Metal: beretta 92, smith 5906, or a cz 75
Plastic: s&w m&p, Springfield xd/xdm, glock, Walther ppq (or p99, but I like the ppq more)
All of those are available in 9mm, which I'd recommend if you are wanting to target shoot as ammo is cheap and plentiful. 9mm will also do well with some of the new jhp ammo available today for personal protection.
Springfield XD-9, Glock 19, Smith & Wesson M&P 9 are my suggestions for a first handgun. Any of these are reliable, relatively inexpensive, easy to operate and maintain, parts and accessories are readily available plus 9mm is the least expensive major caliber to shoot.
How about an M&P .22 or a Sig Mosquito. Nice guns and you can shoot them lots for little. Less noise than a 9mm or bigger and you can get a larger caliber later. Also, you can carry one of those for self defense. Remember a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44.
If u want to get a decent gun under 500$ look at a p95dc its not the best but for the $ cant go wrong. Good training gun. But if u want a great gun i would look at a baby glock or a m&p series. great for ccw, awsome guns...
my first gun (bought in september) was a smith & wesson m&p 9. i got the range & carry kit. i love it =) im goin g to zx guns on monday....hoping to find a deal on a m&p22 (plinker) or a steyr m-a1.
well i went to zx guns today, no deals, no nothing....they were closed.....should have probably checked the hours first before driving from south bend to goshen. ohh well...i did have gyros for lunch on the way back though.