First handgun I ever owned, and still have, is a Colt Peacemaker in .22magnum. Great little varmint pistol.
I also have a CZ 75 in 9mm. Very nice semi-auto. I have fired a few thousand rounds of ammo through this pistol with no jamming problems, even when firing cheap range re-loads.

Best home defense weapon though, as stated earlier, is a 12gauge pump shotgun. I prefer the 18inch barrel with pistol grip. I have a Mossberg that I change the barrel to the 28inch and regular buttstock for pheasant hunting.


The best thing you can do is go to a good shooting range and try a variety of handguns. Most good ranges will have quite a few to rent. Find the combination of pistol and ammo that fits you the best, then you can lay out the cash hopefully without being disappointed later.