I have had bad luck with Taurus products. I think they have some spectacular design features and offer options other manufacturers don't. For innovation, I give them an "A." For quality control I give them a "C."
I agree with others that it would be best to keep the manual of arms the same. You're likely to get your beans blown off if you grab a gun in the night you are unfamiliar with. Keep it simple and consistent. I, too, have a few closet queens which I cherish, but don't practice with. They are not part of my self-defense plans. If you choose a 1911 configuration, I advise you to practice with only that style and get utterly familiar with it.
If you want the simplest, most practical, nearly foolproof defensive handgun system on today's planet Earth, I humbly recommend a good double-action revolver. If it has to be a .45 ACP, take a good long look at some of S&Ws offerings. Pull the trigger = bang. Or if no bang, pull trigger again = bang, etc. If you are in a shooting situation at home, reloading probably won't be an issue as your assailant or (please forgive my bluntness) you will be dead or incapacitated after two or three shots. This is where a revolver loses nothing to an auto, and offers several features I feel are superior to most autos: Absolute simplicity in all aspects of firing, including dud rounds: Just keep pulling the trigger. Autos are more complex, no matter what us gun-forum theorists say. A revolver is as simple as it gets, except for a throwing knife, baseball bat, big rock, or possible an auto-loading or pump shotgun. Many wise advisers will suggest the shotgun as the best home defense weapon.
Please consider the revolver, if you haven't yet. My wife doesn't care much for guns. I have a safe full of them, but had to think long and hard about what to have her use in an emergency. THe solution was to stash two .357 Mag revolvers in locked boxes in the bedroom. I told her to grab the gun point it at the bad-guy and fire if she felt her life was at stake, etc. No safety levers, no mag releases, no slide stops, no fiddly-doo: Just point and shoot. Of course I have them loaded with .38 +P loads, as those were the ones she shot the best with. Some .357 loadings offer quite the recoil and fireworks show, and the boss didn't like that. I have a S&W .45 ACP wheelgun next to me when I slumber and I dream happily. Yes, it is possible for wheel guns to jam, but it doesn't happen often.
Cheers
