shepsan -- Good post.
The most important point of shepsan's post, IMO, was that he/she is more accurate with the 1911. To me, it is like arguing over buying a Honda or Toyota. Both great cars. Both well made. Both will last a long time. Which is best for you?
While we "argue" about this, why not talk about the Desert Eagle in 50 cal? Its bullet is bound to be big and hard hitting! But who would want to carry that beast. So pratical limits and personal preference MUST come into play. If I can't hit something with a 45 cal because I am not accurate with it, then 8 45s downrange that strike nothing are pretty worthless. I am not trying to restate the shot placement argument as much as I am saying that each person has to take into account what fits them best, what they can carry comfortably, and what they can be accurate with. That will actually narrow things down for most people.
If I buy in to the argument about a 45 (1911 or otherwise), but the gun is bulky enough that I hate carrying it so there are times that I don't, then what is the point. If there is a gun, regardless of caliber, that I am comfortable with, accurate with, and have no problem carrying in my situations (work, etc), then that is what I should go with. The minute I leave it at home because it is bulky or uncomfortable or just a pain, the BG wins and I lose. Period.
The logical follow up to this, for me, would have to be practice. Most states require you get a learners permit and practice driving before you actually get your full blown drivers license. Having/carrying a gun should not be different. If you plan to use it, you had better be sure that you are very comfortable with it and how it reacts (and how you react) in many different situations.
So, for me, praticalilty and practice are what I look at first. If I then decide to go 9mm, I try to address other issues with the load (+P or +P+). When I first starting shooting, I started with a SIG P226. I shoot in IDPA matches quite frequently and thought that was a good gun. And it is. But I shot a 1911 and found that I was more accurate with it, so I started using it. It had nothing to do with the caliber. I was just more accurate. I am now moving to a Steyr M9, mainly because I can't seem to stick with one gun
, but also because the ammo is cheaper. This is not really part of this discussion, but I wanted to let you know why I started shooting the 1911.
Finally, we talk about people getting hit in the chest and continuing to attack. I would love to know what the percentage of this happening is, in relation to all defensive gun shootings. I would be that it would be very small.
JMO...........
"...things...don't react well to bullets..."
(Sean Connery in "The Hunt for Red October")