A good 1911 can be expensive, but really - most people do not blink at dropping $1500 on a lapop or a sofa.
Those are good for 5 years tops for most people.
Yeah, it is an expense, but if get a good one, it can last you your whole life and you can pass it on to someone when you go.
The thing I really find interesting is people who do not want to spend too much on a gun but then complain about the price of ammo.
If you practice very much, it will not take long for your ammo costs to exceed what you spend on a gun.
I do not shoot nearly often enough (like every 3 months at best) and I already have some 1300 rounds through my $1500 1911.
If I bought that ammo by the box, that would be 26x $10 (at best) - $260 dollars and I have only had it out maybe 4 or 5 times in 9 months. At this rate, in 5 years give or take, my ammo is more than the gun. And that $10 price is very optimistic - most places in CA are $12-$14 per box.
However, I can load my own rounds for ~$4.00 per box. No including a hundred or so to get started, but my point here is that unless you absolutly have to watch every single dime for the short term, I think it is more important to get a gun you like and are confident in and shoot well - whether it is $500 or $1500
I would be very interested to see some numbers for a Glock and a semi custom 1911 to shoot 4,000 rounds per year for 5 and 10 years. Of course, shooting reloads in your Glock will void the warranty, but you can get a new barrel, but is that what most people who own Glocks do?
Like I said, if you like the 1911, then get a good one and carry it and enjoy it. Your personal weapon does not have to be the one that makes the most sense on paper, it just has to be the one you like and can use well.
Glocks are nice, reliable, efficient guns that should please anyone with accountant tendencies. Like I said, they make sense on paper. A lot of what I hear is stuff I heard from my dad (an accountant) about being serious, practical, sensible, etc.
Thats not me. I want a unique, low production gun with charisma and history. I like that it was hand fitted by a master gunsmith and my warranty is his word. It is a gun that my accountant father would never buy - never never ever. It does not make a lot of sense on paper - especially for someone in my situation, it is my Excalibur - I even had to go through a quest to acquire it. It fits my idiom.
Oh, and if the Glock people ever pass a law that outlaws 1911s, I am going to switch sides out of spite