the ruger blackhawk in .44 mag. will be a great choice and should handle all of your hunting and personal protection needs, a .454 is a great choice too but i don't see to much ammo around for it around where i'm from , and it's probably pretty pricy ( just guessing for my area , might be cheap and plentiful where you are ). .44 mag ammo isn't very expensive at all , and i personally think that the .454 cusull is a tad bit overkill for personal protection from the two legged variety if you know what i mean.
whelen36