Jacobie,
Almost every hunter and fisherman I know will tell you that there is two things that you don't buy them for Christmas. Their Rods & Reels, and their rifles.
Most everyone is different, and as far as I am concerned, I won't buy a Rod & Reel or a gun of any kind without being able to put my hands on it personally.
The way it feels may be to your liking but the person you are buying it for may not like the way it feels at all, and because it came from you, he could not say anything to you about it.
It's OK to get a Fisherman a new Plug or bait of some kind and a hunter some kind of accessory for a gun he owns, but when it comes to the actual gun, that's something else.
My suggestion would be to ask him to go with you to the local gun shop, and let him put his hands on a few, and see what he really likes before purchasing anything for him. You might find out that he likes something totally different from what you had in mind.
I have 3 boys that I have raised and I figured out after buying them guns, and several years down the road, see them trading them off for something else, that has always been a good policy for me, and as I recall, I don't think they have traded one off that they picked out on their own.
Cabelas has quality stuff, and I would not be afraid of ordering anything they sell, but I would go to a dealer with your dad, and find out what he likes before I ordered.
Just my opinion, and I know 5th graders smarter than me.
