look at the new Leupold freedom series of scopes.
I just picked up one of their 4x12's for 300$
it has 4+ inches of eye relief.
I was beginning to worry about getting the scope forward enough to use it.

Go to Natchez shooters supply and check out the Weaver Grand slam 2-8x36, they have two different reticles available for $189. Excellent Japan built scope for the $.

The beauty of handloading is you can make a 30-06 shoot and recoil like a 30-30 or less, same for a 7-08 or 7x57 like a 130 gr. Speer at 2400 to 3000 Plus FPS on deer or more on elk..

You cannot make a Creedmore more than a Creedmore, a 243 more than a 243 and on an on.

One thing that's been argued to death more or less but seldom put into straight talk is the more powder a caliber can use, and the more bullet weight it shoots simply makes it the more powerfull by specs..the bigger these two components are allows it to be less OR more, youre the determining factor in that..it does not work in reverse..

therefore I would buy my son a 7-08 in your case and let him shoot deer with reduced loads, then as he matures and he wants an elk, stick more powder in his 7-08 along with a bigger bullet like a 160 gr. Nosler partition and go hammer a big ole bull elk..