And if you were concerned about recoil and had the 06 and 270 they have good offerings in reduced recoil loads for them also. There are a lot of options out there. Probably the most overlooked aspect of getting a kid into shooting is the fit of the gun. And this is much tougher than selection a caliber IMO. Ther kids in the 13-15 years range can got through some serious growing. It is a fine line to walk to get one that will be managable with a younger frame and not out grown as they age. If i was challenged with a very small framed kid I would probably stick with a popular bolt gun and by a cheap stock and cut it down for use until they grow. . A poorly fitting gun can exaggerate recoil.