For the South, 30-30, .308, and 7mm-08.

You would have to further define specifically which 12 gauge slugs you were refering to, but in general, the recoil is much greater with the 12 gauge than with any .270 or .30-06. I have both an H & R Ultra Slug Hunter in 12 gauge, and a .30-06. I shoot 400 grain Winchester Platinum Tip sabots in the 12 and CT 180 Partition Golds in the 06. Even though these would be considered reasonably stout rounds in an 06, the recoil is insignificant compared to how much the 400 grainers out of the 12 put into your shoulder. Really only mainly matters when your sighting in the rifles though. Never really noticed the recoil from either when your actually aiming at a game animal. The amount of broken blood vessels in your shoulder also helps further show you the difference after you shoot each. That is why I generally recommend shooting a 20 gauge rifled barrel shotgun over the 12 gauge. The 20 still kicks a healthy amount, but your pushing mid 200 grain bullets, instead of upper 300 grain to 400 grain bullets, and I really doubt the deer will notice the difference.

The .270 is a superb caliber, for a novice or an expert, IF he/she can SHOOT IT ACCURATELY! The same applies to most of the cartridges in that class, including the 6.5X55, .260 Rem., 7/08, 7X57mm, .280, .308, .30/'06, etc.

I think you've proved that you can shoot the .270. If that is true, why not get one for yourself? As the old Indian guide once told Jack O'Connor when the argument about which gun is best came up: "any gun good, shoot'um good!"That's still true.......

However, thinking about it some more, for you it might be more of a question of GUN DESIGN than which cartridge to use. IF you'd prefer a shorter, lighter, and handier rifle, take a look at the Remington Model 7, Ruger M77 Ultra Light,and other short-action lightweights. These rifles are chambered for the shorter cartridges like the .260 Rem., 7mm/'08, and .308. All of these rounds are excellent for your needs, and the guns are much easier to handle than some of those with longer actions made for the .270-.30/'06 size cases.

Remington SPS 7MM-08. Great starter rifle that will last you a lifetime. No need to update. 270 or 6.5x55 would also fill the bill. The 7mm-08 delivers good big game performance without a bunch of recoil and muzzle blast.

Where in Mississippi are you? Just curious since I live in North MS.

Anyway I just bought my son a Ruger Hawkeye All Weather 7mm-08 for hunting deer in MS. And when he's old enough to shoota larger rifle, like my.30-06 or .300 Win. mag, I plan on confiscating the 7-08 for my own use.

i would suggest a 30-30 lever action.

I live in Columbus Solitary Man Thanks for all the help everyone

As mentioned earlier the Rossi 3 barrel combination gun is great for Younger Hunters and Women but it is also a gun you will grow out of after a few years depending on your size.At your size Jeremy you could probably handle the 30-30 really well and it is a great gun in thick cover/woods and my other suggestion would be a Browning A-bolt .243 Rifle that can be used for Deer Hunting and used for Coyotes/Varmits also.

I have shot my Remington 30-06 for several years and have been tired of the recoil soI decided to buy myself a Browning A-bolt Hunter in the .243 caliber using the Hornady 100 Custom shells,Leupold 3-4 X 9mm scope w/millet ringsand I have shot several deer over the past 2 years.It has great accuracy with little recoil.

IfI was begining hunting again, I would have chosen some of the milder cartridges. Not only are they easier to manage when it comes to recoil, it allows you to take a peak around your local gunshopsfor some true relics. (old timers guns) And the more I learned about guns and grew to love them, I learned that mild cartridges and relics can go hand and hand. They also have an abundance of history behind them. History that shows they were very effective on large game pursued in those days of old. The history lessons learned from these guns taught me many things but one of the most important lessionsI learned was the fact that " THE GUNS BACK THEN KILLED LARGE GAME....SO THOSE SAME GUNS CAN KILL THE SAME LARGE GAME TODAY." And you don't have to kill your shoulders either.

I started with a 12 gauge and a 30-06 (which is my favorite all AMERICAN cartidge by the way). I could handle the recoil ....no problem..... but it wasn't untilI shot my first .243, 257 roberts, 250 savage, 300 savage.....ect ect ect thatI realized that I was missing something VERY special.

Instead of walking into deercamp on opening day witha remington 700 or a savage 110. I would have felt pretty darn good toowalking into camp with a savage model 99 chambered in 30-30, 250 savage or 300 savage. And have all the freinds MY AGE sit up in their seats and say.... "WHAT THE HECK GUN IS THAT? And the old timer in the corner stands stands up with his cane in his hand and says......I rember my first rifle was a savage 99.....and I killed over 100 deer with that thing.

To each his own....but there is alot more to hunting than trying to find the biggest gun possible to hunt a certain type of game. Heck, you could use a 505 gibbs for whitetail and nobody would say much about it.....But you shoulddo what you think is best for you and what you are comfortable to shoot with. But dont ever second guess some of those mild "OLDIE" cartridges either.

243, 6mm, 250 savage, 257 roberts, 7mm -08, 7-30 waters 300 savage, 30-30...ect ect.
other GREAT suggestions....if ya dont mind a BIT more recoil ( just a bit)are

25-06, 264, 270, 280, 308, 30-06. Some of these offer a bit more recoil but are excellent choices for most big game in america.

GOOD LUCK MY FREIND, BECAUSE YOU GOT ALOT OF CHOICES OUT THERE.

I started at your age with a 243 and shot it up till last year. I am now 36. I stopped shooting it because I wanted to save it for my Son who is 2.. You can't go wrong with a 243. Shoot the 85 Grain BTHP and don't look back.. Has dropped deer in thier tracks for me in both TX and now MS for over 20 years.