Now here's hubris for ya: I'm a beginner, too, but I'm gonna predict what Dave McC is going to tell you, and reading just a few of the many gigs of stuff in the archives here convinces me it's sound advice. Start with the Express (or--Dave wil say--even better, a used Police Magnum); learn how to mount it, be sure it fits you, and spend that money on ammo. The sages of the place are big advocates of proficiency, it seems--which is a drag for those of us who are eager to have our expertise for a mere price tag
Alas!
Now, to sit back and see if my observations bear out--or have I altered the experiment by my very observation? Schroedinger, is the cat alive? Okay, I've got to stop now.
cw