Do pistols count as light weapons for the purpose of dual wielding?
As far as I can see, they're one-handed weapons.
Using a weapon not sized for your character nets you a -2 to use it...you would still end up with a -4 for your off hand attack
A small-sized pistol would count as a light weapon for a medium-sized character =).
Nope, they're specifically an exception to that rule (which, by raw insane troll logic lets you use a gargantuan pistol in one hand...)
*FAQ/Errata
Do the inappropriately sized firearms rules allow a Medium or smaller creature to use larger firearms of any size?
The text of the rule is, "The size of a firearm never affects how many hands you need to use to shoot it." The intent of that rule was to prevent a Medium character from using a Small rifle as a one-handed pistol; it wasn’t intended to let a Medium character use a Large, Huge, Gargantuan, or Colossal two-handed firearm as a two-handed weapon. Just like with non-firearms, a creature cannot wield a weapon that’s far too big or small for it. Specifically in the case of firearms, a Medium character can’t use a two-handed firearm sized for a Large or larger creature, and a Small character can’t use a two-handed firearm sized for a Medium or larger creature.
I would take this to also mean that they never meant for Medium creatures to use "one-handed" firearms the same way. Basically change out any mention of "two-handed" with "one-handed".
But as with anything your GM can change whatever he wants
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I would say the Errata works both ways with size, if a small "two-handed" firearm cannot be used as one category lower as a "one-handed" firearm, then a small "one-handed" firearm should not count as a "light" firearm.
The definitions for weapon size aren't defined as handedness, they are defined as a size difference:
A weapon's size category isn't the same as its size as an object. Instead, a weapon's size category is keyed to the size of the intended wielder. In general, a light weapon is an object two size categories smaller than the wielder, a one-handed weapon is an object one size category smaller than the wielder, and a two-handed weapon is an object of the same size category as the wielder.
So based on what the errata is for firearms and weapons size going "bigger" I would go with the same for "smaller", using a small pistol would be just as against the rules as using a large pistol, same way a medium character cannot use a large two-handed firearm or a small two-handed firearm.
In the case of weapon sizes in general I think a character would not see using a firearm not sized for him as a benefit even if the "numbers" did work out, the actual numerical penalties are not character knowledge, he should only care about the fact that using a weapon not sized for him is harder to use, even though (in case you go with a small pistol is "light") mechanically gives him a lesser penalty on his main hand shots
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The errata outlined above specifically concerns the handedness of firearms. A small, two-handed firearm cannot be wielded by a medium character in one hand, and a medium, one-handed firearm cannot be wielded by a small character in two hands. Both of these cases change the number of hands required to wield the weapon.
"The size of a firearm never affects how many hands you need to use to shoot it."
As written, and errata'd, a medium-sized character can wield a small-sized one-handed firearm as a light weapon in one hand. If they couldn't, it would have been called out. But it's the one instance that isn't.