This may sound a bit generic, but aside from selecting a preferred caliber or selecting the manufacturer that you trust, one of the most important things about selecting a pistol is how it fits in your hand.
The bigger your hands, the wider range of pistols you can comfortably enjoy. Secondly, if you are going to carry this pistol legally concealed, you're going to want to consider one that is slim and fits your wardrobe/body/type of clothes you wear every day (I use an in waist band (IWB) kydex/leather holster and carry a slim single stack 9mm). Some people, don;t ever wear clothes that would make an IWB holster realistic (like women who like to wear stretchy pants and stuff). In that case you want to pick something else like a shoulder holster or something that is comfortable (be careful with "bands" like belly bands unless you are fond of having your pistol fall out when you are walking through town)

Springfield makes reliable, high quality pistols. I have a Springfield XD45 that holds 13+1 of 45ACP. This is all fine and good but when the magazine is full this pistol is heavy. It is also bulky, so if you don't mind stuffing something big and bulky in your pants for the whole day, or if you pick a shoulder holster or whatever, fine. I use the XD for carrying OWB holstered, unconcealed, when I am roaming around on my land/hunting/whatever because then it's not really a weight/bulk issue for me, I am 6.0" 220lb or so.

380 is OK but if you can comfortably carry a 9mm you may want to go that route to get a little extra, the 9mm typically is about 150fps faster and penetrates a little more, like 11.5 inches in gel vs 10.5 inches for the 380 for example. Also 9mm is super-common and gives you a little more flexibility when shopping for ammo. But I'm not going to bash on the 380, my wife carries one and is comfortable with it.

last, if you can get to a range with the pistol you like, or one very similiar in weight/mfr/mechanism, see if you are OK with the recoil and the way it behaves. You can take the big XD45 and smoothly shoot at a target without much recoil management because it's heavy and doesn't have a lot of muzzle jump. But if you take a little Ruger LCP 380 that little guy has some good muzzle flip and you need to be aware of this. Light pistols are nice but then you have to pay the price in recoil and flip (and often a shorter barrel length - which will give you a little less accuracy, more muzzle blast and a little less FPS than a longer barrel).

Get your hands on a few if any way possible- borrow from friend at a range or what have you - be safe and always check your chamber, practice safe range behavior and so on. You'll be surprised at how vastly different the various frame sizes and calibers are. You may also like shooting a .40, the recoil is different than a 9 or 45, generally speaking (I'd avoid a .45 "GAP" which is an oddball caliber proprietary to Glocks, you probably won't see many of these)

ALso you might want to consider the 357 - if you have a freiend that will let you shoot one you might be pleasantly surprised depending on your size/hand size.

As for good/not too expensive 380 depending on your hand size the LCP is a tiny little guy but very reliable.

Hope this helps a little. Oh and PS your grip is going to dictate your accuracy for starters, check out Jerry Miculek and Massad Ayoob, both are top-tier weapons experts and know how to hold a pistol right. There's drills you can do even with a pencil in your empty chamber taped to slide down your barrel straight, and "shoot" at a piece of paper on your wall. The firing pin shoves the erasered pencil down the barrel and pokes at the paper, and will help you determine if you are heeling, jerking, thumbing, pushing, anticipating, using too much or too little trigger finger, and so on, and it's free!

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>>15012
What this guy said. There's a lot more to what's best than just the caliber. If you're planning on using it a lot then there's no point in not going for something that's good. Don't waste money on a cheaply made gun. .380 is less than ideal for a defensive weapon, but the difference from 9mm and .45 is not that great. I'd personally choose 9mm since the ammo is going to be cheaper than .380 since it's more common.

Some good 9mm handguns:

Fullsize:
Beretta 92
CZ-75
Glock 17
Springfield Armory XD
Browning/FN Hi-Power

Compact/Subcompact:
Glock 26
Ruger LC9
S&W M&P Shield

Bear in mind I own none of these guns (only rifles for me at the moment), so always test something out, get a range rental, etc., before buying.

>>15013
To add, you might consider looking into a Makarov or a CZ-82.
9x18 is similar to .380, and really cheap. Maks and CZ-82s are cheap and well made.

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>first handgun
>9mm

lolno. Get a .22 and lrn2shoot. learning such a skill takes a significant investment in time and effort, and you will go through a tremendous round count building proficiency. dry-firing will only take you so far and gives no feedback about your grip, stance, or follow-through. .22 LR will give you most bangs for dollar.

We are aware that the supply chain is currently under strain and .22 LR is not always easy to find, but it will come back. Demand cannot exceed supply this far forever.

tl;dr when you can put ten rounds in the 2"x3" x-ring of a B27 at 10 yards, then we can talk about centerfires

1. get .22 and lrn2shoot
2. ??????
3. PROFIT

Bump on Makarov suggestion. Anon speaks the truth.

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>>15009

I recommend a Sig P226

pic semi related its my Mk25

well a .22lr is almost a must in every home unless u are made of money,;) its a nice starting caliber ,fun to shoot and very cheap ammo, unless u are in a hurry to get a home defense gun :)

I too suggest the Makarov. What the Russians do well they do really well.

>>15009
For a first gun remember that a smaller gun is harder to shoot with
A 9mm is a good choice, it's hard hitting and inexpensive to practice with

Glocks are fairly cheap and come in different sizes

Let it be said if you don't need a self defence gun an old rugger .22 is great fun

A .22 is not a good Home defense round. Good fun and good hunting round but a .380 is as small as you want to go on a self defense weapon. The 9x18 is an ok round but you will not find it on most shelves. I prefer a .45 but a 9mm (x19) is a fine round and usually has more ammo capacity. Get as good a gun as you can and then practice.