I used to sell motorcycles. For the better part of a dozen years. I can't tell you how many times I heard "my buddy says I should get a..."....and it was totally WRONG.
Figure out what you want to do with it.
Figure out how you want to use it.
Figure out how you want to carry it.
Then, go to a local gun shop (LGS), and tell them those three things. And stop. See what the pros suggest, when they can see you physically, athletically, size-wise and shape-wise.
There's your starting point. Handle (safely!) what they suggest, and see which ones you and your body and your brain like the best. Make note of those. Then, find a range with rentals and shoot as many of them as you can, to get a feel for them and how they behave, and more importantly, how they behave for YOU.
One gun will grab you by the throat and scream "I'M THE ONE!!!" at you.
And then, you'll know.
When I was shopping for my first, I tried all sorts of handguns - full frame, compact, subcompact, revolver, hammer, striker, you name it. None of them really grabbed me. Some were awful - I hatehateHATE the grip angle of a Glock, it feels like a 2x4 to me - some were "meh, I could do that if I had to", but nothing really reached out and forced me to pay attention. I'd fired about everything in the rental case three or four times (meaning "sessions", not bullet count) and was at a loss. My certification day was here and I had to pick something - I wasn't going to test/qualify on "a" gun, I (for personal reasons) wanted to do that with MY gun.
I moved to the retail case - again - and was looking through inventory. The P365 was neat; they had a couple of Sigs that were OK. I dug the idea of a Walther, but the physicality of it...didn't work for my hands. I picked up one XD-s (1.0 - the original version with the waffle grip), and it was pretty nice. I kinda liked it. Closest yet, but...still not quite there. I picked up a gray one that was next to it just because it "wasn't black" (still a version 1.0), and it was PERFECT. Turns out, that's the difference between backstrap #1 (small/flat) and backstrap #2 (larger/rounder)! The 'smith saw the look on my face and grabbed some leftover 9mm rounds from the range - 5 total - and told me to go shoot it. I sent the target out to 7 yards and put 5 rounds through 3 holes.
I handed him my credit card as soon as I got out of the lane.
I took the class. My four qualification targets were 250/248/248/250.
I still carry that same XD-s, every single day.
Try enough...and one WILL grab you.
You'll just....know.
But...you're the only one who can answer that question. Others can answer the "how reliable is a", and "what modifications can I do to a" questions...but only YOU can answer the "what works best for me" question.
Figure out what you want to do with it.
Figure out how you want to use it.
Figure out how you want to carry it.
Then, go to a local gun shop (LGS), and tell them those three things. And stop. See what the pros suggest, when they can see you physically, athletically, size-wise and shape-wise.
There's your starting point. Handle (safely!) what they suggest, and see which ones you and your body and your brain like the best. Make note of those. Then, find a range with rentals and shoot as many of them as you can, to get a feel for them and how they behave, and more importantly, how they behave for YOU.
One gun will grab you by the throat and scream "I'M THE ONE!!!" at you.
And then, you'll know.
When I was shopping for my first, I tried all sorts of handguns - full frame, compact, subcompact, revolver, hammer, striker, you name it. None of them really grabbed me. Some were awful - I hatehateHATE the grip angle of a Glock, it feels like a 2x4 to me - some were "meh, I could do that if I had to", but nothing really reached out and forced me to pay attention. I'd fired about everything in the rental case three or four times (meaning "sessions", not bullet count) and was at a loss. My certification day was here and I had to pick something - I wasn't going to test/qualify on "a" gun, I (for personal reasons) wanted to do that with MY gun.
I moved to the retail case - again - and was looking through inventory. The P365 was neat; they had a couple of Sigs that were OK. I dug the idea of a Walther, but the physicality of it...didn't work for my hands. I picked up one XD-s (1.0 - the original version with the waffle grip), and it was pretty nice. I kinda liked it. Closest yet, but...still not quite there. I picked up a gray one that was next to it just because it "wasn't black" (still a version 1.0), and it was PERFECT. Turns out, that's the difference between backstrap #1 (small/flat) and backstrap #2 (larger/rounder)! The 'smith saw the look on my face and grabbed some leftover 9mm rounds from the range - 5 total - and told me to go shoot it. I sent the target out to 7 yards and put 5 rounds through 3 holes.
I handed him my credit card as soon as I got out of the lane.
I took the class. My four qualification targets were 250/248/248/250.
I still carry that same XD-s, every single day.
Try enough...and one WILL grab you.
You'll just....know.
But...you're the only one who can answer that question. Others can answer the "how reliable is a", and "what modifications can I do to a" questions...but only YOU can answer the "what works best for me" question.