I cant fault your reasoning at all. Part of my perspective is carrying something I have a high level of confidence in to deal with the situation with as few rounds as possible, which is part of the equation regarding my ability to shoot it well, but as regards load effectiveness to deal with animals as well as possible rogue people. This is a large part of why I prefer to stay with full power 357 158 gr sjhp loads as my low end for anything above pocket gun. Next step up is 44 and 45 Colt. As with hunting deer or whatever, start with effective hits and you are less likely to need more shots. This is both placement as well as effect of a given load. No guarantees as to what happens when the shot breaks, but there are trends.
As with the bear pistol discussion, some feel fine with a 9mm and ability to shoot a lot, I understand their reasoning in an intellectual sense, though I still prefer a larger caliber and heavier load.
Again, we use what we feel most confident in. Thats different for various people.