Tilted
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For unanticipated, self-defense purposes, I think a large caliber revolver is the most appropriate weapon - as large a caliber as someone is comfortable shooting. And by comfortable, I mean that they won't wince slightly in anticipation of the bang/recoil. It is the anticipation of recoil, and not the recoil itself, that causes inaccuracy with a handgun. Also, a revolver is ideal because it is a simpler, more reliable mechanism. It is a crude tool, but a quality revolver does what it is asked to do, every time it is asked.
Under the right circumstances, a simple pump shotgun may be the best close range self-defense weapon. However, the circumstances will usually not be 'the right circumstances', and to a large degree the circumstances of a self-defense situation will be dictated by the perpetrator and not the victim.
Remember that a perpetrator has the advantage of knowing their specific intent and plan of action, while a victim has the liability of having to be prepared for an unknown and unanticipated range of threats.
That having been said, I choose a Sig P220 w/ night sights for in-home self-defense purposes. There are three main reasons for this:
(1) I've fired enough rounds through it to have a high degree of confidence that it won't jam - as much confidence as I could have in a non-revolver.
(2) It is the firearm that I have practiced and trained with the most, and with which I am the most comfortable. My manipulation of the gun is more instinctual than that with my other firearms.
(3) I personally wouldn't feel as comfortable entrusting my life to something less than .45 ACP, especially considering I don't know what/whom a potential threat may be. (Again, smaller calibers may be more appropriate for others, since comfort with what you're shooting is of the utmost importance.)
In the alternative, I have a Colt Anaconda that I would feel almost as comfortable with.
All that aside, I would say this. It is not as important which weapon someone chooses for self-defense as it is that they practice with that chosen weapon. If and when the need for its use arises, that person will most likely be facing an incredibly stressful and difficult series of decisions which need to be made almost instantly. It will likely be a situation that tasks their brain, as well as their sensory inputs, in a way that they have never been tasked before. Their brain's first impulse may well be to try to shut down, not knowing how to deal with all of the considerations flooding through it.
You cannot afford to ask your brain, at that moment, to devote conscious decision making energy to the manipulation of your self-defense weapon. Your hands' control of the firearm needs to be as close to instinctual as it can be, so that your brain is freed up to make more important decisions that may determine whether you (and others) live or die.
If you can not devote an appropriate amount of time to training with your chosen self-defense firearm, you may be better off not having one.
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Don't really need it at my current location anyway considering I'm on the 2nd story of a house that has quite a few other tenants 
But ya never know 