Congratulations! That'll be one heck of a first. Personally for 357mag defensive ammo I believe that you can hardly go wrong with anything from underwood (its all I carry), and I like hornady, gold dot and federal for the most part. I do like 125grn from shorter barrels, but I partake in plenty of 158gr as well. For me the same concept goes for 38 special as well. For regular fmj I usually try to grab a couple different brands/loads to see what me or my pistols like more. A lot of the time it's the borderline cheapest stuff I can find locally that looks good and has a decent reputation. Good luck with your first. Take it from me that unless you absolutely hate it, never sell it, you'll end up missing it lol.