The gun you are really looking for is the 250 Savage. Its to bad that this caliber is now so hard to find. Nothing else that I have used is milder in the recoil than the 250 yet it packs plenty of power for deer hunting. The 257 Roberts which is chambered in the Ruger All Weather ( I Think) would be a good choice as well. A little more recoil but plenty of power for the biggest deer around. Yes, the same rifle in 6.5x55 would be a terrific choice as well.

What I mean is at 200-300 yards, there is very little margin for error in a 243. Under 1400'pounds of energy at 200 and under 1200 at 300 yards makes bullet placement critical. For an experienced marksman that practices it's no big deal....for a woman that makes it to the range once a year might be another story. The 7mm and 7mm08 is much more forgiving in regards to shot placement. The 7mm carries 1665'pounds out to 300 yards without alot of extra recoil. Hope this clarifies where I was going. Regards, Rick.

7-08 or 260

if your were going to change the barrel go with the 243 but honestly the 30-06 wont kick to hard. if shes 5'10 and pretty athletic the kick wont really bother her. i started shootina 30-06 when i was 11 and i never botherd me. i was pry about 5' and less then 100lbs and it dint bother much. you could have her shoot it a few times and if it does kick to much then maybe get a different barrel but let her see what its like first. she may not like it but she may like it too you dont really know unless you try.

Ton of good calibers listed here. The 6.5's or the 7-08 would be perfect. The 25's would probably be ideal as well, i just havent shot them. Many many good choices out there.

.260, 6.5mmSwede, 7mm-08 and .270.
You can buy 6.5mm156gr Norma for larger game.
My two main rifles are 6.5mmSwede(140gr) and .270(130gr) for deer.

.243 !
Just check out any of my .243 threads. great gun !

How did I have the feeling you were going to say that?

I'm only like 5'3", 105 lbsand I can shoot a 30-06 with no problem. Currently I'm using a 7mm Rem Mag and I find the kick easily managable.

Why is it that little guys always want to fight the big guys?