.357 ballistics do look good on paper, but in the real world a slower heavier round does a better job of stopping an attacker. Plus the recoil POP you get from a .357 is more than with rounds such as 9mm or .45
.45 is my pick, although I won't carry it because I prefer to have more rounds. Truth is that statistically you won't pop off more than 2 rounds in a confrontation.