Mac11700,
I don't like breaker(barrel, side or under levers) rifles when dealing with kids. An injury with one of them could really do some damage. Catching a finger/hand in the wrong place could really maim a child.
It has happened to a few adults. Dont like Co2 models because of the expense of the cartridges and that the cartridges seem to want to leak air or are empty at the wrong time. That leaves a pump and one of the best buys is the Crosman 2100B or the Crosman 66. Both have rifled barrels and give surprising accuracy. Make sure if you mount a scope that you get a 1 tube instead of the
POS 3/4 models that come in the combination packages. I also wouldnt use copper BBs that come with them as they may damage the rifling in the barrels. My mother bought one to use to keep the pests(birds, gophers) out of her garden. I mounted a low cost Bushnell 4X scope on it for her and it will shoot groups that you can cover with a dime at 25 yards. Right now Compasseco, Inc. -
http://www.compasseco.com/shop/products.html?maingroup=Crosman&secondgroup=Air%20Rifles - has them for under
$60.00. Shop around and you could even find one cheaper. Lawdog