Defence Handgun loads

Question
Whats the best bullet weight, diameter, and at what velocity. Or an exact bullet prefferance will do if you have one.

Im looking for your thoughts on an all around defence handgun here. From dog to potential alaskan fishing trip.

What are your thoughts about heavy cast slugs for self defence? Say .475 400 grainers at 750-800 fps for personal defence bumped up to 1250-1300 fps for wilderness defence.


Thanks
Brandon

Another expert who looks to be very qualified on paper didn't understand this one, so I simplified it.  You guys probably don't get alot of questions like this anyway, but I thought it would be a good one for readers.

Answer
Brandon,

My carry gun is a S&W 640-1, a J-frame snubby .357 Magnum. I carry 125-grain jacketed hollowpoints in it, presently Speer Gold Dots, though I don't have a preference among the major hollowpoint makes (Golden Sabre, Hydra-Shok, Silvertip, etc.). According to most ballistics charts and experts, that load is about as good a manstopper as anyone would need.

Just about any load fired from a .475 is going to be an effective manstopper. If you're pushing a 400-grainer at 750-800 fps, that should be plenty for anyone and bumping it up to the 1300 fps range should sort out black bear pretty reliably. For defensive purposes against two or four-legged predators, I prefer hollowpoints. Sure, a heavy cast bullet will still hit pretty hard, but the hollowpoint forces the bullet to deposit maximum energy into the target, while creating a bigger, more devastating wound channel. That bit of extra terminal bullet performance may mean the difference should a big Alaskan brown come a bit too close on your fishing trip.

Hopefully I've answered your question, if you've any more, please feel free to ask.

Kyle