The caliber discussion has started. My advice to anyone is, if you want stopping power and only want one gun to start with, to go with the largest caliber that you can handle accurately and comfortably. Stopping power means nothing if you can’t place the rounds accurately. Rent (or borrow), and try before you buy. A gun may feel comfortable in your hand but it’s better to shoot it to really know how it feels.
As for me, I went .45 ACP in an H&K USP Compact.
I love me some CZ firearms. The 75/85 is my go-to for handgun competition.
The above advice is excellent. Once you get to 9mm, I stop having caliber advice for people - Performance differences at and beyond that level are sufficiently minor that skill becomes a much more important issue.
I’m kinda iconoclastic - I shoot .38 Super in competition, but generally have standardized on .40S&W for most of my semi-autos. I like .45, but I like having lots of capacity too. The .40 fits the sweet spot - For me. Your milage WILL vary. 
It sounds like you want a semi-auto pistol, not a revolver, which I won’t argue with - so that eliminates .38 Special and .357 magnum. If .22LR is out, you really need to think about economics. Shooting a 9mm with factory ammo costs about half as much as .45ACP.
It would indeed be wise to rent and/or try different pistols. I know Glock has lots of fans, but I don’t like them much. I don’t like their triggers, mainly, but I also don’t like how they look and feel. I’ve never been tempted to buy a Glock or Springfield pistol.
Me too. I have an 85C and also a P-01 (essentially similar to a 75 Compact). The P-01 has a Crimson Trace laser sight. They are both very well made, accurate and a bargain compared to many brands. I highly recommend CZ pistols. I keep the P-01 loaded in a handgun safe under my bed, and shoot it regularly at the range.
I would also look at the S&W Shield. I haven’t shot one yet, but it gets excellent reviews.
Perfectly serviceable pistol. I own a SD40VE, which is not dissimilar - aside from the crappy trigger.
QFT. As I read somewhere, a well placed round from a .22 pistol has more stopping power than an entire clip of .45 misses.
I have a compact Taurus 9mm. I can put it in the front pocket of my jeans and no one but me knows it’s there. I, thankfully, have not had to test stopping power on an animate object, but I have yet to have a soda can or oil filter survive…
I want a P-01 Omega but I think they’re made from unicorn tears as they’re impossible to find.
I had to go look and see what the Omega was. Looks like a great choice.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been on CZ’s website, and I was surprised to see they stopped making the 85 Combat last year. I have the two-tone version that looks like this:
https://www.impactguns.com/data/default/images/catalog/535/cz_85combat.jpg
I just took it to the range on Tuesday and just love how it shoots. It’s a full-size pistol, so it’s fairly large, but I think I’ll keep it… forever.
Having said that, I think the size of the 75 Compact and P-01 is probably better for most uses. I don’t see any reason to get rid of either of mine.
Hmmm. I see your points but I had to go back and reread the post several times before I did. Perhaps, like a Rubin Goblet, my mind is stuck in one interpretation.
If all you want to do at a range is “practice shooting (stress relief/hone skills)” I would say stick with a .22 It’s all of the fun of shooting with none of the expense or stress. Of course, your path might lead you to want something with a little more heft, but that would be down the road.
FTR: **Atasama **and **Bullitt ** got my meaning right. I agree I could have said it more explicitly and clearly.
The OP has since come back and said he’s actually wanting to do home defense. And that he wants the “fun” of a big boom in his hand, not a mere pop.
Well, anything that will serve reliabaly for home defense will almost certainly have a fair bit of ‘BOOM!’ to it anyway…