You will get twice the opinions and three times the options you ever wanted in about 40 minutes...all in good faith and with the right intentions.
I matriculated from the Ruger 22, to the Browning Hi-power to the Kimber .45 without too much angnst: requirements changed, so did my guns.
My recommendation is to borrow/lease and just go shoot. Once you are comfortable with guns, get the best professional advice you can on which weapon is best for your needs.
I can tell you that nothing beats 22LR for practise.
Enjoy.
