I love 'em all and have been using .22 LR to .44 Magnum to .45 Colt for backup and hunting since 1952. Have fired handguns with a lot more whomp than anything you've mentioned here (.45 Winchester Magnum and all but the lightest of Lee Jurras's "howdah pistol" cartridges -- including the .577 Jurras), and my choice for my own use, in the applications that you're most interested in, is the Taurus .44 Magnum with a 12-inch barrel, loaded with the Keith bullet and a smidge less than the maximum charge of 2400. Hard to beat but easy to shoot.
Now why would I recommend anything else to anybody else?
