El Nino,
I echo Sheephunter's view, with near-personal experience. My wife uses a 7-08 and loves it. She started out with a .243, hunting deer and antelope. When elk and moose were added to the equation, the little 7 took over. With good bullets and good shot placement, its fine for the bigger critters. Load it up with 120 or 140 grain Barnes TSX bullets and it will do what you need it to.
Perhaps more important than cartridge choice for a lady, 'tho, is the need for the rifle to fit your wife. You mentioned weight as a factor, but that's only one. Mine (she's 5'4") was having some problems mounting and sighting the rifle at first, particularly with a couple of clothing layers on. Initially I hesitated to take wood off the buttstock, and instead moved the scope back in the rings. Not wise! I wasn't really fixing the problem, which was one of overall gun fit (specifically, length of pull). When we realized this, the stock was shortened by 3/4" and it all came together. She hasn't looked back. Make sure whatever rifle your wife winds up with fits her well, or at least is readily made to fit. Another tip regarding gun weight, is to rig the rifle with one of those wide neoprene slings from Butler Creek. They reduce felt-weight and absorb bounce when walking.
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