I too would see if I could find a Marlin X7 youth/compact and have her try it out. Nice thing about it is you can cut the barrel to 20" if you want...after letting her try it out. Also the X7 isn't quite as light as the Ruger and a little extra weight will only help in the recoil department. I'd get the 7-08 for her as well. You can load a 7-08 to feel like a 243 or a 30-30. The famous 120bt load would be great one IMO...there literally hundreds on here that swear by that bullet in the 7-08.
