New guy looking for advice on a couple good pistols.

Hi guys, I'm looking for a couple good pistols, one in .22 and the other in either .40 S&W or .45 acp. The .22 will be for practicing and working on my form (I'm a shotgun guy and have fired a revolver once). I held a Walther P22 and liked the balance, but not the short barrel. I also tried a Ruger (nice, but much more expensive) and Beretta (in general bad taste). I also liked the Walther P99 in .40 and a Springfield GI stainless in .45. Both had good balance but the SA felt like it weighed twice as much. I held the Glock (don't remember the model) and just didn't like the balance or noise it made. The larger caliber gun will be a home protection piece until I can move to a better part of town; as such it will be the first line of defense for the three people in my household. Reliability trumps all other factors in this matter. What would you suggest I get? I would like the keep the price of .22 < $300 and larger gun <$750. Thanks a bunch and I'm sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings about a particular gun brand.