This, or a 25-06

Let her pick what she wants to shoot, as it will be for her.

Lots of truth there.

I say 257 Bob, both my wife and daughter shoot it and have no problems.

My daughter is going with me this year for the first time and she's going to use my 6.5 CM...and she handled it great at the range. Of the rifles you listed .243 but I'd bet your wife could handle a little more just like my daughter.

Great classic round.

Take a look at the 6.5 Grendel, less recoil than the 243 and will take deer much further than most should be shooting. Howa is making a bolt action in it now as well as plenty of ARs available.

Low recoil with factory loads

Hot reloads 270 recoil

Everyone handles recoil differently. Got my daughter a 7mm-08 when she was 16. She didn't like the recoil. Sold the 7mm-08 and got her a .243 in the same rifle, she liked it fine and still has it. I do believe fit is critical and most women need a compact or youth rifle for proper fit.

I find 25-06 recoil to be much snappier than 7mm-08. In fact I find a .270 more pleasant to shoot than a 25-06.

Almost certainly the best option. Kind of hard to go wrong with the 6.5 Grendel Howa, a compact 2-7 scope, and quality ear protection.

I disagree with your statement about the 22-250. There's no telling how many deer I have killed with a 22-250, and when I was a kid I was no where near and "expert shooter". I agree, shot placement is key, but if the OPs wife is recoil shy, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 22-250 on deer.

My wife is recoil shy, but her 22-250 doesn't bother her one bit. Two years ago was her first year hunting and dropped a pig in its tracks with it.

Whatever you get her, make sure she's not jumping when pulling the trigger. FWIW, I would not let my wife shoot my dad's 25-06. That would definitely make her recoil shy

I started my lady with my 30-06 (tikka T3 Lite) and 150 grain rounds
When I moved her to her own 308 (Savage hog hunter) she loved it and loved it more when I put a better recoil pad on.
I may put a muzzle brake, it would double as a recoil reduction device and allow me to put my suppressor on it.

It would be better than a 223 for certain.

Agreed

Several smaller models of 30-30 rifles are available. Match any of them with reduced recoil ammo and you have a pint-sized gun that's comfortable to shoot, easy to carry, and with plenty of knockdown power.

Could be twins!!!, But no I meant DAUGHTER!

Don't know if I'd say that, but I shoot a .30-06 fine so maybe I just don't notice.

I've been shooting 30-30, 308, and 30-06 since 2013. This is after stepping up from 22-250 that I was shooting since 2006. I'm 5'7" 120lb, for reference.

If you don't care about expensive ammo, 7mm-08 is your best bet. Other than that, 243 works and is available, cheaply, a dime-a-dozen.

Another vote for 243 and consider adding a muzzle brake. Deer are killed by the truck loads with a 243. The 80 gr. Barnes TTSX will kill deer and pigs all day long and shaves a bit of recoil off compared to the 95 and 100 grain bullets. I have not used a 223 for deer, so will not comment one way or the other on it.

Other random thoughts that might be helpful.

Shot placement trumps power.

Good shot placement comes from practice.

Practice comes from having something that is pleasant to shoot.

I enjoy teaching women to shoot, and often they end up being better shots than men. They listen, follow instructions, and are patient enough to not pull the trigger until it is going to be a good shot. But it has to be a good experience. Keep it positive and fun. When the shooter starts to get tired take a break.

What I have learned in teaching them - make sure the gun fits well. This means length of pull, but also weight, comb height to scope, and easy to work the controls, and not too bulky to handle. Give her good quality equipment, at least as good as what you have or even better - especially the optics. If you give her quality, she will know it. If you give her crap, she will know it.

Teach the basics using a good 22 with a scope, so she becomes used to using a scope. The 22 makes it pleasant to practice while learning the fundamentals. Once she can handle the 22 proficiently, then moving up is easy enough.

Move up to a bolt action 223 for more practice if you have one. A bolt 223, such as a Ruger American Compact, is relatively inexpensive for practice, and provides practice in working the bolt, loading and unloading as well as marksmanship with a centerfire. Also, the ammo is abundant and affordable.

Couple of other lessons learned. Make sure she avoids wearing a bra with a slider/buckle under the area where the rifle is held. The buckles can pinch them and that is not fun. I recommend ladies wear a sports bra or at least slip the strap out of the way if it is going to pinch. If she is busty, avoid curved recoil pads where the toe will poke her in the boob. That is not fun for them. On one rifle my wife used, I took a belt sander to the bottom and side of the pad to make it more comfortable for her.

Make sure she leans forward from the waist into the rifle. That is true for all shooters, but women have less upper body mass to absorb recoil, so good form is even more important for them.

The loud boom is as much of an issue as recoil. Have her wear foam ear plugs with ear muffs over it. If you have a suppressor, use it.

I taught a 16 year old young woman to shoot after her dad became frustrated. He gave her a very nice 7-08, but she was having trouble putting it on paper at 100 yards. Turns out the boom was scaring her. After a couple of hours with a 22, she moved to my 308 with 175 grain bullets, but used a suppressor. She was hitting targets out to 500 yards while her dad watched in disbelief. Double up the hearing protection.

Do not buy one of the plastic stock Walmart specials. The plastic stocks seem to magnify recoil. Don't think buying something pink color is the answer either. Let her see what she likes. Tikkas are decent quality for the price. Remington Model 7 or Ruger Compacts are other options that are scaled down for smaller framed women and youth.

A 7 - 8.5# rifle probably will be more pleasant for her than a really lightweight rifle. Also, make sure the length of pull is short enough, especially with winter clothes on. Shooting a rifle with too short of length of pull works ok, but too long definitely does not.

Congrats on having the best hunting partner ever.

Here are a couple of my wife. Some of our best times have been out hunting.

Bullets trump headstamps!

I'd recommend a 7mm-08 or a .25-06. Both low recoil and I folded many hogs with my .25-06 but i also slapped them right behind the ear

243 or 260 would be fine as I'm sure a 7mm-08 would be as well . I've never shot one. The 25-06 maybe not. I love the caliber but the recoil maybe a little much unless you have something with a heavier contour barrel and a good heavy stock.

I've seen reduced recoil .243 ammo at Academy. Now that's got to create a very comfortable shooter.

Might just be my 22" barrel on my savage, but the .25-06 seems to have a fair amount of noise and muzzle blast? Doesn't recoil too bad, but it's a noisy SOB for sure.

I am going to go a bit off the reservation here, but I would recommend a TC Encore in either 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC. For either of them, I would recommend a custom barrel from MGM or Bullberry. The reason for a custom barrel is 1) they will be more accurate than a factory barrel and 2) if you go with the SPC, it will be chambered to the Spec II chambering, so you can get a bit more out of it.

Both have reasonably priced factory ammo available (~$23 per box for Hornady SST loads) and both are super easy to load for if you reload. Recoil is extremely light but both rounds will carry the mail out to 300 yards.

As far as price goes, you can find a used frame for <$300 if you keep your eyes peeled. Add another $300-400 for a barrel, however you might get lucky and get one for less than that (I paid $275 for my Grendel barrel). So, you will end up paying about the same as a good bolt gun. Yes, follow-up shots are a bit slower than with a bolt gun, but a single-shot does promote a good first shot.

Super info here guys and I really appreciate it! I'm really leaning on the 243 but not 100% just yet.

And I have a question in reguards to this muzzle break situation. I've read a few comments suggesting to use one, and please exscuse my ignorance as I've never dealt with one, but would I need to buy a gun that has a barrel ready to accept one or can one be installed on a factory barrel?