RE: best self denfense gun
I'll give you what I believe to be the best calibers. Loads are mostly preference now days. I rank them by two factors. Stopping power, and ease of shooting. Some w/ great stopping power will do you no good if you can't get off a needed second shot. And easy handling won't do you any good if you need more than 1 or 2 shots to stop an attack.
1. .357 Magnum (just about any load).
2. .45 acp, any 230 grain hollowpoint.
3. 10mm (if you can handle the recoil.
4. .44 Magnum (if you can handle the recoil)
5. .44 Special
6. .40 S&W
7. .38 Special
8. 9mm Parabellum
9. .32 acp.
Anyway, there they are. But that's just my opinion and you'll get many. Good luck sorting thru it all.