Yes, the optimal gun for Skeet is a different gun than a Trap gun. Skeet is a game of quick reflexes on doubles and predictable flight paths for fast moving clays.
Trap guns are usually set up for a significantly high point of impact compared to point of aim. Trap at a serious level, is a 12 gauge game.
Most people that I know would choose an over/under for Skeet shooting over a semi-auto. Lots of competitors in Skeet are shooting 20 gauge in the 12 gauge events these days. Skeet is a multi-gauge game, with events for 12, 20, 28 gauge and .410. You won't go wrong with a Browning or Beretta over/under shotgun for quality and durability over many, many thousands of rounds.
Choose a shotgun that fits you well. Generally, if a Browning fits you, a Beretta will not fit so well. The only way to find out which shotgun to buy is to try out the candidate guns. Some clubs have rental guns. Most clubs have generous member who will let you try out their guns to find out how it feels to you.
Target shooting makes a heavier gun more desirable to soak up recoil. Recoil effect is cumulative. Shooting 100 or 200 rounds in a session, you really want to reduce fatigue and the flinch factor.
Pasture Trap - casual shoot clay birds out back of the barn, is a bring what you got kind of fun. Most pasture Trap shooting is pretty easy shooting unless you set up more difficult targets like those in Sporting Clays/5 stand. You can also buy an oscillator for some home Trap machines that makes more variable targets, like on a real Trap field.
I do a bit of waterfowl hunting over decoys and have no use for 3 1/2 inch shells. I am not saying that no one needs 3 1/2 inch for pass shooting waterfowl, but for any target use, all that you need a 2 3/4" chamber gun.
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