I have a New England Arms .223 for my kids to shoot with. For hunting they will start with a Marlin 30.30. I have really noticed that kids like to shoot a 30.30 lever gun more than say a .243 in a bolt gun. I had a Dad and a kid shooting next to me at the range, and the kid was scared to death of the .243 youth gun his old man was pushing him to shoot. The kid ended up shooting the better part of a box of my 30.30 ammo. I could be wrong but I bet most kids would choose a 30.30 in a lever gun over a .243, .260, 7-08 etc. after firing them.
