I started my wife and stepson on 20 ga guns and should have started them with a 12 ga instead. The stepson started with a 20 ga Rem 870- and the 2ife started with a Beretta 390. The wife tried the 870 but it kicked too much for her, even though it was the old model on a 12 ga frame and we were using 7/8 oz factory loads. The stock fit was pretty close but the recoil speed was more than she liked. The semi-auto really spread the recoil pulse out and she was much more comfortable with that.
They both quickly advanced to the point the 20 ga was holding them back (sporting clays and trap) but the step to a 12 ga was initially too much mentally. I "tricked" my wife into using a 12 ga by buying a 12 ga 390 and loading some yellow/gold European hulls with 7/8 oz of shot. These kicked even less and after she was thoroughly adjusted to her new gun I told her the truth. It didn't phase her and she now shoots 1 1/8 handicap loads for hunting though the 1 oz AA and STS equivalent shells are her competition choices. At 1180 fps they are easy on the shoulder but do fine on even FITASC targets.
The stepson changed from his buddies "shaming" him into an 1100 in the larger bore. Or maybe it was his mother changing over and beginning to regularly beat him. Either way, I had to buy yet another gun for him.
In any case I would suggest an autoloading 12 ga as many others have. Use the 1 oz loads at 1200 fps or less and recoil won't be a problem. The 1100/11-87 are good guns as are Beretta 390/3901/or the 301-303 series. The Beretta are a couple of generations old but are very solid and dependable guns. The 390 series utilize 2 3/4" and 3" shells while the other is just 2 3/4" or 3". The Browning B-80 is a renamed 303 and can occasionally be found fairly cheap. There may be a couple of other options out there but these one should be able to find in the $500 range or even a bit less if one looks hard and is a little lucky.
