waynecounty,
you did not tell us what you will be hunting or how old you are.
a smaller caliber that will do well for whitetail would be a .243 or 7mm-08. they have relatively little recoil and are flat shooting. A .270 is a great cartridge but has more recoil
Small game would be a good bolt action .22. For rabbits, birds turkeys then a 12 gauge pump would be good to start.
you will find many recommendations from other folks on this board
the above statements are only my humble opinion