CC Gun
Carried a Model 10 for years. Moved up to a model 19 (357) 2 1/2 inch and used that for years. My "summer gun" (easier to hide in light clothing is a Kahr P40. It has surprisingly good accuracy.
For a duty gun, I have a Taurus 24/7 Pro in 45 ACP.
38 special is sort of minimal. You can carry more potent defense calibers in small, handy and manageable pieces. However, any gun is better than no gun!