DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY AND WARRANTY

 
This publication describes the author’s opinions regarding the subject matter herein. The author and publisher are not rendering
advice or services pertaining to specific individuals or situations. For specific advice, or if expert assistance is required, the
services of a qualified professional should be obtained.

The author and publisher assume no responsibility whatsoever for the use of the information in this publication or for decisions
made or actions taken based, in whole or in part, on the information in this publication. The author and publisher make no
warranties, express or implied, regarding the information. Without limiting the foregoing, the author and publisher specifically
disclaim and will not be responsible for any liability, loss, or risk incurred directly, indirectly or incidentally as a consequence of
the use or misuse of any advice or information presented herein. Use this publication and information with good judgment and
do the best you can in your particular situation.

You agree to indemnify and hold the author and publisher, and their respective officers, directors, agents, employees,
contractors and suppliers, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, related to your use or
misuse of this publication or the information contained therein. You further agree that you will cooperate fully in the defense of
any such claims.

Notice: As the purchaser of this electronic document you are permitted to store it and print it for your own personal use only.

Otherwise, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright
owner and publisher. It is illegal to make a copy of all or part of this publication for someone else, even if you do not charge for
the copy. If you have purchased this book from anywhere other than FamilySurvivalSociety.com, including eBay, please report it
to admin@FamilySurvivalSociety.com immediately.

COPYRIGHT
Those who have received or purchased the guide are neither authorized nor permitted to transmit copies of this guide to
anyone without written permission. Giving away copies to people who haven’t paid for them is illegal under international
copyright laws and will submit you to possible legal action. Therefore, the utilization of this file is limited to personal use only.

TERMS AND DISCLAIMER

By using, viewing, and interacting with this guide or the FamilySurvivalSociety.com website, you agree to all terms of
engagement, thus assuming complete responsibility for your own actions.

The authors and publishers will not be held liable or claim accountability for any loss or injuries. Use, view, and interact with
these resources at your own risk.

All products from FamilySurvivalSociety.com and its related companies are strictly for informational purposes only.
While all attempts have been made to verify the accuracy of information provided on our website and within the publications,
neither the authors nor the publishers are responsible for assuming liability for possible inaccuracies.
  
If you’re new to shooting or self defense in general, purchasing your first weapon for
defensive use can be intimidating. Store shelves are lined with row upon row of
similar looking black or silver handguns and it’s tough to tell them apart – or pick
which one’s best, without some help – which we are here to give you.

Most Americans are somewhat familiar with firearms as the rate of firearms
ownership in America is one of the highest per capita on Earth, but having said that,
your average American is much more familiar with sporting firearms. These are guns
like duck hunting shotguns, scoped deer rifles, all manner of .22 varmint guns, and
things like that. In a pinch, any of these weapons can be used as a home defense
weapon, but they don’t really make a good choice. For home defense, you need a
dedicated tool, a weapon that does just that one job and nothing else. Keep in mind
that multitasking is great when it applies to computers or cell phones, but it doesn’t
work in the real of home defense weapons. You really do want a “jack of ONE trade”
to do that job.

Overwhelmingly, we recommend a pistol to new firearms buyers as their first home

defense weapon to purchase, and their go-to weapon to deal with home threats
thereafter. If you were hoping for another conclusion to this article, we’re sorry to
disappoint, but here is why a pistol beats almost anything else hands down for home
defense:

 
 
3  
  
 Pistols are compact and can be used to clear even the smallest of apartments of
any threats.
 If you are so inclined, you can wear your holstered pistol around your house all
day long – a rifle slung over your shoulder is a bit much, even by our standards.
 Pistols are less intimidating for new shooters to learn due to their compact size
and intuitive ergonomics. While new shooters often have superior accuracy
with rifles as opposed to pistols, the differences at the ten yard or less
distances seen within a home are negligible.
 The cost of a home defense pistol is a little less than the initial cost of a rifle,
and about the same as a shotgun, yet pistol ammo is still cheaper than either to
repeatedly practice with.
 Pistols can be loaded with hollow point ammunition, which is the best ammo
for stopping an attacker. Hollow point ammunition expands to many times its
size when it strikes a target, causing a massive wound channel and internal
trauma, and at the same time, this expansion means that the bullet will not over
penetrate past the attacker like rifle and shotgun rounds will.
 Pistols can easily be kept in compact biometric style safes close at hand,
meaning that they are far more likely to be where you are – when you need them –
than any long gun. As a rule, most people automatically store long guns in safes.

We’re not saying that pistols are the only weapon for home defense, nor are we
saying that they are superior to rifles or shotguns in some home defense
applications. What we are saying is that they should be your first purchase for home
defense, especially if you know nothing or very little about firearms.

 
4  
  

SEMIAUTOMATIC VERSUS REVOLVER

Pistols are broken down into two subgroups – semiautomatics and revolvers. The
semiautomatic pistol uses a magazine located within the grip of the gun. This
magazine feeds cartridges into the chamber as the trigger is pulled – all the shooter
needs to do is keep pulling the trigger until the pistol goes empty, and then reload
another magazine. A revolver uses a rotating cylinder to store cartridges, usually
between 6 to 8 depending on the model of revolver and caliber. Here are the pros
and cons of each:

Semi auto pistols:

Pro:

 Detachable magazines mean ultra fast reloads. Most pistols have magazine
capacities that are 10 at a minimum, and can be as high as 20 rounds depending on
the model of pistol. That equals lots of firepower.
 The calibers most semi autos use are also in use by the military and law
enforcement, meaning there is always a good pool of ammo out there to draw from.
 The police and military have overwhelmingly selected semi auto pistols as
their go-to side arms.

 
 
5  
  
Con:

 Semi auto pistols are initially more complicated to shoot than revolvers, and
have more buttons, knobs, and levers than any revolver.
 Semi auto pistols quite simply have more moving parts.

Revolvers:

Pro:

 Revolvers are stupid simple to use and don’t even have a safety. Anyone can be
taught to use a revolver in five minutes or less.
 Revolvers often have longer barrels than semi autos, which usually makes them
feel more accurate to the new shooter.
 Revolvers are available in some powerful magnum loads, like .357 Magnum and
.44 Magnum.

Con:

 Revolvers hold fewer cartridges than even the most compact semi autos.
 Reloading a revolver can be accomplished quickly in practiced hands, but at the
end of the day, the average revolver shooter will never be able to reload as fast as
the average semi auto shooter.
 Few revolvers have accessory rails to fit things light lights or lasers – in fact, only
one revolver that we know of comes with a rail.

 
6  
  
While it remains an individual choice, we really can’t recommend that your first
pistol for home defense be a revolver. There are two reasons why we can’t in good
conscience tell you to buy a revolver; 1) ammunition capacity, and 2) reloading
speed. This isn’t the time to engage in one of those theoretical discussions on shot
placement, either. We know that just one well placed shot is enough to bring down
an attacker, but we also know that it is extremely difficult to make that perfectly
placed shot even if you’re well trained during a high stress situation. Also, there is
nothing to say that there will only be a single attacker. For that reason, we
recommend you purchase a semiautomatic pistol as your first home defense
weapon. Even if you had one fifteen round magazine in the pistol, and two more
fifteen rounders in your pocket, you’d still be bringing 45 rounds to the fight. At
best, with a revolver, you’d have eight rounds (six on most wheel guns!), and then
two more eight round speed loaders for a total of 24 rounds. Plus, you’d be hard
pressed to use those speed loaders as fast as the average person could do a
magazine change. We feel that the extra twenty rounds you’d get in this scenario is a
deal killer for the revolver.

This isn’t to say you can’t own a revolver – just don’t lean on it as a self defense
weapon for home use at first.

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
 
 
7  
  
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.

 
8  
  

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.

WHAT ELSE DO I NEED BESIDES THE PISTOL?

We recommend that every pistol you purchase should have a matching holster.
Getting into holsters is beyond the scope of this article, but suffice to say that you
need to have a holster for the following two reasons:

 If you have to bug out or go on the move, you’ll want a secure place to store
the pistol. No, your waistband or pocket doesn’t count.
 You may elect to carry the pistol around the house to get used to having one
handy and to learn its weight and feel. This is a good thing – don’t fear it – it’s a tool
that could save your life. The correct place to carry it is within a holster.

We also recommend a weapon mounted light, and we’ll be providing a future

buyer’s guide on that very topic so you can make the right choice. A biometric safe

 
 
9  
  
or something to store the pistol in should also be on your list, as well as a good
cleaning kit.

Without further ado, these are the pistols we recommend that you look at, in no
particular order, as all of them are fine weapons:

Beretta 92FS

Type: Semiautomatic Pistol

Barrel length: 4.9”

Weight: 33.3 oz unloaded

Magazine capacity: 15 rounds

Caliber: 9mm

Street price: ~ $550

What we think: What can we say about this classic gun from the world’s oldest
firearms manufacturer other than it is the superlative semiautomatic pistol and a
great buy? The 92FS is used as the US Army and Marine Corps standard sidearm,
designated as the M9 and has served America in a combat role for over 30 years. The
pistol is very intuitive to use and is easy for a novice to learn. It’s accurate and
reliable to boot. Recent offerings from other manufacturers have made the 92FS

 
10  
  
seem a little long in the tooth, so Beretta has responded by adding a little
refinement in the form of an accessory rail and higher

capacity magazine – from 15 rounds to 17 rounds – in a newly redesigned model

called the 92A1. The 92A1 is competitively priced with the 92FS and is basically the
same gun with a few tweaks. Berettas have an amazing aftermarket, and one can
purchase beautiful 20 round Mec Gar magazines that fit flush with the magazine
well, giving the 92 an amazing amount of onboard ammo.

Springfield XD-40 Tactical

Type: Semiautomatic Pistol

Barrel length: 5”

Weight: 32oz unloaded

Magazine capacity: 12
rounds

Caliber: .40S&W

Street price: ~ $575

What we think: Dubbed the “American Glock” by many, even though Springfield
actually manufactures these fine pistols in Croatia, the Springfield Armory XD-40
Tactical is the longer barreled version of the Xd-40. It’s a great gun, and has an
excellent heft in the hand and is deadly accurate. While the magazine capacity is

 
 
11  
  
less than impressive at 12 rounds, we feel this pistol is still good enough to make the
cut. The XD-40 Tactical has no external safety, and relies on a combination grip and
trigger safety that is totally intuitive and reliable.

Sig Sauer P226

Type: Semiautomatic Pistol

Barrel length: 4.4”

Weight: 34oz unloaded

Magazine capacity: 12 rounds

Caliber: .40S&W

Street price: ~ $750

What we think: The Sig Sauer P226 was the weapon that lost to the Beretta 92FS
when the military was looking to replace the venerable 1911, but that doesn’t mean
it isn’t still a fine weapon. It’s in service today as the standard side arm of countless
federal agencies as well as the US Navy Seals. The Sig is chunky and feels
unbreakable in the hand, and it’s heavier than its competition but feels like a tank –
in a good way. Quite simply, the Sig P226 is a German over-engineered pistol that
will never let you down.

 
12  
  

Glock 19

Type: Semiautomatic Pistol

Barrel length: 4.02”

Weight: 20.99oz unloaded

Magazine capacity: 15
rounds

Caliber: 9mm

Street price: ~ $650

What we think: Gaston Glock’s Austrian masterpiece lives on, decades after he
designed it and with constant freshening and updating by the manufacturer. The
Glock is a simple and light weapon that has an aftermarket of accessories that is
quite simply jaw dropping. Magazines of 15, 17, and 33 rounds are available for this
pistol, and it’s used by so many police departments globally that the list would be
longer than this buyer’s guide.

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

Keep in mind that all of the pistols we chose can also be had in different calibers,
and usually only the model number changes. The features are more or less the same.

 
 
13  
  
For example, if you like the Beretta but want it in .40S&W, then you’d go for the Model 96.

Similarly, a Glock 22 is a .40 S&W version of the Glock 19 we showed you. Caliber isn’t as
important as buying the right pistol.

Also, you’ll notice a lack of 1911 style pistols in our list. That’s because while we adore the
1911 pistol designed by John Moses Browning over a century ago, and while we know that
it is currently produced in some form or another by close to 40

manufacturers, we feel it’s a little too complicated for a new shooter, and also, in it’s
normal (non double stack) configuration, it is ammo capacity limited.

Finally, go to a gun store, preferably one with a range, and try each of these pistols
out before you buy. They all shot the same projectiles, but they each have differing
characteristics and provide the shooter with a different shooting experience.
Handguns need to be sized to fit your hand and comfort level, so choose the one that
fits you the best – do not buy one sight unseen unless you’ve handled it first. Take
the time to get the proper firearms training as well, since your life literally depends
on it.

 
14