Taurus is often overlooked, they make a decent revolver though. I shot one of the Total Titanium pistols in .38 and was impressed with how easily handled that light snubby was. I also got to shoot a Raging Bull in .44 mag. Knowing how a .44 can recoil, I made sure I was braced good when I pulled the trigger and... POP.... wtf.... that was it? Yea, it's a big heavy honking gun, but the weight, balance and muzzle porting made it handle more like a 9mm when it came time to pull the trigger - absolute minimal recoil.
Ruger, Colt and Smith/Wesson make good revolvers as well (just can be a little more spendy depending on what you're after).
The thing with defense calibers is that the ammo is a bit more pricey than buying .22 ammo for target shooting. It starts to add up quick when you try to get to the range and put a box or two through a gun a week, so for plinking it may be nice to look into a .22 pistol. Revolvers aren't bad, but I got to shoot a mildly tuned Ruger MK (the ones that vaguely resemble the 9mm Lugers of WWII fame) and holy heck is that thing fun! It'll chew through a 10 round mag as fast as you can twitch the trigger. Pretty accurate too. I saw the new ones now have the option for mounting a holographic or red dot sight too.
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