A 1911 may not be the best 1st gun, but everyone (if you are not a crazy or a felon) should own one eventually.
There's differing schools of thought on that. I will say that if one decides to get a 1911 as a first handgun, that they should make every effort to shoot it often and do lots of dry practice to ensure that the safety is removed when needed.
Medic,
While I have a couple of 1911s the P30 is on my list. Mags are restricted to 10 rounds in NJ, correct? If so the added capacity of the 9mm is a non-issue as you're looking at 2 extra rounds, not really a big deal. The 9mm is still the softer shooting cartridge and is cheaper, but as you're looking at HK or a higher end 1911, I don't think you're worried about cost.
The P30 is very ergonomic, probably the most ergonomic of any service pistol out there, but as you've stated, the 1911 has a feel all it's own and while most 1911 options are in .45, you can get one in 9mm and still have the lower cost of ammo.
The 1911 trigger is much better in my opinion, but when the P30
S model comes out, I'll probably buy one. If you haven't shot either yet, I would suggest doing so. What area of NJ are you from and where in PA have you been shopping? There are several excellent gun ranges near Philly that rent guns pending on where you're at, I can probably recommend one or two places to go and try some models out. Most will have 1911s in the rental case, you should probably call ahead and see if any have a HK P30 for rent as it's not
that common a gun to stock.
As it stands right now the P30 has no manual safeties, but does have a decocker while the 1911 has a thumb safety and grip safety but has no decocker. How do you feel about these features?
While the P30 is a soft shooter, a full size steel 1911 isn't that bad to shoot, some people make it out to be a cannon, it isn't. That being said a 9mm is generally easier to learn on than a .40 or .45.
If you want the P30, you''re limited to HK (DUH) but there are many, many, makers of 1911s to choose from and many sizes, finishes, frame materials, etc. to choose from.
If you really don't know what you want in a 1911, but want a handgun now, I'd probably suggest getting the HK as there is less research involved and get a 1911 after you figure out what you want. On the opposite side of that coin, if you know what you want in a 1911, sure go get one.