Check out the Crosman website. Specific recommendation would be a Crosman 2240 (CO2 pistol), which is pretty good for pistol practice. The 2300T and 2300 S are more spendy, but they have some upgrades over the base models. Also check out their customization utility that allows you to build on this basic platform.
Don't discount CO2 at least for practice, because for plinking and target practice, pumping or cocking gets old quick and could be a downer for a new shooter.
I disagree, Break Barrel's are the best. CO2 leave for inconsistent shooting groups. The psi in the canister will change every shot, Getting weaker and weaker and weaker. Break Barrel you never have to "Pay for air" and Its 100% consistent and very powerful.
I don't disagree on the greater power of the break barrel guns, such as might be desired for hunting and pest control. But as far as consistent velocity, so long as you are not shooting outside the window of usable C02 pressure, you should not have an issue with consistency in shots; it's a function of the air valve and action, in addition to the CO2 pressure remaining in the cartridge. (The 2300's are said to have 40 consistent shots from a fresh CO2.) If you go outside that window, obviously you will get reduced velocity from your initial shots.
For a point of reference, this review of the 2240 gets about 440 fps, extreme spread of about 9 fps, and a standard deviation of about 3 fps for a 10 shot string. Probably nothing that will affect a majority of shooters' accuracy.
Crosman 2240 CO2 pistol - AGR Episode #59As far as what the reviewer called a usable number of shots from a single C02 cartridge, he says he got 80. That works out to about 1600-3200 shots from a box of 40 12g CO2 cartridges at $20 ($0.005/shot to $0.01/shot). For reference, pellets are in the neighborhood of $0.01/shot to $0.07/shot depending on quality (regular lead to premium hunting). Cost is really a non-issue. But yeah, CO2 cartridges are not free.
Airguns have a known issue of lower performance (fps) at lower temperatures, and CO2 guns are not excluded. (The issue is not with consistency, but with lower absolute velocities available as temperature drops).
The problem with break barrel guns for target practice (same as for multi-pump guns) is that you are interrupting each shot with a major mechanical operation. For hunting and pest control, it is not a problem, and the power is needed. For target shooting, it gets monotonous and takes away from the enjoyment and focus on shooting. It can be done, it's just not what I prefer for target practice and plinking. I have other airguns that can be used for hunting and pest control, and my personal favorite is the Sheridan Bluestreak (it's in .20 caliber).
To the OP: note that the 2300S and 2300T are .177 caliber and can accept the same shoulder stocks as the 2240. The custom guns (2300 KT and 2400 KT) can also be had in .177 caliber as well, including a 10.1" LW match barrel.
