You could consider the American "Ranch" (the one with the tan stock) in 300 Blk. The barrel is even shorter than your 7-08, but it has a really mild muzzle blast and recoil, making it easy for smaller kids to use.
JMO on the left handed thing - my son is also left handed, but I'm teaching him to use right handed rifles for his own benefit. I figure if he can use common right-handed tools most of the time, he'll have an advantage over other left-handers that think they always need left hand stuff. He's doing very well with it so far, and a lot of lefties can become ambidextrous without too much trouble.
I agree with you and I'm a lefty.
