Go to a local range...and shoot / rent as many guns as you can before you decide. Its about what fits your hands the best...not what fits mine.
In general, I think a good 4" revolver in .357 mag is a good choice ( you can shoot .38's in it as well ) / and I would stay with a steel frame vs alloy or scandium. I prefer S&W...if you shop used...model 66's or 19's are a good choice in a K ( medium sized frame ) ...686's in an L frame.../ Ruger would be my distant 2nd choice because of triggers in general vs S&W / and I would stay away from most everything else out there - because quality is often a problem on many of them.
I also think a semi-auto in a 9mm is a good choice / ammo is reasonable in price - and there are lots of options out there for you. I'm not a poly frame guy...but it doesn't mean they're bad guns. I've shot and evaluated guns like the XD's, Glocks, HK, M&P's, etc...for a grandson that was looking for my input / personally, I think the new Glock Gen 5 is a pretty good gun ...and some of the older versions are good value. ( personally, I am a 1911 guy in 9mm and .45 acp / but unless you have experience with them a 1911 is not a great first gun option ...unless you get your budget up around $ 1,000 - $ 1,500.
For any Defensive or Carry gun....yes, maintenance is important. Keeping a dirty gun for Defense makes no sense to me. Learn to strip a gun down properly ...clean and lube properly...and if its a quality firearm, it will give you thousands of rounds of service and reliability.
Good luck ...and don't forget to have fun with the process !
In general, I think a good 4" revolver in .357 mag is a good choice ( you can shoot .38's in it as well ) / and I would stay with a steel frame vs alloy or scandium. I prefer S&W...if you shop used...model 66's or 19's are a good choice in a K ( medium sized frame ) ...686's in an L frame.../ Ruger would be my distant 2nd choice because of triggers in general vs S&W / and I would stay away from most everything else out there - because quality is often a problem on many of them.
I also think a semi-auto in a 9mm is a good choice / ammo is reasonable in price - and there are lots of options out there for you. I'm not a poly frame guy...but it doesn't mean they're bad guns. I've shot and evaluated guns like the XD's, Glocks, HK, M&P's, etc...for a grandson that was looking for my input / personally, I think the new Glock Gen 5 is a pretty good gun ...and some of the older versions are good value. ( personally, I am a 1911 guy in 9mm and .45 acp / but unless you have experience with them a 1911 is not a great first gun option ...unless you get your budget up around $ 1,000 - $ 1,500.
For any Defensive or Carry gun....yes, maintenance is important. Keeping a dirty gun for Defense makes no sense to me. Learn to strip a gun down properly ...clean and lube properly...and if its a quality firearm, it will give you thousands of rounds of service and reliability.
Good luck ...and don't forget to have fun with the process !