THE PERFECT SEMIAUTOMATIC PISTOL
All pistols are compromises, and each shooter will take differently to each model of pistol. Many times, we buy pistols simply because of the way they look, and there is nothing wrong with that if they meet all of our other requirements. So what features should you look for in a home defense pistol? Here is what we recommend:
Full size pistol:
Your first home defense pistol should be a full sized pistol. This gets you a pistol with a double stacked magazine well for maximum ammunition capacity as well as a long enough barrel for accuracy. We don’t like compact pistols for home defense because they reduce the ammo capacity and have shorter barrels, which more or less take you back into revolver territory.
Common calibers:
Common with what, you may ask…what we mean here is common military and law enforcement calibers. We want you to have a pistol that takes ammunition that you’d find within any policeman’s or soldier’s pistol. Why? There are a number of reasons for this, but
our main one is supply. First of all, military and law enforcement calibers are widespread and common. You can find them in most stores, and after the apocalypse, they will be the most common calibers out there, and in great supply. So what are these “common calibers”? Essentially, there are three of them – 9mm, also known as 9mm Luger or 9mm Parabellum (they are the same), .45ACP also known as .45 Automatic Colt Pistol, and .40 S&W or .40 Smith and Wesson. These are far and away the most popular pistol calibers in America, and they can be had in all sorts of loads and configurations.
Tier 1 Brand:
Just so that you won’t have to worry about reliability issues and to ensure you buy a pistol that will go bang when your life depends on it, we suggest purchasing a pistol from what we call a Tier 1 vendor. These are such premiere brands as Springfield, Colt, Smith and Wesson, Beretta, Glock, Sig Sauer. You will generally pay a little bit more for these brands, but it’s for good reason. Consider the $50 you might save when purchasing a lesser pistol at 3am one night after you hear glass breaking. Your home defense pistol is not a place to save money.
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