I bought a 7-08 Remington Model 7 for my 12 year old daughter to hunt dear with. I shot a box of 140 grain Rem factory loads and decided that it was to much so I found a youth load and it was very mild using 120 gr BT and H 4895. Sweet shooting round that did not kick at all even in a light rifle. She was even able to kill a doe this year with it. Before the season we went target shooting and she was able to shoot it 15-20 times during practiceand she did fine and did not develop a flinch. She also uses a recoil pad that fits under her coat.

Any of the 308 based rounds 243, 260, or 7-08 will do just fine with a little reloading.

My 2 cents.