Dumby,
I can really only answer a couple of your questions, but here goes anyway. Most gun reviews are talking about out of the box accuracy. While it is certainly not unheard of for gun writers to adjust sights on occasion, it has been my observation that they rarely do. Instead, they will just mention how the pistol shot in terms of point of aim. In any event, any changes made to the review gun are usually carefully cited and explained. If you refer to the shot-group charts, the differences you see there are almost always attributable to different ammunition as opposed to a change in the sight set-up. As to your second question, I am a little unclear on what you mean by "obtain", but if you are literally asking how easy it would be to find either of those pistols, then the answer is that it should be fairly easy. As far as "Maintenance and Handling", well, thats sort of a subjective question. Different pistols break down in different ways, but as far as cleaning and what not, its all pretty standard, regardless who makes the pistol. As far as handling, thats purely subjective. You will find that different guys are loyal to different guns, and there will be no end to the reasons why. In the long run, its really about what you prefer, as opposed to what others like.
A quick note on accuracy... In my opinion, pretty much all modern (and even those that aren't so modern) stock pistols are plenty accurate, and I doubt anyone would seriously disagree with that statement. Sure, its possible that you might get a lemon that doesn't shoot well for some reason, but the chances are decidedly in your favor that you won't. The key is to focus on the fundamentals of marksmanship and to develop good habits. If you have never fired a pistol before, your not going to be any more accurate with a tack-driving race gun than you are with a stock Glock or Sig or whatever. Also, shooting a pistol well requires PRACTICE!!!! You will not, under any circumstance, learn to shoot a pistol (or any firearm for that matter) accurately if you do not shoot as much as you can. Plenty of guys on here that are way, way more experienced than me can offer you tips on how to train properly, so let me just tell/warn you that shooting a pistol is not at all like the movies or like anti-gunners would have you believe in that it is an easy activity. The reality is that it is very challenging to shoot a pistol well. you must practice and you must focus on the fundamentals. Failure to do so will simply result in missed shots, which just goes against the whole principle of the activity to begin with. With all that said, it is also fun. Hell, a day spent learning to shoot is better than a day spent doing almost anything else, and you will find that as you get better, you will find it more and more rewarding and fun to do.
