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That's a pretty good point giga04, I'm still gonna hold on to my original opinion but recognize the amount of thought that went into your reply. I'm new to posting and reading stuff on forums but not new to guns and I really like the ability to get so many awesome suggestions and excellent opinions on the different subjects. I think that anyone who reads through this whole topic will have a really good set of thoughts to make a very educated decision on a first handgun.

Here's the honest to goodness best advice, when you pick up a potential first handgun , hold it in your hand, it just feels "right" and you really don't want to put it down, well... There it is, your new best friend and first of probally many little "investments"

Good luck to you sir

Hey zero and pbwalker,

I think you should practice and master a manual safety when you first begin your defensive shooting tactics because that fraction of a second it takes to flip the safety off is the last time you get to think shoot or don't shoot. It can be the difference in putting two in the chest of a guy with an ak or a broom, just something I picked up from the countless hours clearing rooms and shoot don't shoot scenarios. I really consider "safe action" pistols to be a little more than a beginners firearm. It's kinda like buying your kid a vette for his first car when he's not even comfortable with the basic controls of a regular car. As for the 9mm, it's a tried and true round, its pretty cheap to shoot so the cost of ammo shouldn't deter you from a regularly scheduled practice session. The focus of a soon to be pistol packin law abiding good citizen should be the fundamentals and it's better to grasp the concept completely on a more manageable caliber that still makes sense defensively than to just get by on a larger caliber because someone told you it was better.

Fnps are are awesome for a first handgun they have a safety which is one thing that I believe is a must for someone new to handguns, it's got the interchangeable backstraps like all the brand names do, they also come with three magazines which is a good value. The fnp s are very easy to shoot reliable and super acurate. I would also recommend a 9mm over a larger caliber because you want to be able to master your grip stance draw trigger squeeze sight picture strong and weak hand shooting without wedging about recoil or high ammo costs for practicing.