Forget about the 223, it is a varmint cartridge, not a deer round. Same with any other 22 caliber. If you are new to shooting and worried about recoil then the 243 Win is a good place to start followed by the 257 Roberts, 25-06 Rem, 260 Rem, 6.5X55mm, 270 Win, 280 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem (my favorite deer round) 308 Win and 30-06 Springfield. Notice the 30-30 Win isn't in there? Thats because it is only a 150 yard gun at best. As far as an affordable, dependable and accurate rifle, Savage. Very hard to beat. Even cheaper, but still accurate is the H&R siingle shot rifles. Don't let the looks fool you, they will shoot.