If she's recoil shy, the .243 is hard to beat. It has very respectable long-range performance for a small bore. I would load premium bullets though (.243 bullets are too light to lose any weight). Another option is to set her up with something more powerful that has a very good recoil pad and weighs a bit more too. I started out with a .270 and am quite confident that if I do my job, it'll dump any elk out there. The flatter shooting cartridges are also an asset for inexperienced shooters. Hope this hepls Bottom line: Within reason, Accuracy is more important than caliber.