I would recommend the 870 in a 20 gauge. The thing with guns is that you can usually get almost what you pay for them back out of them. So start with a 20 (even a youth model if you are small in stature), use it and learn how to hunt. I would REALLY recommend a Firearm Safety Course as soon as you can. You will learn a lot about hunting. Once you have gained some experience, you can sell the 20 gauge and move into whatever suits your fancy from the experience you have gained. Mossbergs are ok, but don't feel as balanced as an 870 does to me. I would shy away from a Charles Daly, they have plastic components and I have heard many bad things about them.