Looking at buying my first pistol, have questions.

[TreeDoc]

I would assume that because of the bucks you intend to spend you're looking for an open class gun? My first thought would be to shoot production class, it's a heck of a lot less expensive for equipment but if you want a race gun then STI makes a good one. I know a lot of the hot shots use at least STI frames and build from there and I can also say I have seen a fair share of STI's "discombobulated" right in the middle of a stage too!

At that level, most guns are built based on personal preferences after having shot the events over a timely period. I think the obvious place to go would be within your Chapter and see what
the other guys are doing that works rather than reinventing the wheel at your expense.