Its not the arrow, its the indian. By that, I mean the specific pistol matters much less than your skills. Check out the Tactics and Training forum for ideas, classes, and drills to become a better indian.
As far as pistols for purely defensive purposes, since in my opinion the specific pistol matters little, I look for simple, reliable, proven semi-autos without any levers and switches. I like pistols with inexpensive magazines (magazines are wear parts) and plentiful after-market parts (I don't customize, but for replacement). Then take a little training and shoot it until you wear it out.