To heat the discussion up...

[blackhawknj]

Get an M1911 in 38 Super, you can fire 9MMP by switching barrels and magazines.

[p246]

Third generation S&W 5906 is hard to beat. You can feed it fired cases and it will chamber them so anything will chamber in it. Reliable all stainless steel is comfortable to shoot and accurate too. Easy to field strip and maintain. Over a 10 year period I put a good 8,000 rounds through mine with 2000 rounds being +P+. Still wish I had it but it stayed with the department when I retired. I have fired the Sigs and Glock's but the 5906 still beat them all. Right now Classic in North Carolina has police trade ins for $300. I am waiting for one to come for myself.

Ah, I was issued a 5906 for a very short time, it was a great gun, but our armorers bitched about them, I can’t remember why, but they were high mileage guns by then (I don’t remember generation circa 1989), we moved to Beretta 92 FS guns within a few months, boss got bite by the Beretta bug.

[remus]

I've a s&w mod. 59, and a RIA 1911a1 in 9mm. Also two 9mm subguns. An M11/9 with a Lage conversion that is a real hoot to shoot, and Sten gun. Sten's fun but the M11 is funner. Don't laugh at the RIA, it's a dynamite pistol for shooting. Really good to shoot but for me heavy to carry. The 59 is ok but I just don't love it.kk

[barretcreek]

Had a Smith 39 nickel and 59, didn't like either because the frames were too slick. Now I have a Sig P290RS (four mags) which I really like but Sig has discontinued them. I also have a Para Expert, a Kimber GM stainless, and just picked up a RIA parts kit which I will put on a Foster frame. You like that RIA Remus? How do you find the metallurgy in the little bits? Art, how is your 38S holding up? I imagine the Philippines are not using any cast/MIM parts, so that was a deciding factor to get the RIA kit. The only thing I didn't like about my Kel-Tek was taking out the firing pin meant a trip back to the factory.
The tiny 9s can cycle improperly when using +P ammo.

[lyman]

I sometimes carry a SIG P6, it is hollow point picky, but I have found some that feed reliably,

I don't carry striker guns, not a thing wrong with them, I am just conditioned to DA\SA or SA only and don't want to mess that up,
I do have an early (88 vintage) Glock 17 that I can shoot well, it is a garage\range toy for me

I also have a couple Hi Powers, (fantastic pistols) and a STAR BKS in 9mm,

all shoot where I point them, and all have been very reliable,

my first wonder 9 was a Ruger P85,, could not hit the broad side of a barn from the inside with it and traded it off for a SA 1911,

[S.A. Boggs]

Since posting I have done a great deal of soul searching on my "needs" of a PDW and caliber. I have decided to stick with the .45 ACP after researching, looking at modern 9mm/40/10 loads and cost comparison. 500 rds of ammo per session is about average for me and I can/do this several times per week. I can do .45 TRC Lead for about .10 per rd. I don't have to say anything about the ability of the .45 ACP.
Currently I have a Sig P220 which I like for several features. It is easy to break down for basic cleaning, accurate and reliable. It points as well as any M1911 I have used which says a great deal. I like that I can keep it loaded and safe in my shoulder rig. I detest that I cannot carry it in condition one as the DA is atrocious and thumb cocking is slow compared to the M1911. My first pistol was a Single Action Colt and it is fast and accurate on the first shot, same for the M1911. The downsize is lowering the hammer on the M1911 and keeping a rd in the chamber. For me to clear the chamber each night is impractical, the Sig does not require this. Also for some reason Sig is withdrawing from the .22 Conversion kit and not supporting it for the P220.
I know for fact I can keep a human form "interested" out to 200 yards, after that I run out of slide. I have been able to do this for the last 50 years and continue today with this ability. I have decided to get a new Springfield Armory G.I. 45 with a .22 conversion kit for it. I would like to have a Colt, I refuse to pay the extra for the name value.
Back in 1984 during the Army trials the Army found the T/C projectile is a good one and better then the RN. With this I don't understand why the Army continues with the RN.
Another thing I like about old slab sides is that I can break the pistol down without the use of any tools. All the tools I need John Browning built into the pistol and this is a plus. I have broken my Rem-Rand down many times without any tools, save for what is built in. I cannot do this with my Sig and I find this bothersome.
Comments, concern?
Sam