HG recommendation

Question
Dear Sir,

A simple question, I hope...
Your opinion on the best or effective handgun with regard to self-defense. The scenario is protecting oneself in the home and having a gun with maximum stopping power at fairly short range. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your time.

Answer
For ease of use, ruggedness and adequate accuracy, you couldn't do better than a Glock. which caliber is a matter of personal preference.

In this day of premium engineered handgun ammunition (Speer Gold Dot, Federal Hydrashock, etc.) the caliber hardly matters. The .40 S&W seems to have the highest rate of one-shot stops, although this could be skewed by the fact that it is THE caliber of American law enforcement. If one were limited only to full metal jacket (non-expanding) projectiles, the .45 ACP was king in the days before modern technology for a reason. The 9mm has the utility of being the NATO round, and as such supplies will be slower to dry up than will supplies of either .40 or .45. I would stay away from .357 SIG as the possibility of over-penetration is too great.