Before attacking the rifle, I'd focus on the load. If you would cook up something with H4895 and knock 5% off the max, you might find it functioned nearly the same as a full-house load with greatly reduced recoil. That was what I did with my sons and my girlfriend.
Also add some weight to the stock. I used 50 cal lead bullets in the stock of my wife's 30-06 and really reduced the felt recoil.
