Randy is right, there are a ton of choices out there. My very favorite handgun I own (right now anyways
) is my Springfield Mil-Spec. I run more ammunition through it than any other gun I own hands down. It just brings a smile to my face.
I do however want to buy a Kimber at some point.
I totally agree, it has much less felt recoil than my G22 and other .40s did. In fact, I have since gotten rid of all of my .40s and now just have 9mms and .45s. I am much more accurate with my 1911's in .45 than I am with my Glock in 9mm, and I am more accurate with my G17 than I was with my G22.
As much as I like my 1911's, my carry gun is still a Glock. It's just a personal thing. I trust my Glock to fire and function 100% of the time, there is no manual safety to have to remember to use in a tense situation, and of course there is the capacity issue. I am in NO WAY knocking 1911's as carry guns, and would not hesitate to carry mine, but there is just something about my Glock that makes me want it as my carry weapon.
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread. Back to 1911's. To me, a 1911 should be a .45. I don't know why, I guess it's kind of like I think a Camaros and Mustangs should always have a V-8. The 6 cylinder cars run just fine and will get you to where you need to go just as well, but they just don't seem right to me. Same with a 1911. There are always lots of different 1911's at gun shows, so even if you don't buy one there, it's a great place to shop around and get the feel for different models and configurations. I picked up a used loaded Springfield at a gun show last year that I am real happy with, and got it bought for under 500 bucks out the door.