ugh. I hate plastic guns.
I’d suggest a Star BM. They’re solid service weapons which have generally been well taken care of and which were recently surplussed by Spain. You can get one for about $250.
great pistol, but parts are impossible to get.
I lucked out getting a firing pin.
I am a 1911 dude. I am not a fan of plastic guns. Or striker fired pistols.
But...
I did recently pickup a S&W Performance Shield .45ACP
And that plastic, striker-fired pistol is a real, smile-inducing pleasure to shoot.
For a first time buyer who doesn’t plan to do much shooting and it will purely be a self defense firearm, I wouldn’t even recommend a pistol. I’d recommend a revolver, some good hollow point rounds, and an hour or two at the range with two fifty-round boxes of ammo to get the basics of aim, trigger and grip. That would be effective for 90% of possible self defense situations.
If someone is willing to invest time and money into becoming a gunfighter, then unfortunately it would have to be the plastic guns you don’t like. I’d personally recommend a Glock 17 or 19 (depending on the person’s size - when it comes to concealment). I personally carry a Glock 17 since I can conceal it well, with (at least) three magazines with either Gold Dots or HSTs. I prefer heavy-for-caliber 147gr 9mm, although I occasionally carry 127 +P+ Winchester Ranger Ts (although plus P really is not necessary with ammo, and to be honest the HST and Gold Dot are some of the best Bullet designs around). If I am with family I may carry more magazines (reason - my home country has been attacked several times by Al Shabaab, the local Al Qaeda wannabe, and I damn sure I’m not running out of ammo). Obviously I have invested A LOT in training, be it specialized combat training or competitive training for IDPA shoots.
For someone willing to put in the training, the plastic guns are really good value, very reliable out of the box, for a ‘work gun’ are good enough on all areas (I don’t need to put all 17 rounds into one ragged hole ...I just need to put 17 rounds consistently into the zero-down/A-zone/center mass), they have great capacity (17+1 for the Glock 17, with two back-up magazines with extenders giving 19 each), and with modern ammunition the 9mm with (for example) HSTs is definitely not a weak bullet.
If I have to be armed with a pistol in a situation where there are several shooters armed with Kalashnikovs (a very real possibility where I live), then I would know several things. First is I’m in a bad situation. Second, as a man I still need to defend my family. And third, if I have to do so with a pistol by myself, then it’s going to be one of those plastic pistols.
But for a first time shooter not willing to put in the time, definitely a revolver and an hour or two of training.
As for the 1911 - beautiful design by a brilliant designer, and the fact it’s still around over 100 years after its invention is testament to it being an effective weapon. It has served in many wars, and until recently both Delta and MARSOC used custom 1911s as their pistols (before both went to Glock variants, which the SEALs have also adopted giving up their SiG P226s). The 1911 is a great firearm, but there are better tools in the shed nowadays. Not as beautiful, but more effective for more requirements. Kind of like the Browning HiPower, another beautiful legacy (but one that many forget about). A wonderful firearm from the same genius inventor, but also a bit overtaken.
Hate plastic and hate striker fired, none of those pistols would ever set grips in my safe. With that said I do have a SIG 365, only striker fired I’ve ever owned, it doesn’t have grips.
I got one last year, and liked it so much that I bought another one and gave it to my daughter for her birthday. Excellent gun for teaching young women to shoot!