Lots of choices and probably cheeper than you would think. Best advice would be to find a local club that shoots
pistols and go have a look. A black powder revolver or single shot muzzleloader can be had for £250 ish or you
can spend ten times if you've got deep pockets. Theres also nitro conversions around so no smelly cleaning but
these tend to be more expensive. Theres also a range of long barrelled revolvers in .22 rimfire upto .45LC which
although they have 12" barrels and a wrist brace are quite well balanced and use cartridges as per the Luger
you mentioned.
Getting your licence assuming you don't have one can be a long drawn out affair so plenty of time to ponder on
what you want, first thing is to join a local club and start getting involved with pistol shooting probably with an
air pistol. Once you have served a probation period and got full membership you will be able to apply for your
ticket which is when you will need a clear idea of what you want to get.
A starter set up £300 to £600 depending on make/type of pistol in .36 or .44/45 calibre. Theres no real cost
difference in buying a .36 to a .44 but .44 balls do cost slightly more i would imagine. I make all my own so have
no real idea what they cost. You could simply go for a .357 LBR and get into home loading or the same gun in
.22rf and use cheep bought ammo. Loads of choices to be made.
Have fun and let us know which way you go. Tim