Handguns used for hunting are nearly always revolvers because they are chambered in much more powerful cartridges than semi-automatics. My hunting handgun is a Ruger BlackHawk chambered in .45 colt shooting hand loads that have some serious thump. The rate of fire doesn't matter when one is hunting. The first shot with a handgun is the one that counts. Getting a second shot on an animal, that's going to bolt in a random direction, is unlikely. A handgun is mostly used for hunting at short range. In my case that would be 50 yards maximum. My old eyes don't work well enough to reliably hit a paper plate with iron sights farther than that.
I'd stay away from legitimate hunting handguns. There is a reason people don't carry them for self defense. They are big, heavy, shoot cartridges that aren't for novices, and most only hold five rounds. I've shot a S&W .460 magnum and S&W .500.
I fired exactly one shot out of the .500. I won't do that ever again. It had a Muzzle brake on it but it wrenched my wrist and it was six months before I could shoot decently again. I'm a little old man. I only know one person that 'likes' to shoot a .500 Magnum and he has hands the size of hams and fills a door way.
I fired about 10 out of the .460 but 9 of those were .45 Colt. An S&W .460 can chamber .45 Colt, .454 Cassull, and .460 S&W magnum. It hurt me less than the .500 but I wouldn't be in a hurry to shoot it again. I considered buying one until I shot it. There is a reason the used gun counter at Cabela's always has five or six of those hunting handguns in the case that have been fired only a couple of times. I've seen them with two dirty chambers, the rest clean. There is a story there.
That said, you might want to investigate the new crop of rifle caliber handguns that sort of 'look' like rifles.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/21_580/Rifle+Type+Handguns/
The Sig Sauer P716 (link below) is available chambered in .308 Winchester, a genuine hunting cartridge powerful enough to that it's been used for nearly all game on the North American Continent other than the big bears. AKA 7.62 NATO. It might be the weapon of choice if the weather is cold enough to justify clothes that will hide it, or it can be stored in a vehicle with ready access.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...12B-PSB+P716+Pistol+20+1+308WIN7.62NATO+12.5"
That qualifies as a genuine semi-auto hand canon. It can be fitted with 10 and 20 round magazines. It comes with a flash hider but it could be fitted with a muzzle brake that would significantly reduce the recoil. It could also be fitted with a holographic red dot sight that would significantly enhance it's use during a gunfight because it's not necessary to have the eye perfectly aligned behind the sight. With a holographic sight, if the red dot is on the target, that's where the hole appears. I've fired one so equipped. It was a much more pleasant experience than either the .500 or .460. It's like firing a hunting rifle in one hand because it weighs as much as a hunting rifle, nearly nine pounds.
Shooting it indoors with the muzzle brake and no ear protection would leave one with ears ringing for hours, maybe forever. It was loud even with ear protection. I did not shoot it with out ear protection.
There are several on that page that are chambered in 7.62x39mm which is the cartridge used in the AK47 and a number of other rifles. It's an effective cartridge but not nearly as powerful as the 7.62 NATO.
That genra of short-barrel-hand-rifle are based on a 'stockless' AR15 design with a short barrel. They can legally have a fixture on the back that one's forearm fits in so the rifle caliber semi-auto handgun is easier to handle. People have been known to shoot them with that fixture pressed against their shoulder, but, at least in the US, that's illegal. If an ATF agent sees you do that, they will arrest you. There are a noticeable shortage of ATF Agents at gunfights, so the additional risk is negligible compared to missing.
That is also a class of gun that is easy to work on. People build them from parts. An un-serialized legal copy can be home made (but not sold unless it is serialized) from an unfinished 80% lower receiver in most states in the US. It's a fun project. It can be done with a drill press.
As you will see from the links above, they are definitely 'tactical' looking. They are concealable under the right coat but hopeless as concealed weapons except during weather that justifies a long coat of some sort.
The short barrel reduces the terminal performance compared to a normal bolt action hunting rifle, but they are still way more powerful and usable than conventional high powered hunting handguns. They are most effectively used with an anti-personnel cartridge like the Winchester PDX1. It's not a 'hunting' cartridge, it's a self defense cartridge.
In any real sense, they are pretty much useless for civilian self defense. I don't own one and don't have any desire to. I own an AR15 because it's fun to shoot but it's locked in the big safe in the basement. My Glock 19 is in the bedside safe.
A sawed off, or short barrel shotgun (AKA a Lupara by the Mafia who, at least in mythology, favored them) has the advantage of shooting a pattern that is really big across the room and being concealable. It has the disadvantage of radically reduced muzzle energy (short barrel), lots of noise (due to high muzzle pressure), and by virtue of being almost universally made from a sawed off double barrel, only two shots. One can hit a man sized target with at least a few pellets of buckshot across the room pretty much by pointing it in that direction and pulling the trigger. The individual pellets will be about as effective as a .25 Auto unless they hit the face or a critical place in the neck. Not what I'd use against a person high on Meth, never mind a creature with superpowers. Shooting a slug it would require aiming, the recoil would be huge so holding it in both hands would be a must, but the slug would be effective, at least in the sense of making a big hole.
The sawed off shotgun also has the disadvantage that possession is a jail sentence. One doesn't even have to have it loaded. Criminals stay away from guns like that. They aren't worth the additional risk.
If the Lupara is made properly it's easier to conceal than the AR15 handgun but not much. It still requires cold weather apparel but maybe not quite as cold because it's quite a bit shorter.
There is one more class of rifle that might be good in your story, the bullpup. They have a full length barrel but the way they are designed, they have a very short overall length. The Tavor bullpup
was designed in Israel and it's one fine defensive tool, but it's only available in 5.56 NATO and it's no easier to conceal than the much less expensive and more available AR15 pistols which are available with much more powerful cartridges.
Fitch
