^^ This is great advice.
Do a little more research on some of the guns already mentioned in this post. I did a lot of internet research before I bought my first handgun. Whatever YOU decide on, you should be happy with.
Yah, I think this approach is the way to do it. Buying a particular name brand because someone told you they were good, or they like shooting them, or someone told you that _____________ (fill in blank) uses this gun, and they know what they are talking about, etc., etc., is pretty much a pointless exercise which will cause you to buy and sell guns quite a few times.
I would suggest going through it like this:
Price - What are you prepared to spend on a gun? This could potentially be a huge factor in figuring out what to get. A Wilson Combat 1911 would be a fantastic gun, but very few people will spend that kind of money on a gun until they know exactly what they are and aren't looking for in a pistol.
New or used - I would recommend new for a first gun. Used guns can have problems that need to be worked out, and that can be really frustrating if you don't have another gun to shoot and haven't made friends with a competent local gunsmith yet.
Pistol or Revolver - What gets your motor runnin'? Sounds like you want a pistol, but there are lots of people on this board that dream about revolvers at night. Everybody is different.
Calibre - Go with 9mm (or .38 Special in revolver) for a first gun unless you really have some good reason to go with another calibre... i.e., a reason other than "my friend told me..", "my local police force uses..", "my favorite character in a movie uses..." Ammo is really expensive, and getting worse all the time. Way more expensive than guns, whether you reload or not. Very few people understand this when they start shooting handguns (that you will spend way more on ammo than guns if you do any serious volume of shooting). You should also think about something you can convert to .22LR is possible as well.... or split your available funds between a 9mm/.38 and a cheap .22LR pistol.
Polymer or metal frame - A lot of people, like myself, think that there are good examples of both types. I generally prefer the heavier feel of an alloy or steel frame gun, but some of the poly guns are superb. You really should try at least one of each to get an idea what the difference is. I think alloy frame guns tend to be softer shooting, even in a 9mm, but some people absolutely swear by poly guns. Try a Beretta 92, CZ 75/85 or SIG 229/226 if you can, and then pick up a GLOCK/XD/M&P-type gun and shoot it right after. You should get a definite sense of which one you prefer pretty much right off the bat.
Hammer fired or striker fired - This one is harder to get a sense of what you prefer when you are a new shooter. It took me a couple of years to figure out that I was basically a hammer-fired guy. The main difference is in how the trigger feels... which leads me to...
SA/DA, SAO, DAO or something in-between (GLOCK-type partially pre-compressed striker triggers, HK's LEM, SIG's DAK, Para's LDA, etc.) - My own view on this is... if you want to save yourself a lot of frustration and see your shooting get better faster... get something with a single action trigger to start. It is so much easier for everyone - especially new shooters - to shoot well in SA. I can shoot the DA on my SIG's and HK's about as well as I can shoot them in SA... but that is after a buzzilion rounds downrange. I can shoot GLOCKs better now than when I started shooting pistols... but I still think you do yourself (and your ego) a big favour in the beginning by getting a gun that will fire in SA. It is more challenging to learn to use an SA/DA gun with a holster than it is to shoot a GLOCK with a holster, but for learning to actually get within a few inches of what you are aiming at, SA is the way to go.
Parts/accessories availability - The more popular the gun, the easier it will be to get parts, holsters, mags, etc. The GLOCK is the king in this area, but some of the other big names are not much further behind (1911's, SIG, Beretta, etc.). More obscure guns like Steyr, Taurus, etc. take more work to find stuff for.
"Compact vs. full-size" - Most people start out with the full size guns, but many of us (I am very guilty in this area) eventually learn that we like to shoot, and can shoot better, with the compacts. This is something that you will have to try in order to figure out for yourself. After shooting a GLOCK 19, I've never had the slightest inclination to want a full-size GLOCK (I actually sold my G17 awhile ago... no interest in it). But that is just me. Some people will be the opposite.
What is actually fun to shoot for you? - Some guns, I feel like it is almost "work" to shoot them. They snap around in your hands, they tire you out. Others will shoot like a dream for you. As an example, I didn't like shooting the Walther P99. After the honeymoon period, it didn't come to the range with me that much, and never by itself. My "moment of enlightenment", on the other hand, was shooting the SIG 229. If I had a 1,000 rounds sitting there, I have no doubt that I could bang them all of in an afternoon without any trouble.
So, try and work through this yourself, but this is what I would say:
Price - Pretty hard to beat GLOCK 17 and M&P 9. CZ-75 if you are leaning the other way (metal, hammer fired, SA).
New or used - Go new for a first gun.
Pistol or Revolver - purely a personal thing.
Calibre -9mm or .38 special to start.
Polymer or metal frame - I think metal is more pleasant (and easier) to shoot... and shoot well.
Hammer fired or striker fired /
SA/DA, SAO, DAO or something in-between - strongly consider getting something with a hammer that will fire in SA.
Parts/accessories availability -don't buy an obscure gun because you want to be different... not for your first gun anyway.
"Compact vs. full-size" - Even though Canadian laws can make it tough, don't write off the compacts right away. There are some excellent compact models available in Canada.
What is actually fun to shoot for you? - There is probably a gun out there that is good match for you. Mine was the SIG 229. Took me awhile to find it, but try as many guns as you can... make friends at the range... and you can speed up the process a bit that way.
As for the "easy to field strip" thing. Don't worry about that. All modern handguns are very easy to field strip. Some are harder than others to completely disassemble and re-assemble, but you won't need to mess with that for a few years at least.
Good luck!
