With little experience, I'm generally going to lean to a small revolver. S&W J and K frame and the Taurus equivalents, Ruger SP101- if you can find one, the Colt Detective Special rocks my world, I'm on the look out for one at a good price.

I generally would not recommend anything lighter than .38 Special or 9mm, although .32 H&R Mag is very nice and gives you an extra round when you find it. However, any bullet that hits is better than the perfect one that misses, so .22 has the advantage of being cheap enough that you can shoot it a LOT.

I had to pick on the place to save, it would NOT be the holster. A good holster breaks up the shape, protects the gun, protects you, and keeps it conveniently located.

The reason why I like the revolvers is becuase there are fewer things to worry about. You have three controls- cylinder release, ejector rod, and trigger. If you have a click, pull again- if you aren't out, it will go bang again.

One nice thing for these is the Crimson Trace Lasergrips. I don't care how good you are on the range, or drawing against the mirror- when the real thing happens, your reactions will go to poo. It isn't a matter of fighting fair, it is a matter of being able to RUN away, and while their use is limited it is large enough to show that laser sighting aids while incapable of replacing proper iron sights and training to build confidence in skills and have a noticeable improvement on your odds of being the one who gets to run away.

With all that said, find one that you can shoot well. Too big or too small, and you'll have a hard time using it, and if it is too snappy you are more likely to flinch.