For my daughter

[shooterdad]

I'm wanting to start a build for my 12 year old daughter. She is very petite and is just getting into shooting. I don't want to run her off with recoil. She shoots my AR 15 fine but I'm afraid 308 may  be too much. What can I do to lessen the recoil so she can go elk hunting this year?

[98Z5V]

Start her on some other caliber besides .308 Win, but one that's sufficient enough to take elk, at ethical distances.

6.5 Grendel in a small-frame AR,  .243 Win or .260 Rem (or 6.5 Creedmoor) will all have less felt recoil than the .308 Win cartridge.   All of those can take an elk, within the proper ranges for them.

[Cunuckgaucho]

Do you reload? 

https://shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php

Here's a recoil calculator and you can pre run some numbers( bullet weight,velocity) and then develop a load factoring recoil. Maybe develop one load for range practice and something a little hotter for hunting .

[sketch]

A decent break, or if possible a supressor is a softer 308.. common dad it's only money! 

[MtnMike]

I recently got my wife a .308 CVA Cascade XT having similar concerns.  This particular bolt action is pretty tame as far as recoil goes.  Comes equipped with a brake (and a threaded barrel), an above-average recoil pad and is a little bit heavier barreled than your typical pencil barrel deer rifle. And it is a helluva shooter with the Bergara barrel and an excellent adjustable trigger.  I got it for around $600 a bit before Christmas.  Of course, it's not an AR and there's nothing to build ...