I very, very, very adamantly recommend you not get something so weak as a .38 or a .32. I have fired them before, and while I haven't seen, say, the bullet performance on a person, I can tell you that
1) the kick from a higher caliber gun isn't that much heftier. At All. I've fired most of them repeatedly.
2) I've talked about this extensively with friends. My marine buddy says that a Colt .45 has immense stopping power; that is, a hit somewhere other than the upper torso/head will still do enough damage to stop an intruder.
3) Hollow points are not that wonderful. At All. If your crook is wearing something substantial to protect him, say, a thick leather jacket with something sewn into it (I've heard about linoleum of all things) don't consider it unlikely that the bullet could fragment upon hitting the jacket and not penetrate at all. That being said, you probably don't want full metal jackets
4) Revolvers aren't the be-all end-all of handguns. Yes, they'll never fail. Neither will a Colt .45 or a Browning 9mm. EVER. Let's say somebody breaks into your house. With a revolver you have to fiddle around with the speed loader, which is hell when your hands are shaking (as they will be). I'm praying and hoping that you won't be keeping the gun loaded. It's much easier to slip a clip into a semi-auto and cock it. Futhermore, your accuracy on the second shot with the revolver is severely hindered unless you cock the hammer yourself. Not so with the semi. You can't go wrong with either, but I recommend a semi very strongly.
5) If you want a semi, I further recommend
Colt 45 or the
Browning hi-power 9mm It is the opinion of some of my friends that the 9mm isn't powerful enough. I disagree, but they're both fun to shoot and they're both amazing in reliability and accuracy. I've fired a 1898 (that's right, eighteen ninety eight) colt .32 semi-auto and it still works like a dream. Really, any good model of Browning's 9mm Hi-power or Colt's .45 will do you a world of good. Ammo is easy to find, it *is* easy to aim in the dark. Get a night sight.
7) If you feel the need to have a revolver, I would recommend something like a .375 mag.
6) On the topic of guns, make sure you go to the shooting range, often. I'm assuming you're not that familar with guns. Beyond point blank range, aiming becomes thoroughly difficult without practice.
To the people who've commented on how you don't need a .357 or you want hollow points, why do you say so??
Other notes: it is not illegal to kill someone breaking into your house. It never will be--that is, when it does, I'll think strongly about relocating.
Any gun can kill someone, even a .22. Never, ever, ever fire to hit someone nonfatally. A shot to the ground/roof, i would imagine, isn't ineffective (never having tried it) but shooting someone in the arm is asking for trouble.
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