Allen is correct, a reliable .38 Special Hollow Point is the way to go.
Like Allen suggests a person in your situation should avoid Magnum loads like the plague. The most effective round out of a .357 Magnum, and possibly the most effective out of any handgun is one of the .125 gr. semi jacketed hollow point preferably the Remington or Federal versions. They generally don't ovepenetrate the target (bad guy) either. However, those are really wicked in terms of buck and blast. Shoot them inside once and you may need hearing aids after and especially since you're not going to be practicing, again, Allen is right; in your situation I RECOMMEND STAYING AWAY FROM THOSE or any magnum load for that matter.
Now, the problem with .38 Special has always been finding a hollow point bullet that will expand reliably at under 1,000 fps. Winchester solved that problem, at least for 4" barrel guns with the lead 158 gr. semi wadcutter hollow points. They expand reliably and have a proven track record in many, many fights. The fly in the ointment with these loads is lack of expansion in barrel lengths under 4". I personally prefer the Remington version if I can find it because it has the biggest hollow cavity and the softest lead. If you have a 'snubby" there have been some options that actually work. One of the best is the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. "Short Barrel" load. By all accounts it actually works at snubby velocities but can be hard to find. Several other companies make equivalent loads.
S.A. Boggs recommended bird shot. When I worked for the "gubmint" I knew an old boy who had that as an option for the first two shots in his home defense revolver. After the first two, though he went "full Jamaican," hollow point, hollow point, hollow point, hollow point.
My devalued $.02 worth and as usual your mileage may vary.
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