The first Marlin has quite a crack in the head of the stock.
I think a short barrelled over and under is the way to go especially if Dad shares and adds a little more to the pot.
I started with an AYA Cosmos single 12 with 30 inch barrel full choke and a .410 adapter. Probably the wrong gun for numerous reasons but I have many fond memories of it as it was my only gun until I scraped together enough cash for a double barrel at 17 years of age. Singles were a lot more common in the field for rough shooting back then. My first shots using it as a 12 bore were with Eley 2inch cartridges, 7/8 oz shot. I put a few Winchester XX 1 7/8 oz through it too at geese.

Last edited by Konor3inch; 12/17/20 01:19 PM. Reason: Addition