thanks for all the help guys.

My Mossberg shoots just fine and, so far, the bolt hasn't blown up on me. I have also heard great things about the Weatherby Vanguard, which should be in the same price range. I was not able to find one around town and the Mossberg was on sale (with their new LBTrigger :D) so I decided to go with it. I shoot the .308, but mostly because I wanted something that would take down a deer at longer ranges but would put an elk down at around 200 yards. But if you're sticking to the Missouri woods I would go with what hometheaterman said and stick with something smaller like a .243 or the .270. Ammo is plenty for both and neither your shoulder nor the deer's will be mauled by them. This isn't to say that there aren't any monsters out there in Missouri (F&S labeled you guys as their top sleeper state this year) but you probably won't need a 30 caliber to get the job done.
~~Brasky

Do yourself a favor and pick up Browning A-Bolt Medallion in .270 Win.

I second spending some $ on a rifled slug barrel with a cantilevered barrel. It will give you an extremely versatile multi function weapon and it can serve as an excellent back up for when you do have a rifle for deer.

If you really want to get a rifle and want to save as much as possible look for a good deal on a used rifle of choice. A Savage 110 / 111 or xl7 or xs7 in 308 is a very sensible choice. But it would be hard to pass up a good deal on any calibers like 308, 30/06, 243, 7mm/08, and many others.

If you really want to buy something go to a big box sporting goods store so you can handle and shoulder as many as possible and learn about all the features. Then buy wherever the best deal is offered. But used is always a great option and can lead to some great deals if you are patient.

If you want a great looking rifle, with beautiful wood, and just an all around good rifle, I like Brownings a lot. However, it's not often you can find one for under $400 which is why I didn't recommend one. That being said, I've yet to see one any more accurate than a Savage, and I've seen several that aren't as accurate. As far as accuracy, and just an all around quality rifle, the Browning doesn't beat the Savage and usually isn't as accurate. However, the Savage is basically a no frills rifle with a cheap feeling synthetic stock while the Brownings often have beautiful wood on them. That's basically what you are paying for with the Browning. If you don't want the fancy wood and deep gloss bluing, no need to spend the extra on a Browning.

I own both, how many have you owned? I have always got submoa out of brownings. But so have I with savage 110's.

Isn't everybody supposed to start off with a 30-30? LOL, although a lot of people will knock it and say that it isn't the best choice, it isn't an underpowered deer wounding weapon that a lot of people have come to believe. Actually the 30-30 has only gotten better with age, and with the new Lever Evolution ammo it is a true 200-250 yard weapon. Ammo is cheap and recoil is easy on the shoulder.

Never owned a Browning bolt action, but have several friends that do. That being said, when I said more accurate, I don't mean by much. Both the Savages and Brownings have been sub moa. .8"-1" groups seem to be about the average for the Browning bolt actions I've seen. I've also seen several Savages that would shoot .5-.8" groups. So it's very very close. Then again, I've also seen older Savages that shot 1" groups and that was the best they could do. So I guess it depends on the gun you get. Both are very accurate, I just don't think the Browning is any more accurate, and I've seen several that weren't quite as accurate, but at the same time it's been very close, so it could have been the shooter.

Another thought, hammer, if you have been shooting slugs, I really wouldn't worry too much about the recoil of the calibers you have been thinking of. The average slug kicks about as hard as a .375 H&H mag, so if you are leaning toward the .308 or the '06 either should still be a relief to your shoulder.

Excellent point about the recoil.

And Hammer, if you do end up staying with the shotgun set-up you might be surprised that some of the lower powered decent slugs (with a lower recoil rate) may be just as accurate or more so in your shotgun, regardless of the type of slug or barrel you are using. Its amazing how a more comfortable gun will produce a more accurate shooter.
You don't need the heaviest slug with the greatest amount of powder to knock down a deer.