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I suggest trying a few of the "wonder 9s" and getting whichever fits best. Glocks aren't for everyone, but there are great striker 9s by Walther and HK that are in the $500-$600 range and have outstanding ergonomics. I am a huge fan of the PPQ and P99 myself.

Exactly, I have a 30-06 and then I will carry the handgun as a backup just in case it is needed.

Exactly, once I get my concealed carry, I will get a gun that is primarily for concealed.

OK; just make sure it's legal in your area for the game involved.



 

First off pick the firearm based on what feels good in your hand not what everyone tells you. During my short stint selling firearms I sold a lot of Glocks. I would say 80% of the people that came in wanting a Glock was only because someone else told them to get it. Not based on research or good ole fashion shooting the firearm. Out of those 80% half got a Glock the other half got something else. Some was based on price most was based on feel.

Another thing to look at as the future. Within a little bit more of a year we are going to have a Presidential Election. Who knows what will happen. So if you plan on getting a semi auto 9mm spend the next few paychecks on ammo and magazines (using the price of 1 magazine as a minimum budget). If you seen how the last panic was 9mm (and .45) was off the shelf as well as any magazine (typically glock) over 10 rounds.

You have quite a bit of time to grab magazines and ammo with out breaking the bank if you budget decent for it. Look at any extra ammo or magazines as investment so in the even times get bad for you, you can make a nice bit of money.

$900 can buy you quite a bit. Sadly the do it all pistol doesn't exist specially with restriction in many states on semi auto pistols. Personally I would stick away from .22LR unless you have access to a stead supply, my AO does not.  

Don't shy away from the used market Right now you can find a lot of great deals (check your local firearm swap). My first handgun was a used colt Delta Elite and I paid $500 for it. If that deal came up again I would still buy that over any new firearm just on the investment side of things.

heres my short list of possible firearms to look at
sig320
Walther PPQ (I own this and I have it in .40, compared to many 9mm it has about the same recoil)
Glock (even though Glock didn't work for me a 17/19 will always hold a premium during a panic)
1911
Sig 2022
Sig 226
and CZ platform

LIke I said no matter what you get, get and keep a budget on your firearm just so you are not looking like a goober during panic time

Honestly the HK VP9 is the best in the market now. If I was not invested in others I would surely take that platform and run with it. Thats is what I recommend for a first time owner. VP9 w/ night sights and 10 mags.

My .02...Glock 19.  For fun, try to find one of the US made ones like this one...

[url=https://flic.kr/p/wPv53UUS made G19 with Skimmer Trigger and 10-8 Performance Sights[/url] by Triple Bravo, on Flickr" />

HK USP 9mm, HK VP9, or HK P30.

For 900 bucks you can do much better than a plastic striker fired gun. If you really want a good shooter get a cz sp01 or something like that. Or a p07/p09 with the Cajun gun works pro grade package.

I'm a fan of the Ruger Mark II and Mark III for beginner pistols


aside from the .22 though you can't go wrong with a 9mm such as the Glock 17, 19, Beretta 92FS, CZ 75, or Sig P226

Glock 19 or Ruger gp100

Txl

I would get a package deal.

Here is how I would use $900.

Glock 19 with night sights, and 3 additional mags

55 BN Milt Sparks holster, or Blade Tech if you prefer kydex

22 conversion kit for Glock.

The .22 conversion kit will allow you to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship quicker, due to less recoil, and less expensive ammo, which means you will likely to shoot it more.

Going this way, rather than buying a dedicated .22 like a Ruger MK2 allows you to learn 1 trigger system, and become very proficient, utilizing one holster, practicing your draws/presentations, etc.

Once you become comfortable with your handling skills, start shooting USPSA and watch how rapidly your skill set improves.

Personally, I always advise something chambered in .22LR for a "first handgun" regardless of how experienced they are with rifle or shotgun. EVERYBODY should own a .22LR chambered handgun and learning handgun shooting with a .22 is a lot easier and cheaper (even at today's ammo prices) than starting with a centerfire.


Then you can start thinking about things like;

DA/SA. SA or DAO?
external safeties (or lack thereof)?
grip sizes and profiles?
magazine capacity, availability and price?
OEM customer service?
caliber choices and the pros and cons each?

No one size fits all for those considerations.

If you have a range that rents handguns nearby, spend some cash and dough on trying out different handguns one day.

Here's another vote for the GP100. If I could only own one handgun, it'd be my 4" GP! I can ring 24" gongs at 100 yards with it!

I didn't read through all of the responses you got so I apologize if this has been said but I would get a Glock 20 or 21 (big calibers for carrying while hunting) and as a few others suggested on the first page, a .22lr pistol shouldn't be expensive at all.  You should be able to get both for about $900.  

Whichever you choose, good luck and have fun feeling on handguns and testing them out at your local range!!!

Glock Gen4 G17/19!

I would recommend a Desert Eagle 50AE.

If for no other reason other than the looks on people faces when you show them your "first handgun".

But seriously, pretty much any 9mm from a reputable manufacturer that you like.  

Sig, Glock, HK, S&W, Ruger, CZ, Walther, etc.

Walther P99

The Glock 19 is generally my recommendation. Its the do everything pistol.

If Glocks are out of the budget ( if the budget was addressed within the thread I apologize) refer to a thread i wrote about budget first handguns here.

In your situation wanting it to be a hunting side arm I would suggest a police trade in model 32 or 23. the 32 would be ideal because it is 357 sig which should be plenty of power for most situations hunting. size wise the 19, 23 and 32 are all the exact same. the 23 is .40 s&w. both the 23 and 32 you can buy a conversion barrel and shoot 9mm out of them to use for the range a for fun. the 23 you can buy a 357sig barrel and a 9mm barrel. If you play your cards right and get a police trade in 32 you can have it and a 9mm barrel for under $500 at that point you could have a great hunting sidearm and a great all around range gun. the 23 you could buy a 9mm and a 357 barrel for. Any of these 3 guns use the same 22 conversion kit. Most versatile pistols in the world right there.

GP100 4.2", a handful of speedloaders, a Simply Rugged pancake holster, and the rest of your budget on 158gr. .38 Special.

Whatever major brand pistol is known for reliability and servicability and has a design that allows you to instantly find the sights.

Some popular guns just aren't going to fit your hand. Fondle many and let the gun tell you that it's a good match.

First pistol.  A 22..  Auto or revolver, you're choice.  Several good models out there.  Learn the basics.  Then move up, 9mm or 38/357.  Again, a lot of models to choose from, really can't go wrong with any of the major brands.

Whatever you do , DO NOT start with a 1911.  I all but guarantee you will develop a flinch.  I've been the advisor for a college rifle and pistol club for twenty years.  We work with 22's.  Every semester someone reads the latest Guns and Ammo or similar rag and absolutely has to own a 1911.  Inevitably they develop a flinch.  You ease into the big bores.

I'm a Sig Classic P fan, but a Glock 19 is the right answer.

I agree with Makarov. Start with a .22. I really like the 6" S&W 617 (.22 LR) revolver. It is great for practice and is a good rabbit gun. I would then get a 6" S&W 686 (.38 special / 357 magnum). These are great guns. The 617 is accurate and well made and feels very similar to the 686.
The 686 is really easy on the shooter when shooting 38 specials and as your skills improve can make a really decent hog or deer hunting gun when loaded with .357 magnums not to mention a great home defense gun.
As far as hunting large game though you need to fully understand the limitations of such a cartridge. When you get interested in hunting i would suggest you start looking at rifles.

Glock 19 or Glock 17.

Get a S&W M&P 22 Compact to learn on, too.

No one here can really suggest what you should get for your first handgun. At best, what can be offered are suggestions to meet your parameters, quality and performance reviews from personal experiences or possible locations to buy from. Not much more then that. As some have suggested, you first want to look up and see what may be some selections and then go and physically handle them. What you don't want to do is buy something without knowing what "feels right". Comfort and ergonomics are half the battle in proficiency as you probably noticed with your rifles.

With a $900.00 budget, you could purchase new most handguns offered by manufactures. I usually look through Bud's guns for pricing as we have a high volume dealer that comes pretty close to their prices so I have a general idea of what it would cost.

As it'd be a hunting side arm/back-up, you may want to consider something in stainless as they are more rust resistant. NOT rustproof as you may think of stainless. You'll still want to give it a cleaning at the end of the day.

For S/A D/A revolvers, I gravitate toward S&W over Rugers. I prefer Smiths due to ergonomics and shallowly for estetics. Rugers look like a snubby with a pipe stuck on the end. Sorry. I really do like their vaquero and single sixes for S/A only though and have a few of them. What I don't care for on Smiths are their gigantic rubber grips. On the 6XX's I have, I switch the grips out to wood bantums. Makes a world of difference to me in comfort and I get use of the round butt that they have. I also gravitate to 4" barrels. 6" gets nose heavy after a bit on the 6XX lineup and they are quicker to get out of it's carrier.

All the above holds true for semies also. In my case, I like the grip angles and other ergos, ethics and handling on 1911's, Browning HP's, Walther PPK/S's and so on. The latter is one of two that I own that I use right handed, I'm left, due to the decocker. I'm fairly ambidextrous in most things so I'm fine with it. From my listings you'll notice that I prefer steel over plastics in handguns. No reason in particular besides personal choice. No one can argue Glocks track record nor the following Ruger Sp's have, just personal choice which is what I'm writing about.

I know I'm not being much help in picking for you and I don't intend to be. You need to decide that. The most I or anyone can really do is give personal experiences with some type of list of selections that you provide.