Seems like we've had this discussion many times. I agree with thegunsmith2506. 20 ga is so much more prevalent and cheaper. Also, a .410 is an expert's gun and not forgiving. I ended up (30 yrs ago) getting my son this tiny, light, single shot. It kicked pretty good but I reloaded a couple boxes of the lightest load recipes I could find and it didn't take him long at all to get up to the full loads. The single shot taught him to manage the gun properly with the increased safety afforded by a single shot. NOTE: the gun is only good for 1 or 2 seasons due to kid growth and he will want to get to the multiple shot guns as soon as possible. Finally, if you cut down a stock for the first year, be sure to get another full size -- those kids grow really quickly at around 10 yr old.