Your size has nothing to do with being able to " handle" recoil. I' m 5' 10 180 and I absolutely HATE rifle recoil. I think it was because I too thought I could handle it when I was younger. I shoot much better now that I have dropped to a .270. I would take that rifle for anything except bear. I am that confident in my shot placement because I can practice without getting a sore shoulder. At your age, and for what and where you are hunting (deer, ' yotes)I would think a Rem .260 or a 25-06 would work great. I have shot both and LOVE them. As far as the rifle, have you thought about a Savage? The couple that I have shot were very accurate (I was surprized and a little jealous that these inexpensive " not cheap" guns were much more accurate than my Browning A bolt). Give them a look. What ever you do, remember that you should be shooting a lot, and you can' t shoot well with a sore shoulder. It will just make you frustrated and shooting won' t be fun anymore.l