My overall gun...
When it comes down to a gun that can handle every threat, I think it depends on where you live. I know that this is an autoloader forum, but the fact is that revolvers are generally a lot more flexible than semis.
If you live south of Canada, and you are not in Grizzly country, I think that either a .357 magnum Ruger GP100 or SP101 would be a great choice. You can shoot different .38 special loads for home defense. If you want serious firepower, you can go all the way up to 180 grain, hard-cast .357 magnum ammo. Buffalo Bore has a round that will go 1500 ft/s out of a 6 inch barrel. That is probably not enough power to handle a grizzly, but it should handle just about anything else if you do your part.
If you live in Grizzly/Brown Bear territory, I'd choose a .44 magnum Ruger RedHawk. .44 special rounds are pretty easy for anyone to shoot. Some high pressure .44 special rounds are similiar in performance to .45acp. Buffalo Bore's Ruger only 340 grain.44 magnum loads are capable of killing anything in North America, with proper shot placement. A DA Ruger .44 magnum is really the ultimate wilderness carry/home defenese gun. It is just not a very good carry option.
