There has been some excellent advice given here.

Small .357 Mag revolvers are probably the most useful.

They are quite accurate too. I've killed a grouse using a scandium frame DAO .357 Mag. You'll feel the full loads when you practice, however when you shoot at game or if you have to use it for self-defense, I doubt you'll feel too much recoil. From my experience, when shooting at something that's alive, whether it's a buck or a coyote (with a rifle), I don't feel the recoil at all.

You can load down to .38 special and even shoot bird shot.

The relative advantages over semi-auto pistols are reliability, ease of use, ability to shoot various loads, light trigger if you're using one with a hammer and cocking it first.

Relative disadvantages are lower capacity, slow reloads (this can be argued and mitigated with proper equipment such as speed loaders and strips), heavier trigger if your not cocking the gun first, and the possibility of getting burned from the gasses escaping from the gap between the cylinder and the barrel.

If you are looking at a Glock, a good alternative is the Springfield XD, XDSC and XDM.

They have some different features when compared with the STOCK Glocks. First is a fully supported chamber. This is feature is considered safer for shooting hot loads. Second is the grip safety. Similar to a 1911, the grip must be fully depressed to shoot. This is an added safety without adding a cumbersome manual safety. Third, is a more natural pointing gun (for me). I have heard many other shooters say that the XD just points more naturally. The advantages speak for themselves. There are other differences, however, I believe these three are the most relevant to your inteded purpose.

Semi-auto pistols have much higher capacity. My XDM holds 16+1 of 40. That's alot of firepower. My scandium frame .357 mag holds 5 rounds. There is a weight trade off though.


All that being said...

I usually carry my .357 Mag. when hiking or hunting big game. If I'm hunting coyotes, I've been carrying my XDM, because we don't travel that far on foot.


So, essentially I repeated some of what Sumo said. I should have just said that I agree with him. Oh well.