And, you can do most of it yourself.srothstein wrote:I think one point a lot of people have not mentioned is the ease of customizing the 1911. You can get a good quality pistol fairly cheaply (I love my Taurus 1911). You can get a basic military style model, like the Springfield, or you can get a fairly fancy expensive one like the Wilson versions. But no matter which one you choose, you can modify it to your hearts content.
The 1911 is the small-block Chevy of the handgun world. (The Ruger 10/22 is the same thing in rimfires, the 870 in shotguns, and Mauser '98 rifles in centerfire.)
Yes, there are designs that are better (for some definitions of "better") out of the box, but if you have any interest at all in tinkering, then the huge variety of accessories, replacement parts, customization variations, not to mention widespread help and knowledge about them, can offset a whole lot of "better".
A Porsche might be "better" than a Chevy, but if a fuel pump conks out in East Podunk, I know which one I'd rather be driving.