I have a 243 I used for about 10 years worked great on deer . I have a rem.270 pump that I used the last 26 years on deer and other big game.

The 243 is a good round, but I would lean towards the 270. It's just a little more versitile. If the kick is a little to much for you to shoot comfortably, Remington make a managed recoil cartridge for the 270 that only kicks 1/2 as much and still has good accuracy and more that enough umph to put a deer down. If some time in the future you get to go elk hunting, you won't need to get a new rifle.

My first rifle was a .243 that my father gave me for Christmas when I was about your age. I think it is the perfect rifle for someone your age. Not much recoil and deadly accurate.

.270 thats all I use for big game. Works for me!

i shot a 270 for a few years and it's one nice gun, but i also found a much nicer caliber for me for deer and the 25/06 is hot little flat shootign rifle with plenty of p[unch to hammer a deer of any size in north america. if your going to use it for larger game like elk then i would suggest you go with the 270 caliber for sure. at this time i am in the process of building myself a new gun in the 280 remington which is another great caliber to shoot.
not sure which arms company your going to use but for the money savage makes soem fine guns and are excellent out of the box accurate rifles. good luck
rob k

You have gotten alot of good information from all the people here. The .234, 25-06, .270, .280 and even the 7mm Mag. These are all very nice deer rounds. Although the 7mm is just a bit to much, I have seen alot of deer taken down with this round. It is really hard to say what the best round would be for you. I believe it is more important to have a firearm for deer hunting that you can fire very comfortably. That said If you have the chance try firing afew different rounds start small (.234) and work up (7mm). Make sure when trying these firmarms out you concentrate on breathing and squeezing the trigger without flinching. Flinching is the biggest problem with large cal rounds. You and only you can choose the right round for deer hunting. A couple of things to keep in mind when looking are weight, you made be carring this rifle for a full 12 hour day. Length can you shoulder the firarm quickly and comfortably.