My wife has been asking me to take her skeet shooting.
Excellent! The only correct response from us is to write,
take her!
I'm sure that others will weigh in with more appropriate, specific suggestions, but I want to say this: you
won't have to spend $700 just to let her try shooting skeet.
Does a range near you rent guns, either semiautos, or 20ga., or semi 20? Your plan to have her start with an autoloading 20 does sound like a great idea. Lighter recoil and less muzzle blast make shooting a little more comfortable, and some of those 20s are really sweet. It'll be affected by the shape of the stock and the way it fits her, but single-shots will typically give more felt recoil than gas-operated autoloaders. {Edited to add: and weight! - see posts below. Geez, Happy Bob.}
Some folks find recoil to be very manageable with light (like 7/8ths oz.) 12ga loads, although that doesn't make the gun weigh less in the hands. Don't give up on the possibility of her using your 12s for a first time out. IF you use light-kicking loads, shooting what you've got beats not going shooting, IMO.
I don't see your location. Other THR members might be able to steer you to ranges near you where she can rent a comfortable clays gun. If you're near Raleigh, NC, I can do that. At the risk of being too forward on others' behalf, it's not unheard of for a THR member to write, "sure, I'll be at the range this weekend; she can try mine." I'd offer myself, but the SGs I have in town right now are both older, recoil-operated 12s (with more felt recoil than gas-operated guns).
When you're ready to buy, used Remingtons and Berettas are frequently available from people who have first bought semis, then found out that they loved busting clays, and succumbed to "Iwannaprettygunvirus" This condition is related to the "Iwannacoolgunvirus" that afflicts (
) more tactical folks. People have been known to sell their perfectly wonderful autoloaders (more commonly, but NOT always, 12ga) and buy pretty double guns once they're hooked on clay games.
All of my SGs were used when I got them, and I'm happy with every one of them. Others here can do an excellent job of telling you what to look for if you go that route. There's an active thread about a related, but NOT identical, Q here at
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45851
More at
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45574
In addition, there's wisdom in getting a first lesson from someone (like a range instructor) other than spouse. As always, others here know more.
As you search THR, you'll encounter folks who really know what they're doing, whose recommendations are golden. I'm just an enthusiastic shooter with a lot less experience than they have. I know one thing for sure, though: You two are gonna have fun.