I'm sure it's already been pointed out by now, but shooting a semi one-handed presents many difficulties. Not the least of which is stove piping, and clearing those and other jams. Plus, I'm pretty sure using the shooting bench or my belt to rack a slide would draw some negative attention my way from the local range officers.
On another thread I saw this Tanfoglio pistol that has a charging handle on the side of the slide...
I'm thinking it wouldn't be too hard to modify most semi-autos to have one of those. Food for thought.
All things considered, a revolver is certainly the way to go, especially if it's going to see any serious use. A good steel frame will soak up a lot of the recoil. Cock the hammer back for real easy single action shots. Most calibers offer a wide variety of ammunition with varying degrees of power. A .327 magnum revolver would be great. A .38 or .357 as well. Perhaps one with moon clips would be more fun and convenient at the range.