I like my Sig, but Glocks have an enthusiastic following. HKs are nice too. Like David said, shoot a bunch and see what fits your hands.
And ditto on the gun safe. My Sig p226 is locked in it. I actually don't think I will end up using it in a home invasion scenario, hence I don't keep it "in the nightstand" (plus my 8 year old is with me part of the time, so that is not an option).
And ditto on the shotgun. As they say, just racking it will send many bad guys running for the door. Of course I think the same thing about racking the slide on my Sig
