I'll second the Recomendation for
The Rock Island Tactical in 9mm. I got mine from centerfire systems for $429 plus shipping. All together it cost me $460. If you want to keep it slightly under $400 you could get the GI version. Because of the all steel construction, recoil is very mild. There are better SD/HD guns like the Glock 17/19, which work every time and have higher capacities. The S&W 3rd gen guns are also great guns for the money.