I would say the malfunctions were because of your shooting or bad ammo. It being a 9mm has nothing to do with it malfunctioning. For a good first pistol and you plan on carrying it concealed, I would say look in the forums for a Glock 19 or if you want a .40sw, try a Glock 23. If it's not going to be used for concealed carry, a Glock 17 or 22. Glock 22's can be had for under 400 dollars at places like summitgunbroker.com or aimsurplus.com. In fact, aimsurplus has Glock 17's with night sites for 389 http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F1Glk17&groupid=3