If you're only going to use the firearm for target shooting and not personal defense, I'll do my best to argue in favor of getting a rifle instead, for a number of reasons.
First of all, the learning curve with a handgun is pretty steep. You'll be discouraged by your initial inaccuracy, and I by no means intend this to sound like a personal attack. It's the truth. I don't care if it's a Mk23 SOCOM, a USP Match, whatever--give any pistol to someone who's never fired a weapon before, give them a regulation target at 25 meters, and I'll be damned if a single bullet from the entire magazine touches that paper. Because of the way pistols are held, and the short barrel length, even the slightest deviation (movement) of the barrel (which is likely to occur with a novice's trigger pull) will cause a gigantic change in the path of the bullet at 25m, or even at 25 feet. The rifle on the other hand, is stabilized with one hand under the barrel and a buttstock, and thus is less prone to jerking around.
Recoil is also harder to manage with a pistol. In .22, 7.65mm and 9mm it isn't too bad, but a 9mm pistol will still kick a good deal in comparison to a rifle, simply because the handgun has perhaps one-fourth the inertia (mass) of the rifle. In .40, .45, or .50, if you break your wrists mid-shot, well, you just might end up breaking your wrists.
Also, as weird as it may sound, rifles can end up being cheaper than pistols. Military surplus weapons, such as the Mosin-Nagant, the SKS Carbine, and even AK-47s, can be had for as little as $75 US. Even a decent AK-47 (semi-auto only of course) averages $300-$400. The SKS and AK-47 are chambered for 7.62 x 39 (the Russian .308), and that ammo can be had for about a dime to 15 cents a round via mail-order. No, these weapons won't be able to fire sub-MOA groupings at 100m, and they may be in "battle-tested" condition, but for the price you can't go wrong. If you find you enjoy the experience, then by all means spend more for better equipment. If you don't, well at least you didn't blow $1000+ on it, right?
Just my humble suggestion.