Most of you are wrong here and advising on what you want NOT would be best for the boy. Semi- autos are wrong, wrong, wrong.
A person needs to learn on a single shot or close to it. That way they learn to make the first shot count. A lever action would be a good second.
My first gun was a single shot .410 and later a .22 marlin 39A which I still have. Used Marlin 60’s are worth about $60 around here.
My first choice would be a lever action Henry which will still be a good rifle 50 years from now.
FINALLY someone with some common sense. A semi-auto is Not a good choice for a first firearm.
My choice would be a bolt action, magazine fed repeater. But since the gentleman stated the young man wants a lever action, I think the Henry is the way to go.
I think it would me a mistake to get the son any thing other than what he wanted.
I had an Ithaca lever action .22. Single shot. I was by far the best shot out of all my buddies. One place we would toss a stick into the creek and shoot it as it floated down. I always had to throw it to give me a handicap. I still almost always hit it first out of two or three buddies with their semi-autos. Was a very safe gun, and great to learn on.
(My daughter was impressed this summer with me throwing my own clays out of the hand trap - she wasn’t strong enough to throw them!)
I agree with you. My first gun was a single shot bolt action (I forgot the brand), I think with today’s kids it also teaches patience coming from rapid fire video games. It also keeps the ammo bill down and you can use both long and shorts in them, if they still make shorts.