Like a lot of shooters I got into it as inexpensively as I could. I started with an XDm40 4.5" (because I already owned one before I started competing in USPSA Limited). Everything was factory, including the holster and mag holster on a thich leather buckle belt. Great gun and I had fun shooting it. But then I had to have more. So I bought an M&P40 as I read so many good things. It just didn't have the right feel for me. A lot of people in my club were using a Glock, so I bought one of those. It definitely wasn't the gun for me. So I bought an XDMm40 5.25". I got the Springer Precision Magwell, 5 extended basepad mags, a Bladetech Holster, CR Speed belt, 4 CR Speed mag holsters. Sweet gun and I loved it. But then I felt I needed an all steel gun. So I got an EAA Witness Elite Match .40. Sweet shooting gun and crazy accurate, but I felt I needed even more. I've always loved my Sigs, and so I decided to buy a Sig P226 X5 Competition .40s&w and all the accessories (Bladetech holster, Staudacher magwell, Sherman ext basepads, Dawson Fiber Optic front sight). Been shooting it for over a year now and I couldn't be happier. For me, its easily the gun I'm most accurate with and it eats any load I ever feed it. I eventually did find the Holy Grail for me with the X5. I even caved to the pressure and recently bought a Dawson Precision Competition Ready STI Edge (the vast majority of Limited shooters seem to be shooting an Edge, and shooting it very well). Wow, great gun! Amazing! But, I just couldn't "run and gun" with it as well as I could my X5 Competition model (to each his own).
But to make a short story long, in hindsight I wish I hadn't gone the least expensive route to begin, as it ended up costing me a lot more money. You may end up spending a lot of money anyway to eventually get the gun you want. It took me spending a small fortune to finally get where I want to be. In hindsight I wish I'd had spent the money on the Edge or Sig X5 to start and I would have actually saved myself a lot of money over time. But at the time I never knew how obsessed I'd get with the sport and i didn't want to break the bank getting into it. But the trip to get where I'm at now was darn fun, despite being a very expensive lesson on buying and selling guns and equipment at a loss (I did keep the XDm40 5.25" and STI Edge). :yes: I'm sure there are a ton of former newbies like myself that have a very similar story.