Trying not to buy two guns, but will if it makes sense
What caliber/rifle for
Deer
Elk
This would be for my wife… ~ 5’ 3 inch (if that matters), and recoil sensitive.
Thanks !
I only wrote half of what I meant to yesterday. Allow me to amend that.
The 77 grain TMK seems to work well for those who try it. https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/223-for-bear-deer-elk-and-moose.130488/
If you have an AR-15 can she use it for deer hunting, allowing you to focus on an elk gun?
The classic answer is 30/06 for that game range. Though many people would go to one of the 30 / 300 magnums, but I wouldn’t recommend magnums for a smaller frame recoil sensitive person.
My preference is 280, it’s essentially 7 mm/06 or a 7 mm 270. You can get bullets right in the sweet spot for excellent ballistic coefficient, sectional density etc. 280 is a bit harder to find but is not rare. And it’s very easy to reload for.
I love 308 for whitetails, along with 708. In lighter bullets 308 does not give up much to 30-06. But in the heavier bullets like for elk 30-06 has a distinct advantage over 308.
A bunch of people shoot elk with 270, but I prefer 280 for just a slightly heavier bullet with decent ballistic coefficient. I can run 120-140 gr for super flat, or go on up to 175 for heavier game. I hand load 140 grain 280 to the same velocity as the classic 270 130 grain loading. With slightly better ballistic coefficients as well for flatter trajectory.
Though I’m sure people are shooting elk with 6.5 creedmoor or similar, to me the bullet ballistics in elk weight are starting to get non-optimal.
The 30-06 is probably the best option. My personal solution is a 7mm Rem Mag, but I also wouldn’t feel under-gunned if I took the 270 Winchester instead. I agree that the 280 Remington is more capable than the 270 Win, and would be worth considering if an appropriate rifle is found offered in it.
I can’t argue with Pinzgauer’s reply. .30-06 is a classic. I myself have considered a 280AI, mostly just to be different. I’d like to try a 7mm-08 for fun. I’d love a 6.5 PRC.
Having said that I’m a relatively new hunter. I started hunting mid-life. This year was my 4th season so take my advice with a grain of salt. I’m hunting with what I have which is a…6.5 Creedmoor. 
I load 140gr. partitions for it. I shot my first deer with it last year at 300 yards. It went 5 feet. I shot my first elk with it 2 weeks ago. Double lung, through and through at 150 yards. It walked about 10 feet. I’m not a 6.5C apologist. It’s not a magnum, it doesn’t perform like one and has limitations. But I’m confident it would keep working for a couple hundred more yards or so.
Caliber selection can be deeply personal and therefore contentious. I say pick what you like and be happy.
I hunted Elk for many years in MT when I was ranching there. I always used a .338 Win Mag, but in our area we had Bears to contend with. I think the .280 is not a bad choice for a recoil sensitive person. Stock design will have a lot to do with felt recoil. I always used Winchester model 70s (old ones) and the recoil never bothered me. I am only 5’5 myself.
A .30-06 with the correct 180 grain bullet (Nosler Partition, anything bonded, Barnes, etc) is perfectly fine for elk out to ~400 yards with a broadside shot. This seems to be about the upper limit that recoil-shy folks can take without developing a flinch.
If that’s too much, the .270 is a classic for deer-sized and game and also elk if the same type of bullets listed above are used. I would be a little more careful picking my shots, though. The same can be said of the .280 as well. The new 26 Nosler might be an option- flat trajectory with 140’s and I wouldn’t think that the recoil would be that bad.
7mm Rem Mag is popular, too. 140’ for deer and 180’s for elk
Cannot go wrong with a .270, .30-06, or .308. I would lean toward .30-06 but that is personal preference. I would stay away from boutique rounds. You don’t want to be on a hunt in the middle of nowhere and not be able to find ammo if something happens with the airline or insert the issue. That is probably not going to happen with one of these calibers.
If i were buying a rifle today and wasn’t looking for a full blown custom option, I’d go with Tikka. There are threads on pistol-forum.com and maybe here on them with a lot of info.
What platform? Ar15 ar10 or bolt action?
7mm-08 is more than up to the task and has a great reputation among smaller/younger shooters. Not that the options mentioned aren’t good but I wouldn’t consider anything in 30-06 class (including its derivatives) the best option for “recoil sensitive” shooters. Not to mention a standard length action will be heavier than a short action caliber
You could also consider 6.5 Creed (people in North America would scoff at that suggestion but dudes in Sweden hunt moose with its ballistic twin, 6.5x55)
Wow lots of great responses
Lots to consider
Thanks !!
I guess I left the rifle aspect out of my response. My default answer used to be a Remington 700 (CDL or Mountain), but not at the moment. A Tikka T3x Forest / Laminated Stainless or Bergara B-14 Hunter would be at the top of my research list.
Do you handload? If you do, then all practice doesn’t need to utilize full power loads, and also doesn’t need to last for 50 rounds. 3/4 power loads, with bullets at the lighter end of the spectrum work great. They generate enough recoil to not give a false impression, while not beating up the shooter. If you don’t handload, then this is a great reason to start.
I just used my brother’s 280 AI on a high desert Muley. I was impressed. Later we played with a 2x2 steel gong at 600 yards. I became even more impressed. Light recoil and impressive terminal and exterior ballistics.
My 4th grader will be using a 6.5 creedmoor on this same hunt as he is recoil sensitive. Still working up handloads…
I understand recoil sensitivity. I grew up shooting big bore. 375HH, 338 win mag, 416 Rem mag, 510 Wells. I like the big bores as they tend to shove rather than slap. 300 win mag is a slapper rather than a shover…
For your wife? Get the 6.5 or 7mm (280) bore diameter. Any cartridge that can push one of 140gr weight with decent velocity will kill deer,elk,pronghorn. She won’t flinch expecting a slap of recoil and hit with confidence in the animals chest.
Edited to add that my main hunting rifle is a 3006 AI. 180grs at 2900 fps.
Shot a lot of white tail and mulies with 5.56, no problem with a good hit. I’d not hunt elk with it, not generally legal and lots of risk of a lost critter.
What type of elk hunting?
A willingness to pass up marginal angle or longer shots opens up a lot more pleasant calibers.
I also think that modern bullet tech has moved everything up a level. If you are willing to pay for the bonded or solid copper premium ammo.
For deer - 243, 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmore, 260 Rem. or 6.5x55, 7x57 or 7-08 are all nice, medium calibers. List is roughly least to most recoil. Yes, you can use a .223/5.56 for deer, but there are better rounds.
I would probably consider 7x57 or 7-08 as minimum for elk, although the 6.5s/260 will do the job for a careful hunter. Its probably safe to say the rifle will be used on more deer than elk.
270/280/308/30-06 are great all around rounds but the availability of light and correctly proportioned rifles has to be considered.
I agree that handloading will allow you to gradually increase recoil.
I work on the northern border, and with Canada opening back up… it meant that hunters could go up. Per our port policy, firearms need to be checked with NCIC anytime someone comes in (game declaration), as well as if they want a 4457 filled out showing ownership prior to leaving the country (my signature goes on that one, so I always confirm it isn’t stolen prior to stamping it).
Only saw a handful of people go up for elk, but a lot of moose and bear. Majority of the firearms coming back are chambered in 7mm Mag. You’ll see .300 Win Mag and .308 every so often, as well as 6.5mm Creedmoor. .30-06 comes thru, but not as common as you’d expect.
Saw .325 Win Short Mag the other day… which started a conversation with the hunter. One of the odder calibers I’ve seen, and was the first I’ve noticed it. I’ve seen a wildcat or two… but it is rare. The last I saw was somewhere around .22… and want to say the guy was using it for deer (not 100% on that).
Worst story I heard was a guy, who didn’t get anything, telling me how he was planning on taking a moose out at 600+ yards. Want to say he had a .300 Win Mag… and I sort of called him out on it. I’m all for making hunting more of a challenge, but not at the risk of just wounding an animal that likely would get away and die without a good chance of actually getting it. Sorry if that goes against anyone here, but I don’t see the sportsmanship with it.
He starts telling me how great of a shot he is on some flat range in PA, and how he doesn’t miss. So, you are going to estimate the wind differences in Newfoundland, when even northern ME can be fun due to terrain? The wife of the other hunter was off behind him… making a gesture that he was full of s***. That made me laugh as they left.
This is key
200 yards or less on a cow?
600 yards across a canyon at a big bull? Different answer.
I’m totally unqualified to provide advice on shooting elk, but given the historic popularity of the 270, and the current popularity of 6.5 CM, I wonder why the 6.5-06 never caught on. Flat shooting, lotsa neck for long, high BC/SD bullets, or long copper 140s, reasonable but high powder capacity, nearly as much juice as 6.5 PRC, but not as much of a barrel burner as the similar magnum.
With lighter bullets, it would stomp pronghorns or whitetail at whatever range, much like the 25-06. Its basically between 25-06 and .270, but in a bore where heavy-for-caliber projectiles are common.
Deer 270 or 6.5CM or 6.5 PRC
Elk you should probably go with a magnum for Bulls. 7mm, 300 WM, 300 Norma
PB