Edit (9-14-2020): This is an old post I wrote up years ago, and clearly it could use some updating. I'm going to pin it for now in case it can help anyone. However, understand that some of the content is outdated now (particularly I'm talking about the mention of specific firearms/brands as a lot of new firearms have come into the market since the original writing. I'll try to update this if there is a felt need in the community.

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Original Post Below:

I wrote this up over on /r/EDC a long time ago, but I figured I'd post it here so it could be found easier. It may or may not be useful to someone out there.

First off, just getting this out of the way: if the SHTF...you're going to want more than just a handgun.

But, when we think EDCCW we're typically talking about handguns. So, I'll try to stay on that topic.

1. Caliber

• Basically, anything 9mm or larger will be perfectly fine for a self-defense round. On that note, keep in mind the only reason you're carrying a firearm on your person daily is for self defense, so you might as well choose a caliber that will provide you some defense. Personally, .380 is obviously better than nothing, but for the very slight size increase, you can get into the 9mm that is going to pack a lot more punch than the .380. So, having said that, I don't think going so small as to carrying a .380 for self defense makes sense.
• If it's your first pistol, I'd suggest you stick with either 9mm, .40, or .45, leaning more toward 9mm. You should shoot all three of those calibers to see what feels best to you, as they all recoil a little differently. But again, as a complete beginner, I'm going to say just stick with 9mm. The recoil is manageable, you can carry more ammo, the ammo is the cheaper of those three (if you can find it right now), and the round is plenty adequate for self defense (with proper ammo).

1. Size

• The smaller the hand-gun, the easier it is going to be to conceal, obviously. But, keep this in mind: the smaller the hand-gun, the more you will feel recoil, and the less accurate the gun is going to be.
• Starting with the recoil, the less mass in the firearm (ie weight), the less the firearm itself is going to absorb the recoil and the more you're wrist is going to absorb the recoil. This means the smaller the firearm is, the more "snappy" the recoil will become. This makes it harder to get back on target for follow up shots.
• As for accuracy, the shorter the barrel the less time the bullet has to get stabilized and begin "twisting" as it's going down the barrel. This means less accuracy. Also, with regard to size and accuracy correlation, the shorter the barrel becomes the shorter the sight radius becomes. This results in less accuracy as well.
• Another thing to consider with length of the barrel is that the shorter the barrel, the less time the bullet has time for pressure to build up behind it. In other words, less power behind the bullet.
• Your biggest thing to figure out here is what YOU can comfortably carry on your person and still be able to conceal it. In other words, what is the biggest firearm you can comfortably conceal and also comfortably shoot and control? You need to be very careful here! It's very easy to just say, "Well I can easily put that little pistol in my pocket, and no one will ever notice." Well that's all well and good, but if it's so small you can't hit the broad side of a barn at 5 yards, what good is it? That's not to say you need a hand-canon either! I'm just saying, if you CAN comfortably handle and conceal a larger pistol (like say a Glock compact for example), then you should seriously consider that over the sub-compact.

1. Trigger

• Trigger pull is a big thing for me. I prefer a pull weight that is around 6 lb or less. This is something you have to personally feel for yourself and determine what you like or are comfortable with. Just go to a store and ask to dry fire specific models with different type triggers.
• Basically, and especially if you're a complete beginner, you may find that the heavier the trigger pull, the harder it is for you to pull back (obviously). What that usually causes is for the shooter to have to either A) jerk/yank on the trigger to get it to fire or B) torque their wrist in a desperate effort to get the trigger pulled back. Both of these will cause the shooter to pull off their shots (ie miss where they're aiming).

1. Safeties

• Most modern semi-auto pistols are actually pretty safe. But you have to personally figure out if you need the piece of mind of having a manual safety. This can be a huge factor in choosing your handgun, because some don't even offer a manual safety (ie Glock). Some (like the Smith & Wesson M&P) don't typically have manual safeties but do offer them as an "option."
• Personally, if a pistol has a manual safety, I want one that I can easily manipulate quickly and easily under stress (I like the thumb safeties on the M&P line, but not so much the little safety on the M&P Shield).
• The bottom line is, ultimately your finger and brain should be your ultimate safety. Don't put your booger picker on the bang hook unless you plan on firing the weapon. And, if not, keep it covered in a holster....

1. Holster and Belt

• You need a good holster for EDC of a handgun. It must provide some sort of retention (if all it is is friction) to hold the firearm in it. It must also cover the trigger guard so that nothing can snag and accidentally pull the trigger.
• Any model you look at, consider if you can get a good holster for it. If you can't find a good holster for it...personally, I'll pass on that pistol.
• You're also going to need a good belt to hold that holster up. That $10 belt you bought at Wal-Mart isn't going to cut it. You'll need a belt that is stiff and sturdy and won't flex, thus will hold the firearm snug to your side without letting it flop around.
• Our friend Calvus over at /r/ccw already has a wealth of information on the topic of belts and holsters, so for now I'm going to defer you to him.

1. Bore-Axis

• Bore-axis is basically the height of the center of the bore (barrel) above the (imaginary) line that extends out from your wrist going through the firearm when gripping it. Look at this picture. Notice how much higher the pistol on the left sits over top of the hand when gripped than the pistol on the right does. Here's another example of two different bore axis' from the side.
• The higher the bore-axis of your handgun, the more likely it is to tend to flip up and back under recoil. This results in it being harder for you to control and get back on target for follow up shots.
• The lower the bore-axis of your handgun, the less it is going to flip up but instead will tend to push more straight back through the (imaginary) line running through your arm. This results in the shooter being able to maintain control of the firearm with more ease and allows faster follow up shots.
• In a perfect world, if the bore/slide could be in perfect alignment with your arm (in other words pointed straight up your forearm), the barrel would not flip up at all under recoil (assuming a proper grip was maintained). But since that is not physically possible (the slide on a semi-auto must come backwards in order to function), we can only hope to keep it as low as possible.

1. Actions/Hammers/Strikers

• There is what we call Double Action and Single Action firearms, and they are designed like this:
• Double Action - When you pull the trigger back, you are essentially "cocking" the action. In other words, you are pulling back the part that is going to drive the firing pin into the back of the cartridge to make it go bang. After a certain "breaking point" it's going to release and fire off a round. This type of action usually results in a heavier trigger, because you are essentially cocking and firing the pistol with your finger.
• Single Action - When you pull the trigger back, you are simply releasing the "precocked" (after a certain "breaking point") part that drives the firing pin into the back of the cartridge to make it go bang. This usually means a very light trigger pull, because really all you're doing is pulling the trigger back to a certain point to cause it to release an internal part from pressure.
• Most pistols with an exposed hammer can be either action. In a semi-automatic, unless you precock the hammer back before your first shot, the first time you pull the trigger it's going to be really heavy and double action. But after the slide cycles back and forward, the hammer will be left to the rear. At that point, your trigger pull becomes single action.
• Those without an exposed hammer are usually called "Double Action Only."
• In general, most firearms with exposed hammers tend to have heavier triggers.
• A hammer on the back of the firearm can potentially be snagged on clothing and pulled halfway back before being accidentally released.
• Striker fired pistols don't have a hammer at all. They basically have a firing pin inside the slide attached to a spring. When you pull the trigger back, you are pulling the spring back to a "breaking point" until it releases forward into the back of the cartridge. These tend to be the safest form of the modern pistol today, because there is no "hammer" behind the firing pin that can drive it forward (for example if dropped on the ground). They also usually tend to be some of the lighter triggers because of the way they work.
• If this is a pistol you intend to carry as an EDC I'm going to go ahead and just say you should try to avoid a pistol with an exposed hammer, particularly if it's your first firearm anyway. But, that's just my personal opinion. There are still plenty of pistols out there with exposed hammers that are fantastic firearms and very safe and reliable. I'm just not a fan of them on my EDC.

1. Firearm Manufacturers (Brands)

• I'll start by listing the "big players" in the firearms manufacturing industry. Basically, it is safe to assume that anything made by these companies are (in my personal opinion anyway) of a high quality. Now of course, every company can have some "lemons" slip through the cracks, and any firearm you intend to bet your life on should be ran at least several hundred rounds to ensure it's reliability. Nonetheless, here's a good list to get started, in no particular order:
• Smith & Wesson (Some people have complaints about their Sigma line, but their M&P line is top notch!)
• Glock (Some people, myself included, don't like the grip angle on the Glock handguns. To me, it feels unnatural. However, even though I don't personally like how they fit me, I'll still be the first to admit they make a rugged and reliable firearm!)
• Springfield Armory
• Beretta
• Ruger (Personally, I've never fired a Ruger pistol of which I could stand the trigger, but some like them. Usually their triggers tend to be rather long and heavy.)
• Heckler & Koch (I'm personally not a fan of H&K by any means, but they do make quality firearms. I just think they are over-priced, and I really dislike their stance against not wanting to sell certain firearms of theirs to civilians.)
• SIG Sauer
• Kimber
• And honestly, any manufacturer not on that list I would just do some good research on. There are some I left off that list that do make really good firearms, but I feel like may still be a little more "hit-or-miss" than the others (no pun intended). I just intended this list above to be a pretty sure bet that you're buying from a very quality and reputable company. Likewise, I left off some of the "premium" custom builders, because I really don't think a complete beginner should be looking at custom $2k plus 1911s but rather something that is a little less needy in terms of maintenance.

1. Specific Models (that any beginner should consider)

• Well, if you've got a better idea by now of what you may want, here is just a small list I put together that any beginner may want to consider. Again, this is in no particular order:
• Smith & Wesson M&P (full size and comes in various calibers)
• Smith & Wesson M&P Compact (small and compact and comes in various calibers)
• Smith & Wesson M&P Shield (this is a very slim-lined pistol that is specifically designed for concealed carry; it comes in .40 or 9mm)
• Basically anything you find in the Smith & Wesson M&P line that fits you and that you can handle/control is going to be a quality firearm.
• Glock 17 (full size in 9mm)
• Glock 19 (compact in 9mm)
• Glock 22 (full size in .40)
• Glock 23 (compact in .40)
• Basically anything you find from Glock that fits you and that you can handle/control is going to be a quality firearm.
• Springfield XD (comes in full size and compact as well as sub-compact variants; comes in various calibers)
• Springfield XDm (comes in full size and compact variants with various calibers)
• Springfield XDs (a very slim-lined pistol designed specifically for concealed carry and comes in .45 or 9mm)
• Beretta Nano (a very slim-lined pistol designed specifically for concealed carry and comes in 9mm)
• Ruger LC9 (a fairly small and slim-lined pistol designed for conceal carry and is a 9mm)
• Ruger SR9c (compact in 9mm)
• Sig Sauer P250 (comes in various sizes and calibers)
• Kahr CM9 (compact 9mm)
• Kahr CM40 (compact .40)
• Kahr CM45 (compact .45)
• Walther PPS (a very slim-lined pistol designed specifically for concealed carry and comes in .40 or 9mm)
• Kimber Solo (a compact 9mm that borrows a lot of design features from the infamous 1911 platform)
• There are a number of other great pistols out there, but these above are just a good starting point of where you can get started in order to get a feel for what feels right in your hands.

1. What do I carry?

• I hope I didn't appear bias above, but I carry an M&P Full Size every day chambered in 9mm.
• I use a custom molded kydex holster inside my waist band.
• I carry Speer Gold Dot hollow-point ammo

EDIT: Not sure what happened in my formatting. Sorry. :(

EDIT 2: If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. I know I didn't cover everything, but I figured the above should get you started in your search for a first handgun for EDC.