re: Need a caliber recomendation for the wife

Since you are worried about the scope cutting your wife....
Look at rifles with a Monte Carlo Stock (easier to lock chin onto stock and absorb recoil) and look at scopes with a solid rubber ring (no cut if bumps face/nose) with good eye relief (allowing scope tube to be mounted farther up). Couple that with a rifle over say 7.5 pounds and the recoil should be manageable. I think a really light rifle (youth model) will increase recoil...

As far as caliber goes....Well, there are 7 pages of opinion on that.