RE: All Around Hand Gun
I'll make it unanimous... a 357 mag... preferrably stainless steel. A 6" barrel will be a little more comfortable to shoot, and a little more difficult to carry, if you so choose. It will have considerably less muzzle blast than a 4" barrel, and it might seem to balance in the hand a little better, depending on which 4" you are comparing it to. I heartily recommend the Ruger GP100.... they are absolutely bulletproof, and usually very accurate. The single action trigger pull might not be quite as nice as a Smith and Wesson, but it is not bad at all... this is also a good time to be buying a revolver, as the fad for now is the semi-auto.... but, truth be told, most people would be as well served, if not better served with a 357 revolver.
"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Santayana