If you are going to carry it, you should shoot it a lot.
I couldn't agree more, if you plan to carry this for self defense your life and the lives of your loved one may depend on it one day it is something to take very seriously and train regularly with it. With that being said you will want to go get your hands on a lot of different firearms to see how they feel, my suggestion is to find the closest range that will let you rent out handguns and try them out first. Me personally I have always loved Walther handguns I recently got a Bersa BP9CC which I am still getting used too but I really enjoy shooting it and so does my wife.
