1st define what you want the hand gun to do.
Personal Cary ? — go small but not tiny.
Target accurate ? - .22rf
Home Defense ? — Full size Auto or Revolver
Hunting ? -——— Large Frame Revolver
When in doubt for your first hand gun, a .22 is never a bad choice, ammo is cheap, so you can practice a lot.
I have an as-new Beretta 87 with wood grips that I bought used to match its near-twin I have, Model 85....I absolutely love this gun! Solid as a rock and nice heavy barrel. I will tell you it’s damned expensive for a 22LR pistol, though. New it was $795 and I got it for $595 used ANIB.....