RE: for the wife
You should get a Taurus in the 40 S&W caliber, my dad has one, and it shoots great!The 40 S&W was createdto replace the 9mm on the police force to have better killing power, and also to lower the recoil that is caused by the .357. I shoot the 40 S&W, and I never feel pain in my hand or anything. I think that would be the best choice.Good Luck.
BTW, you might want to adjust the trigger-pull on the Tauruses,at least the model my dad has had that problem, you would want to go to a gunsmith to get the trigger adjusted, but it won't be a problem, any gunsmith can do it.