Looking advice for a new shooter

All good points above. Ask some questions about what you need vs what you want.

Do you need a pistol that will be primarily concealed carry? If so it will be a smaller pistol with a shorter sight radius, and usually more felt recoil. Smaller pistols are often much harder for newer pistol shooters to master.

If it's going to be a nightstand gun or a openly carried pistol then size isn't a big concern and go for a longer barrel and higher capacity pistol and if weight isn't a huge concern (?) Then get a steel / alloy framed pistol vs a poly as it will soak up lots of recoil, which typically is a issue for newer shooters.

Like said above try to handle as many pistols as possible to find the fit that feels as close to "custom made for you" as possible. Gun shows are good for fit testing. Make a list and take that to a good gun range and rent the tops on your list, and compare them. Be honest, tell the range you're new to handguns and ask the range officers for pointers. Many are happy to help.

Get more experience and training with handguns before deciding on carrying it around. That's a whole different layer of responsibility.....

...as for the platform? I'd begin with a SA/DA revolver.....or a SA/DA HAMMER FIRED semi-auto.

Since we are in the Taurus forum, I'll recommend the Taurus TH9C:

Or the Taurus 605 series:

Any of these would make great entry-level platforms without breaking the bank.

Much sound advice is to be found in the above posts. Since you stated that you want to become familiar with your firearm choice and eventually carry it, the main question is price. I would say that if the possibility exists, hit a range that allows rental to try out several guns, but if that isn't possible, then at the very least, hold a few in your hand and see how they fit and feel. Give a few trigger pulls, if possible, to see how the trigger feels. If you are only familiar with guns, then I would also strongly suggest looking for a weapons safety class and a carry class (may be required in any case, depending on where you live).

Some options from my meager experience by price range:

$150-$200 compact:
Hi Point C9 9mm - holds 8 rounds standard, single stack mag. Heavy (which helps with recoil) and ugly as sin, but the ergonomics aren't terrible; trigger is surprisingly not awful either, and they work.
SCCY CPX1/2 9mm - 10 round double stack magazine, pretty small and light weight but manageable recoil; comes in multiple color combos. Medium weight double action only trigger, long reset, fun and kinda purty. Somewhat large grip.
Taurus G2C 9mm - 12 round double stack magazine, not quite as small or light as the SCCY but is close. Really good ergonomics and manageable recoil.

$200 - $400:
S&W M&P
S&W SD9V
Kahr CW9
Ruger LC9S
Taurus 709 Slim
Taurus TH9
Walther PPS

$400-$600:
Canik TP9
Glock (19 or 23)
Ruger American (comes in full and compact)
Beretta PX4 Storm (also multiple sizes from sub compact to full sized)
Sig P365/P320
EAA Witness


Just to name a few...

Welcome from Northern Illinois! You sound similar to me...I was raised with firearms and they were all long guns. Probably the first handgun I fired was the 1911 for qualification in the military, along with a number of other very interesting firearms! I always owned long guns and fired them very sparingly.

My wife, sister and cousin decided to take a handgun safety course some 10-12 years ago and I tagged along. Shortly thereafter I decided to buy a revolver and found a Dan Wesson Model 15 which has lightly used on Gunbroker. Then a desire to buy a 1911 brought me here and I bought a PT1911.

An introductory gun safety course is my first recommendation for yourself, your wife and any older kids (12+/- if the instructors permits). Regardless of your children's ages, you must inculcate the four rules of firearm safety into them and repeat at regular intervals. The next would be to think a lot about how you will secure that firearm when it is not in your immediate possession. Kids will find them not matter how smart that you think you are in hiding them. I know because I did, but I had the advantage of being raised and taught about the rules of handling guns. If the course you choose has an instructor who will school on revolvers and semi-auto pistols so much the better. You can begin to decide which is a better option for your needs.

If your goal is strictly home defense, a tactical shotgun may be the best answer either in 12 or 20 gauge. A drawback here in our area are limited ranges where you can practice with them.

Further down the line, if you decide to carry concealed, there are many very good and inexpensive choices of pistols. One of mine is the PT 111 G2...now sold as the "G2C". A note about beginning to shoot handguns with a concealable gun is that they almost always have short barrels and short barreled guns are more difficult to be accurate with...with the short sight radius smaller discrepancies in sight picture means a bigger miss down range.

If you decide to carry concealed you might want to check into clubs such as USPSA or IDPA if they operate in your area. The competition usually involves working from a holster which is great practice in presenting the gun and acquiring your target.

Let us know how your search goes!

well there seems to be mostly similar idea and I agree with most of it.
First IF this is to be your first and only hand weapon I would say to find a friend if you know one that is a shooter but has an open mind as to selection of weapons.
get some free instructions from them, if not than save yourself a lot of money and time and hire a professional trainer.
you will end up saving money in making the correct gun purchase, less wasted ammo (this stuff is expensive) and you will move along much faster and remain inspired as you improve faster generally.
after that the weapon needs to fit YOU, by that it should feel comfortable (after you have shot a few different weapons) , it should come on target or near so if you raise the weapon from your side/holster and point it at the target then it should be naturally pointed at the target.
in summation I will say that first money (within reason) should NOT be a determining factor, the gun will likely out last you in life span .
secondly I would highly suggest that you buy a manufacture brand that has great customer support and that a Gunsmith will work on should you have a need for that service.
Not much sense in having a gun for protection IF its gone for repair for 6-8-10 weeks or longer.
hope this helps you in your decisions.

On a budget and fairly new to hand guns I would suggest that you get your hands on as many different guns, in different sizes, in the price range you can afford. Make a short list of what fells best in your hands. Do a little online research on them including YouTube videos. If you have the opportunity to rent a couple first great, if not just buy the one you are most comfortable with after hands on and research. A comfortable feeling mid size gun may be the best way to go if you only plan on one gun.

I understand not being able to afford training. You will need to be able to afford to get some range time in with the gun you do decide to buy. Get as many rounds down range as you can afford to do. Practice at a short distance, say 3 yards. Once you can keep them on a 6" circle at 3 yards move back to 5 yards. Keep practicing and moving back 2-3 yards as you become more proficient.

While at the range seek help from others that are there if you are having problems with accuracy. I have found most people at gun ranges are helpful if you have a positive attitude.

Also take the time to educate your family on safe gun handling. Kids are curious, let them handle and explore your firearm if they want while you are there with them. When my kids were little they handles my guns on a regular basis with me present. They learned to operate them and clean them when they were ready. I did not force it on them and I did not hide it from them. They knew if they wanted to see any gun all they had to do was ask. I think this helped tame the curiosity and took the evilness and unknown out of guns for them.

Some less expensive options:

http://www.combatarmory.com/smith-wesson-sd9ve-9mm-2-16rd-mags-free-shipping/