Shooting as hobby and for defense

So this is kartoffel from NASIOC & the other place ... but I'm still a n00b here so feel free to tear into me.

I'm moving back to TX to start a new job, and multiple factors are nudging me towards purchasing a gun for fun and home defense. Maybe later I'll go for a CHL. (edit: CHL = concealed handgun license in Texas)

I own no guns currently. In the past I've had an RWS .22 air rifle, and a traditional .54cal flintlock. My college rommate and I used to go to the local outdoor range and shoot those, plus his own Volquartsen 10/22 (zomg tackdriver), AR-15, 9mm Sig 229 (sex in your hand), and .45 HK USP (I wasn't that impressed, really). Plus, I qualified expert on the M9 in the Air Force, though I have no delusions as to my *actual* skill, then or now.

What do y'all think about this?
1) a "practice" gun such as a Ruger Mk II or Mk III, or Walther,
2) a "serious" gun, like a compact SA/DA .40, maybe Springfield XD or Sig Pro

College roomie sorta spoiled me on "snob" guns, but I'm not opposed to polymer as long as it's reliable and the trigger feels halfway decent. I'm partial to Sig