One of my 11 y/o son's prize possessions is his old Sears Model 1 single shot .22. He loves the fact that my Mom gave it to Dad as a wedding present, then i inherited it when Dad was killed, and now it's his. Seems to float his boat that it's on it's 3rd generation of Williams men. He's already talking about how neat it will be to pass it on to his kid and teaching him/her to shoot with it when the time comes.
Hope he still likes it as much next week. His birthday was this week, and he doesn't know it yet, but he's getting a new Marlin 795 come Monday for his birthday present. Don't want the old girl to get too worn out and deny him the pleasure of passing it down LOL. She'll still hold an inch at 50 yards.
From what I've read, your kid seems a little more mature than most 11 year olds. I'd be proud of him.
He's gonna LOVE the 795! I have more fun with my wife's 795 than my AR I think!