Well I personally don't understand at all why someone would carry a gun they can't practice a lot with. If I'm depending my life on a firearm I know I have put hundreds of rounds through it and trust it completely
So lots of guns have been recommended..what did you get?
I do recommend that you attend a two to four day self-defense oriented defensive handgun course. Many instructors have a variety of handguns available for loan or rent. The reason I recommend that you attend training first is because you don't really know what you need and want in a defensive style handgun.
For example, I attended FPF Training's level 2 handgun course. I had switched away from SIG and Glock and wanted to use the Browning Hi-Power. Sometime during the first day, I noticed that my hands were completely sliced up. I am left handed, so my emergency reloads are performed by my right hand. My fingers were getting cut by the razor sharp edge of the safety groove on the slide! Fixing this would require a gunsmith to remove the metal, dehorn the rest of the gun so it matches, and refinish everything. This is not a low cost procedure since a good finish can cost $300 or more (look into ION Bond).
I ended up going back to my Glock 19 for the rest of the course. The gun has no sharp edges out of the box. This is one truly great feature of Glock pistols that is never mentioned. Even SIG's can be rough on the hands.
Another good example is any handgun with a flip-up safety on the slide. This does not appear to be an issue for most shooters who use their guns only on the range. I have seen the safety activate during the reload many times in training. However, a training class makes the deficiencies of the design obvious: it's extremely easy to unintentionally activate when doing an emergency reload (when the slide is locked back on an empty magazine). The technique to properly perform such a reload involves placing the hand over the top of the slide and pulling back and releasing it. The "pinch method" or the slide release methods are very error prone under stress (remember we lose at least 33% of our manual dexterity when the adrenaline dumps).
You won't know what you need in a fighting handgun until you done some training. It's the little details that count. Perhaps the front sight is too wide and it's difficult to make 25 yard hits. Or, it could be the gun is rough on the hands. I found Glock 30's nearly impossible to reload at speed without pinching my ring finger (and drawing blood). You may find that the magazine well needs to be beveled in order for you to seat the magazine cleanly (another Hi-Power deficiency). You will have a better idea of the small features you need once you complete your first class.
Note: the above applies to belts, holsters, and magazine holders. But...that's a different thread topic.
