I missed out on a few decades of pistol shooting enjoyment by ignoring the single shots, because they were only single shots....
Sure,. I'd read a bit about them (before there were home computers, let alone the internet) but wasn't really that interested, because, after all, they only held one shot.
Then one day, just out of curiosity, I handled a Contender at a gun shop. Balance was ...ok, not great, but ok, sights were decent irons, and adjustable, but what got me was the trigger pull.
SWEET!!!! short, light, crisp, it was great. SO, naturally, I didn't buy that gun.
But I did buy one at the next gun show I went to, found one in .45Colt/.410, both calibers I had guns and ammo for, and the price was acceptable.
That gun was followed by more barrels, and then even more barrels and eventually a second frame, and, stocks, & etc.
IT taught me a lot, not the least of which is that pistols aren't just about being able to dump multiple rounds into the A zone in the blink of an eye, at spitting distance.
(that is an entirely valid skill, but as the Bard pointed out, there are other things in life, as well)
Call it Zen and the art of handgunning, or what ever you like, but its about ONE PERFECT SHOT. Think you're a good pistol shot? You might be right. OR you might just be good enough, and perhaps fast. Get a Contender, get a .22LR and that gun will show you just how really "good" you are, or aren't. Shoot offhand, iron sights, and see how well you can do. You might be in for an education, and a personal challenge. I was.
I had always had a small want for an XP-100. First, I thought they looked neat, and second because I like Rem 600 series carbines. After getting to know the single shot through my Contenders, my desire for the Remington grew a lot. Took me a couple years of haunting the gun shows to find what I wanted.
Which was an XP-100 in original stock factory trim. turns out they weren't very common, as, thanks to the popularity of shooting steel with them lead to most of the ones I ran across, both at the shows and in the shops were customized guns. Different stocks, rebarreled for a variety of calibers.
Didn't want one of those...finally got one fully stock, the Rem nylon stock, rib and in its original .221 Fireball. With a nice scope, too.
Trigger on that one is not just sweet, it is outstanding.
I've got or had pistols in nearly all the flavors at one time or another. Revolvers from small to huge, semis from .22lrs to .44/45 magnums. Yes, I have and shoot some of those giant pistols others think impractical or impossible, and my single shots range from .22LR to .45-70.
IF defensive handgunning is your thing, go for it! IF its your only thing, enjoy! But if your handgunning is limited to service pistols and such, you have no idea of the fun and the valuable skill training you are missing out on.