ORIGINAL: MichaelT.
A little more than a .243 ... but very tolerable. I have that in a remington model 7 .... a short light weight gun.... and with all the rifles thatI own, I probably carry that more than any other. It is a little less than a .308 in recoil, and it is deadly on deer. I have been using it for about 15 years.
If you get it and she is a little gun shy ... get a sims slip on recoil pad, and she will love it.
God Bless
MET
Same here Michael. I've had my 7mm-08 model 7 for about 10 years or so and I absolutely love it. Short, lightweight, flat shootin, and deadly. As far as your question, I shoot 140 gr bullets and the recoil is very tolerable. Great gun!