Contemplating ditching an XD-45 Service for a 1911...

My goal is to have one solid handgun in a larger caliber, and one .22 handgun. The .22 is taken care of....and now I'm wondering what .45 ACP platform would be best to invest and stick with, long-term. I have an XD-45 Service model that has a Springer Precision trigger job and Trijicon night sights, and while it is a great gun I'm wondering if it is a worthwhile "one and only" as far as a .45 ACP pistol goes. By that I mean, as I grow and develop as a shooter, if I'll find myself selling it off and wishing I'd invested more time/energy/money in a different platform. I've done this many times before (guitars, drums, recording gear, blah blah blah) and don't like spending $$$ moving gear around that I later find doesn't cover the essential bases. For pistols, specifically my "one and only" large caliber pistol, that "base" would be home defense/target/general enjoyment, and most importantly, dead crazy indestructible reliability. Pretty is nice....flashy is okay...but I look at it, at this point, as a tool I want to be fully reliable upon should need be. Aesthetics come second to reliability/functionality/accuracy, in my mind...though I don't see that they need be mutually exclusive, necessarily.

I'm inclined to stick with my XD and continue to maintain/modify as I go along, but I'm wondering if any of you more experienced shooters would have recommendations. The 1911 comes to mind as I find myself constantly drawn to time-tested, old school designs (Gibson/Fender guitars, vintage tube amps, old school cymbals, etc...), yet I know with firearms, there have been some significant changes since 1911 AD. To continue the analogy, transistors still suck compared to vaccum tubes, but perhaps polymer pistols aren't analogous to solid state amps?

Nice. Good thoughts. Thanks for the replies.

I'd in part contemplated getting a replacement barrel for my XD-45 service, and possibly a compensator....but then wondered if that extra $300-ish would be better spent on a different firearm. That is, what would I be doing with the XD, having spent that extra $$$ on tinkering? Not sure how I'd answer that.

But yes, keeping the XD and getting a nice, entry-level 1911 makes sense....except that I'm intentionally trying to stick to the "essentials" as far as firearms go. That is, cover the basics in terms of caliber and style/function, and get good versions of whatever I land upon, while at the same time not amassing a bevy of firearms.

Actually though, all these ideas planted a seed in my head of getting an AR platform instead of a second/different handgun. Hmm....might be a better use of funds, as I don't have an AR/AK style platform....just Marlin 60, Remington 870, and 1903A3. Combine those with my Buck Master Standard and an XD-45 Service, and the "gap" seems to be in the 5.56 area more than anywhere else, huh...

Damnit.....vintage Marshall....ugh. I just fell in love with the JTM-45, so yes....crap.

Okay, that gets to me....I'm thinking that's where I'm going to land, then...1911'sville. Alright. Here's the plan: Hit my local range and see if they have some 1911's to rent, and really do an A/B with my XD to a *decent* 1911 and see what's up.

In part, I sold my 9mm and landed on this XD (purchased from a good friend..used...in great shape...) because I shot a friend's Ruger .45 ACP (can't remember the model...) and LOVED IT. Fell in love with the round. Then, I shot another friend's 1911 (a Llama with an Ed Brown barrel) and preferred the way my XD felt/shot. That said, even my friend admits his 1911 isn't the greatest, and is himself saving towards a new/different 1911, so perhaps that wasn't the best comparison between my XD and a paradigmatic 1911.

So, we'll let the range decide, yes?

And no, I don't carry....still have yet to head down to the county's training class on Tuesday evening and get a CHL. That's on my (long) list of things to do...

Valkman, what model of XDs do you own?

No, it's not for carry. I'm intending to get a CHL soon, though, so I'm hoping for a good "one gun that does all", though I realize that might be a pipe dream. Sometimes it's better to have your item do one thing well than several things so-so....