If you would like i can meet you and let you and her shoot my wife's 243 mossberg 100atr.
I go past Moore on my way to Lexington to shoot.
Or at least see if it is easy for her to shoulder and sight.
To be honest I really think it would be tough to beat an AR15 carbine and some premium hunting loads. Add a red dot or scope and it'll likely outshoot a lot of bolt guns.
Been shooting a Rem in .223 for 20 yrs. It has been used by my kids and my friends kids.
The Win 64 gr and the Barnes 55 gr Vor-TX are excellent deer rounds and extremely accurate.
My friend's 8 yo son took his first deer at 235 yards, 1 shot and went down in 10 yards.
My 9 yo granddaughter took her first deer with it. 1 shot, 160 yards, dropped in its tracks.
I never felt they were undergunned for their game or overgunned for their ability or recoil tolerance.