Go to the CMP and get an armorer reconditioned Daisy M853. I have one and it's dead accurate and the price is right.

http://www.odcmp.com/Sales/airrifles.htm

I'll second the CMP Daisy rifle, as I ordered one. I will warn you that the Daisy is incredibly accurate, in part because of the Lothar Walther barrel they use, making one ragged hole at 30 feet. And it cant be beat for ease of use..It's a one-pump gun, that MIGHT do 350 fps.

BUT it is very much underpowered for anything like hunting. It won't even penetrate a marshmallow at 20 feet, and mine came with new seals & was chronographed to factory specs.. Its just a straight-up target rifle that would be great for a beginner, but dont think youre gonna kill crows or woodchucks with it...Think they're $100 or so..

If I were a ten year old boy & my dad was gonna get me a PCP air rifle I'd be hoping he bring home one of them Benjamin Marauders in .22 caliber...quiet, powerful enough for small game & from all I've read, they are deadly accurate & come with a match grade trigger... http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Benjamin_Marauder_Air_Rifle/1774 You'd have to get a scope too...it's a dual fuel & the velocity can be adjusted.

+1 on the Marauder. Get one and never wish you had got it. I have one and it is ACCURATE, powerful and quiet.

i have a pristine condition benajmin discovery with a leapers scope on it i would sell for 400 (obo)shipped with insurance. have lot of pellets too. i got it from pyrmaid air. they mounted scope and shot ten times and chrono'd it. awesome gun. deadly accurate. i got it to kill starling around my tractor shed. it was fun but i got better results from my 12 gauge and hungry cats!

I'd go for the Benjamin Discovery, remember with the PCP air rifle he'll either need a hand pump (comes with Discovery at under $400 but not with the Maurauder) or an air tank capable of holding high pressure air (usually at least 3K and a source to fill) The Discovery is an excellent air rifle that is insanely accurate. I consistently shoot groups at 25 yds that you can cover with a dime using mine, I also have a RWS 34 spring gun but haven't shot it since I got my Discovery. I started with the hand pump that comes with the rifle and it's fairly easy to use, depending on how big your son is you may need to help him top it off for the full 2k psi fills...the nice part is after it's filled you can shoot 20+ shots without needing to pump it up again.

In accuracy the pcp is the way to go, springers aren't going to beat it in all but the rarest of cases. I don't see many guys shooting springers at 50 yds or more but I do my Discovery all the time with amazing results.

Ok Dixie will look at it!

I'd feel more comfortable turning a kid loose with a hand pump than a SCUBA or SCBA tank. I've owned both the Discovery and Marauder, but sold the Marauder.

+1. I've been playing around with SCUBA powered guns now for a bit, and I'm not sure I should be turned loose on a SCUBA tank still.

I bought a used Marauder for under $400. It's a great air rifle, but it's pretty big for a kid.

Sure hard to beat a springer for simple - cock it, put a pellet in and shoot. In the R7 or HW30 easy to shoot accurately and are high quality guns to be proud of.