Very first hand gun..

If you are thinking 22, the Ruger single six is a good choice in revolvers. In terms of auto's consider a Browning Buckmark or a used Challenger III. New 22 autos like the Walther p22 and SIG Mosquito can be fussy, but are fun to shoot once you get them worked out. Given that you are new to handguns, I would suggest the Browning so that you do not need to "debug" the pistol.

The Ruger Single Six single action revolver is a good choice. I would also look for a gently used Ruger Mark II or Browning Buckmark in semi-autos. I agree with Paradox888 on the Walther and Sigs. It's probably just over-imagination but it seems that just about everyone I see shooting the Walthers continuously have failures to feed/extract.

Pass on the Walther and get the Ruger.

What the others advised: Ruger Single Six .22 LR.

And a couple of "bricks" of .22 LR ammo. (That's 1,000 rounds. Plenty for familiarization and practice.)

L.W.

Shoot them first if you can. I quickly got bored with 22 at the range and picked up a 9mm within a couple months.

Have you taken a safety course first?

There's a distinct snobbery against the P22 by some people. Never mind it, though. It's a fun gun, and cheap to shoot. Just stick to CCI ammo, like Blazers, Minimags, Velocitors and Stingers. Not the most accurate, not the best made, but it's a cheap gun that teaches you the importance of cleaning guns, and you can blaze away when you feel like it. Also a good starting point to get a feel for how to aim properly and how much of a step up in recoil you'll want eventually.

Very first hand gun..

Try a lot of different handguns, a shooting range should have rentals. Since you are a new shooter you need to get a few .22 LR firearms to become proficient with at a reasonable cost for ammo before using the larger calibers. A case of .22 LR ammo is 5000 rounds and is about $125. A case of 500 rounds of most centerfire ammo is say $250. plus. Comes down to economics what is the smarter way to learn your shooting skills.

I strongly suggest a .22 LR bolt action rifle and a .22 LR revolver be your primary learning tools. Shoot both firearms with open sights and learn the basics before adding scopes and red dot type sights.

The next normal move up the ladder would be to another revolver in .38/.357
which in the future makes a great backup caliber. Jumping directly into semi-auto firearms for beginning shooters is like buying a teenage driver a Porsche when they should have a Ford Escort to learn on.

When you feel proficient and comfortable with your shooting skills then you would move forward to semi-auto firearms and the many different calibers available.

Most people end up owning many .22LR firearms as they grow into different types of shooting programs. As a person whom has shot competitively for many years from High Power Rifle to Winter .22LR pistol Postal Leagues and numberous shoots of many other types. Being able to practice .22LR firearm along with reloading everything else I shoot has added to my skill level and saved me much money.

Trigger time is trigger time.

For your first handgun, consider a secondhand gun...

I'm partial to the revolvers, but that's just me. I'd recommend the Single Six, or perhaps any kinda Taurus Double-Action .22 revolver; revolvers don't require anything special of the ammo, so you can use whatever type you prefer to learn with.

But the P22 is a nifty toy, and being able to just rap off rounds every so often is amusing in and of itself.

I would recommend a Ruger for a first handgun ---- a Single Six if a revolver or a MK 2 if a semi-auto ----- I've owned both for many years and have tens of thousands of rounds thru them and BOTH are still scary accurate.

Whatever you do buy --- I'd say go with adjustable rear sights and not "fixed" sights.

I got a Ruger MKII Government as my first handgun. Came in stainless with a 2x Leupold scope. Still one of my favorite weapons to shoot. I have newer guns, fancier guns, and the .22 always gets trigger time.