The first time she pulled the trigger on it was killing a deer. 3 years later and you can't convince her that a 7mm08 has any recoil at all. Out of those 2 choices it's .243 all the way. But my vote is a 7mm08. You can always let him shoot reduce recoil loads to practice then slip in the good shells when it comes time to hunt. Trust me he'll never know the difference when he's pulling the trigger on a deer


Sent leaning against a big oak in knee deep water