While I definetly feel that a .223 is a capeable deer cartridge when loaded with the right bullets I would never reccomend one to a first time shooter/ hunter.
The .243 is a very light kicking rifle. A bolt action with a scope will yield only about 7 - 8 foot pounds of free recoil energy. That is almost nothing. Any one old enough to kill big game should be able to easily handle the recoil of a .243.
An even better choice would be a .257 Roberts. It has almost exactly the same ammount of recoil energy (about 9 foot pounds) but you have the benefit of a larger and heavier bullet.
There is not doubt in my mind that she would be able to comfortably fire a .243 or .257 Roberts. Even on the practice range.
I am not sure what in line ML's Pro Line is shooting but every one I have ever shot kicked a heck of a lot more than a .243.
Maybe he is built like a tank.
