First Handgun.

A reader asks:

I am planning to buy my first handgun in the near future. My main purpose for this is that I would like a side arm for when I am hunting to have some protection against rabid animals or snakes that would be hard to fend off at close range with a scoped rifle. Equally important to me is that I would like to have some sense of security and protection for myself and my family in case we were ever to encounter any trouble from an attacker. Problem is I can only afford one gun and I'm looking for one that would perform both duties well.

I have been looking around in my price range of $600 or less and I have found two guns that have caught my eye. The Glock 10mm model 20C and the Springfeild XD .357 Sig. I'm just looking for opinions from more experienced gun owners before I purchase and I am open to suggestions for other side arms that fall within my price range. If I was just using the gun to fend off animals I wouldn't have such a problem, but I want to make sure that if I encounter a criminal element that I have enough fire power to sufficiently stop an attacker and protect myself and my family. Thanks.

I know what I'd recommend, but I will leave it to my other readers to respond first.