A shotgun is great as long as you don't have to worry about who's in the direct background (kids or whatever) I've got a Springfield Armory .45 and I love it...can't beat it for knockdown power. But, is this something your wife will also use? If so then you need to consider what is a comfprtable weapon for her. Not to be sexist but a lot of women can't deal with the recoil from a .45 and you also have to consider the grip size. .45 is a lil expensive to shoot a lot though. I would say for handgun the .40 is the best of both worlds. Just slightly less knockdown power than a .45 but it's much cheaper to shoot on a regular basis. Sig is great but if you really got the dough to shell out I prefer H&K (my 9mm is H&K and it's great) and make sure you get the tritium (I think that's the spelling) nightsights. Of course, if recoil isn't a factor and you want sure fire reliability then go with a wheel gun .357 so you don't have to worry about jamming, but most quality autos the chances are VERY slim of a jam.
Bottom line really is: As long as you are proficient and comfortable with the weapon it doesn't really matter. Any gun can kill if it's in the right hands. Look into some combat training techniques if you really want to be ready. There's an Isreali (can't remember his name) who used to run articles in Guns and Ammo and train the LAPD in different practice tehcniques that simulate combat better than just going to the range and shooting. I'm sure a net search could bring many of those techniques up.
'00 Blk CSVT #1087/2150 built 12/23/99
