9mm or 38spl
you got your CCL , I take that to mean you plan to carry , and at least some of the time concealed
powerful, well if i knew i was going to need my side arm i would have just avoided the situation
so i wanted the smallest thing i could shoot well and get my hand to fit comfortably , and the biggest round i could get in that package
why did i get the ruger LC9 , because they didn't make an LC40
now having several hundred rounds thru it and having carried it for several months every day from the time i put my pants on till i take them off at night, i would get the LC9 again
9mm is a light recoil cartridge in a 4 inch barrel service sized auto at 32 oz make it a 17.1 oz sub compact , and it has a much greater felt recoil but still manageable
i have xl to xxl sized hands i usually have to find a xxl when I buy gloves yet the slide has room to clear my hand just fine , unlike some 380s i have tried
how dies it fit smaller hands my 8 year old son can shoot the LC9 he had his first go at it Tuesday evening, he didn't hit a 6 inch falling plate from 10 yards every time but he wasn't off by much and he did hit it some.
(caution when letting kids shoot hand guns always start by loading 1 round only, till they have showed they can handle it)
my son started on a bb gun at age 5 , and progressed up to pellet rifle , then 22, and other rifles , he shoots 3 position air rifle in the local club , and he shot 22 pistol first ,then a service size 9mm , then the sub compact 9mm so i was not handing a first time shooter a handful of gun he definitely worked up to it.
so i think any 21yo or older shouldn't have an issue with it unless they have some handicap or medical condition like bad arthritis.
9mm is also 9.99 a box when i was at the store today , 40 was at least half again more 45 was even more
why did I also say 38spl, not everyone is an semi auto pistol user , and for many a revolver is a better choice , for them the greatest selection of good quality carry guns come in 38spl and like 9mm it costs less in ammo $ to practice
a hit with a 9mm or 38spl is worth more than a hundred misses with a bigger round
practice practice practice
if you have never shot a hand gun before 22lr is an excellent choice for training, but i took your question to be more of a what to get for carry that you could also afford to practice with.
and remember soda is usually 2 dollars or less at the bar and has refills , some bars if your the DD the soda is even free , so you can pocket that money saved on not drinking 4 dollar a glass beer for practice ammo and be the dd/dc