If he has a pump with but one round chambered, and none in the magazine, he has a single shot. I don't know why the single shot guys don't get that.
First thing any of us boys did, was ditch our single shots, and pony up for a pumpgun, usually with money we earned over the summer after we got the single shot. Some kids made enough they could swing an autoloader, but, it took me a few years to do that. Plus, I was happy with the 17 for a few short years. I didn't live on the high rent side of the tracks. I've seen more than one kid's thumb slip off the exposed trigger of an old single shot, which, never resulted in the gun going off, but, screwed the pooch on the shot the kid was attempting to make.
The model 17 might be old, but, the design is as fresh as the next model 37 gun built in the Upper Sandusky Ithaca plant at the start of the work day, tomorrow. If a kid is successful with a gun, he won't likely be thinking too much about some other design, and I haven't met anyone who started out with a 17 or a 37 that wasn't successful with it.
Most of the single shots you have the option of buying aren't high quality guns.
I'm blessed to have a safe full of stuff for the kid to try, but, he is left eye dominant, and I'll bet he ends up using one of my left handed guns, shooting left handed, in the end. There are worse places for them to go, I imagine.
Good luck, Lloyd. Working on logistics, but, I should see you there.
Best,
Ted
