Stick with 9mm to start out. Actually .22 is the best bet to learn trigger control and save some money while learning, but .. then you have a .22.
I also just started this year and have been trading my ass off to find my perfect match. Started with a beefy Sig Sauer P226 stainless elite in .40 S&W. One of the best looking guns out there, but a nightmare to shoot as a beginner.
Went to a Glock 35, also in .40. Worked great but still the .40 was a bit much. Tried a Glock 19 in 9mm. Too small for my hands. Stepped up to a Glock 34; now this was a great gun. Long cutout slide, a custom trigger.
Still at the end of the day I was just skipping from Glock to Glock. The finger-grooved grip feels awkward, like it was made for some kind of hand that nobody actually has, and my finger rubs up against the trigger guards. 90% of the people who 'MOD' their Glocks will cut away at the frame to make it fit their hand better... They shoot straight but they're a little boring, IMO. Traded the G34 away for a CZ 75 SP-01 Tactical, and it's like it was made for my hand. The fit and finish and overall quality of what you hold really speaks volumes to the value of it. It is tight, all-steel, hammer-equipped, has a decocker rather than a safety (LOVE this tactical feature, same as on my Sig)
But the most important thing with a new shooter in my own experience is a nice trigger, and the ability to cycle it without flinching. 'Still Alive' on here gave me a couple lessons with Glocks and opened my whole world up. The stock Glock triggers feel mushy, and they're plastic. The Sig SRT trigger is really really nice, but for an Elite in 9mm you'll be spending
well over $1000.
I'm sure there are tons of other guns people will talk about but I agree with the other guys in this thread, get a CZ 75. They have lots of different models to go through. The CZ75B Limited Edition is really snazzy if you like satin stainless and ###y wood grips, and I know a fella with one in fantastic shape in your price range, or the variations of the SP-01 (Standard, Shadow, or Tactical) if you like a gun with a bit more tactical / competition feel and a rail for lights and lasers. You can probably find a second-hand .22 conversion kit for it if you wanted to practice cheap, and then sell it for what you paid, when you don't need it anymore if you keep in in good shape. I think Glock has a conversion kit available and I know Sig Sauer does (the Sig kit is the cheapest)
If you want to go right full on balls out coolest-handgun-you-can-possibly-own, you can buy my black FNX 45 Tactical for only $1200
Yes it's a .45, but I honestly shoot just as well, and just as quick for follow up shots, as I can with my SP-01. Pricier to shoot, but it puts big ugly holes in stuff and looks ultra bad-ass doing it. And you can mount a mini red dot sight on it.
Go watch at least 5 youtube reviews on any gun you have your eye on because some of the guys find things that others miss. Don't base anything on one person's opinion because chances are, it won't be the exact same as your own.
Also don't buy anything brand new! Because if you find you don't like it after a couple hundred rounds, you can probably sell it for what you bought it for without losing out.
