270. you wont regret it.

My nephew, although a young adult, is tiny - about 5-4 and 120 lbs. Very skinny and weak (due to some health problems), He shoots a 7mm-08 very well and comfortably. But that said, he shoots the bejeezus out of a 12 gauge bird hunting, so there ya go.

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I would go out and pick up a couple of boxes of remington's managed recoil ammo in 30-06(125 grain bullet)and take her to the range to see how she handles the NEF. Remington claims they are good to 200 yards and have half the recoil of the same full power load.I have never shot this ammo but I think Remington is onto something with this new ammo. IMHO I think the 30-06 is the only gun a hunter needs as you have remington factory ammo from the tiny 55 grain bullet up to the 220 grain bullet. If you handload then you have many choices in selecting the proper load.I only own 2CF rifles for hunting and they are both in this caliber.

I didn't read all the posts, so if I'm repeating just forgive me ... you might want to consider the old .30-30. A Marlin M336 costs a lot less than the bolt guns and it'll kill deer out to around 175-200 yds. It doesn't kick much, ammo is cheap so she can practice a lot, and if you buy a used rifle it'll cost even less. I like that it shoots a slower, heavier bullet than some of the others mentioned (like the .243) and gives great penetration with slow bullet expansion. I like the .243 okay, I just don't like the light bullet weight. The .243 kills like dynamite if you hit one right, but it has a reputation for leaving a lot of wounded critters in the woods if you make a marginal shot.

I've got several rifles ... a .300WSM, a .30-06, and a .308 ... but when it comes time to smoke a buck, my old .30-30 usually does the job just fine if the range is under 200 yds besides,it's just fun to shoot. I shoot 170gr Winchester Power Points, and I've stopped every deer I've ever shot with it right where they stood.

The .243 and some of the other traditional bolt rounds are faster and more glamorous, but for plain ole' deer killing, the .30-30 is hard to beat.

I also like the 250 savage. A very over looked deer killer withLow Recoil.

A bolt action 30 30. Room for error on a bad placed shot.And now you can buy shells that reduce the recoil on most rifles by 30%.They lower the range of the bullet but still reach out to 150yrds easy in a 30 30.

Agree. These two calibers, even though they have more recoil on paper, seem to kick less than the .243 or 25-06. It's more of a push than a "pop" - particulary if the rifle is not a featherweight.

let me put my 2 cents in here.

the .243 is great, I own 2 of em. But I think an even better choice for you would be the .260 or 7mm-08.

I just swopped from a .30-06 to a 7mm-08...I'm lov'n it !

The 6.5X55 sedish is good. If I was going to buy a new rifle it would be in the .260 rem., itwas made specifically for Whitetail shoots like a .243 and leaves amuchbetter wound channel.However, since you have a 30-06 honestly those new low recoil cartridges that Rem and Fed have really are light on the recoil and have heard first hand from a few with young kids that they are great! They still have more energy than a .30-30 and surprisinly less recoil. I would start there unless you really are set a new rifle for her.