RE: my wife needs her own rifle
I had a .257 Roberts at one time, good caliber for kids and wife, but I now prefer, and would recommend a .25-06. 120 grain bullets are large enough to hit hard, but recoil is very mild.
Two of my female cousins (14, 17) have identical Savage 110(?) in .25-06. They each have harvested several bucks and doe. One shot deals for each. They both enjoy shooting for practice. Having two identical guns also limits confusion of ammo, eliminates the "mine is better" arguments, and it increases a their competitive nature when practicing making each of them a better shooter.