My parents gave me a Remington model 514 22 cal boys carbine when I was 9, which I used to thin down the ground squirrel population on their property. Next, dad bought a Win model 37 16 ga. for my older brother and I to use for bird hunting when I was probably around 10-11. Used the 37 mainly for grouse, but did use it for waterfowl over decoys starting around 12 yrs of age. I still use it now and then for grouse!
My first "unshared" shotgun was a Remington model 1900 12 ga that dad got in payment for allowing some horses to be grazed on his land. I don't think he was planning on giving it to me or even using it for that matter, but probably got tired of hearing me ask if I could have it and gave in.
We never had a 410 in the house, nor a bb gun of any type! Don't remember bugging him on getting a 410, but a bb gun was out of the question! Kids with a bb gun, to his thinking, was a recipe for trouble, no matter how well they're trained! I tried to justify to him at 7 or 8, why I needed a bb gun (the starlings needed thinning, stray cats needed to be chased off, self protection from a charging steer, or any other excuse from a runaway imagination), but he never relented!
Sorry Chuck, I got a bit off topic on your 410 thread!
