Thinking of buying a Pistol... ideas?

Most self defense situations are going to be a lot closer than that, ranging from 0-5m. Try explaining to a judge that you had to use deadly force on a perp that was 50'+ away. In a clutch situation something as simple as not getting off an extenal safety can get you killed, it's happened. Effective employment and stopping power at close distance are the two top priorities when selecting a self defense weapon, especially for the home. You don't want something that is going to over penetrate and kill your neighbors kids, and you don't want something that's going to go through and through and leave the perp still coming at you. For strictly home defense, there's no sub for a shortbarrelled shotgun, but they aren't too much fun for long at the range punching paper.

If you are serious, find a dealer with a range co-located. Every person is different, every hand is different, every handgun is different. many dealers will allow you to test fire different firearms to find out which fits you best. That said:

The Glocks are outstanding firearms, both for paper hole punching and home defense. Good enough that many police departments and agencies are now using them. Very reliable.

My personal favorite is the Sig .45. Fits my hand perfectly, is highly reliable, and fires a round with significant knock down power. (Actually, having joined the Army before the age of the Beretta, I would have said the Colt Model 1911. However, it has the drawback of only having a 7 round mag. On the other hand, if you need more than that in the mag, you are probably in more trouble than you can handle alone.)

I currently don't own either of those. I have a Smith 9mm. I bought it after test firing a number of different 9's. I didn't really care for the Beretta that the military bought. Didn't feel right in the hand, but could qualify expert with it every time. It also is revealing some flaw in design, and it's long term reliability is questionable at best.

Best advice is find the one that fits you best. If you have not had training in firearm usage, get it, including some in instinctive shooting if you can find a qualified instructor.