Mossberg.. lever action..

No, doesn't work for me. It'd be one of those situations where your son will be talking to his kids some day in the future and going, "You won't believe what I had to hunt with when I first started!". grin

I'd sooner go for a used Marlin 336 or a Savage 99 in 300 loaded down to 30-30 levels. Not sure how young or small your kids are, but it won't kick them around much. Works, too. My son at 14:

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