"Gunslingers" Chime In..Handgun For Wife

Congrats! I have a S&w .38 Special, always told it was a Detective model. It holds 6, and has a 2" barrel. The grip is original walnut and I don't want to change it. I got it from my Dad, he got it in the early 60s. It's my favorite gun, even with the skinny grips. I don't like magnum rounds for personal defense. I'm planning on getting something that shoots .45, but I'm also not crazy about autos. A home defense weapon may sit untouched for years and when you need it to work it had better work. I've had jamming issues with a few autos and the cause on every one of them was the spring in the clip getting weak from sitting fully loaded for long periods. I could open the top of the clip, streatch the spring and they would work flawlessly for a few loads, then start jamming again. the only cure is to leave the clip mostly empty untill you use it (I do that on my target pistol), but who wants a home defense gun with 2 rounds in the clip?
Pump shotguns and revolvers are the way to go, for me anyway, I know there are some great autos out there, but I just feel safer with fewer things to go wrong.