I'm really confused on your 2 choices. Kind of like asking if you should buy a jeep or a Prius and not considering anything else. My answer on your 2 choices would be neither. While either will work and I have used rifles similar to both on deer, my inclination would be a bolt action in a caliber anywhere from 257 to 308 starting with mild reloads or reduced factory fodder.
That would give the young man a rifle he can use for the rest of his hunting lifetime and be adequate for almost anything in most of NA.
