I am surprized no one suggested the 22 hornet, flat shooting
and will reach out and touch something. A friend of mine has
even brought down a moose using one. I also believe a 30-30
would do good too.

And so ends the rational discussion of this thread, let the flaming begin

I think most on this site would not reccomend a varmint round, especially a low powered varmint round for hunting deer, let alone elk. It's a nice round for woodchucks, but I don't really consider it a big game catridge.

Paul

I went through this dilemma quite a while back and settled on the then new Remington model 7 in 243. My wife shot that rifle well and used it for many years but I always wanted her to use a little larger caliber. I couldn't get her to give up the model 7 until just last year when she tried out a new Browning BAR ShortTrac. It fits her need of a light rifle with light recoil along with my want of a little more punch than the 243. The only problem now is that I gotta be sure to be somewhere behind her when she starts cuttin loose with a semi auto!!

Forgot to mention the BAR was chambered in 308

Recoil sensitivity has nothing to do with a person's weight! As a matter of fact, lighter people are punished less by recoil than heavy folks because they can "ride with it", having a lot less inertia than us fatties!

Think of it this way. Would you rather fire your .600 Nitro Express from a standing position with nothing behind you, or would you prefer to fire itwhen leaning with your back against a tree?

Look at Elmer Keith. He was a little fellow, and did not weigh much. But he was totally impervious to recoil! How did he get that way? By shooting a lot, and working his way up to the bigger guns gradually!!

I would suggest starting your wife off with a rifle like a7mm/'08, 7X57mm Mauser, or .308 Winchester. BUT USE reduced handloads to start with. With full-charge loads, any of these calibers will take elk quite well.

Have her practice a lot, andincrease the powder charge and/or bullet weight in her cartridges gradually as she becomes less sensititve. If she shoots five to ten rounds a week with slow increases in power level, I guarantee she will be able to use a full-charge cartridge by this coming deer season. BUT she must do the requiredpracticing! Probably needs practice anyway!

BTW, I have found that, often, "recoil sensitivity" is actually caused bythe loud noise a high-powered rifle makes, and people who are afraid of recoil can actually shoot pretty well when using good ear protection. So make sure she has a good set of ear protectors!

Well, since the Eskimos kill Polar bears with the .22 Hornet, I guess you COULD use it on an elk, but in some states it would be illegal (not to mention a little nuts!!)

My wife also shoots the 7mm rem mag BUT, it is in a Boyds Thumbhole Stock with mercury recoil surpressors and a Limbsaver recoil pad. Rifle shoots like a .223 now! Oh, she is also very small in stature but big on heart and hunting. If you don't want to go through all of what I did then maybe you might look at one of Ruger's new Frontier models in 7mm-08, they're light and compact (12.5 length of pull and 35.5 overall length). Best of luck and enjoy the time the field with your wife.

I am not trying to start no flame war. I am not refering to the
22 long rifle shells they call hornets either. I am talking about
the real 22 hornets and they are legal here for big game here.
They are the ones with a high brass close to a 30-30 in size.
Anyways they are very accurate and have shot a lot of deer
here. Again I am not trying to start any issues just an oppion.

IMHO, if she is not asharp shooter with the.22's, no matter what caliber you start her on is going to make a difference. If she has mastered the .22's ( .22 long-.223) and is a sharp shooter, then I would start her with the6.5mmSwede or the .270.

In FL it has to be .243 and above.