The M1911 is the finest firearm ever made.

Let's talk for a moment about what a great handgun the M1911 is, shall we? Sure, it's an aged design and modern polymer pistols are lighter and take down much more readily, but the fact of the matter is that in 50 years nobody will care about the M&P 45. The 1911, however, is a pistol design that has withstood the test of time.

Two different designs, each more gorgeous than the last.

One of the final designs of John Moses Browning, the greatest firearms designer in history (yes, even greater than Mikhail Kalashnikov, peace be upon him), the M1911 is recognized by practically everyone that knows firearms as the pinnacle of pistol design. Despite a complicated takedown procedure and a reputation for less than stellar accuracy at range, proponents of the weapon have doted on its slim profile, reliable design, and nearly unbeatable stopping power to recoil ratio. These pros nearly completely invalidate any cons that detractors might throw at it, and the accuracy argument is utterly nullified when you fire a 1911 and realize that the ranges at which you're likely to ever actually need the thing are the ranges at which it works best.

The weapon is favored by many of the world's finest militaries and police forces, and has been for just over a century. Even though the United States military replaced it with the appalling M9 for standard issue - a design travesty chambered in the most depressingly underpowered round to ever attain wide acceptance - they still issue the M1911 for units that they realize need a pistol that doesn't completely suck; an example of which would be the United States Marine Corps' MEU(SOC). 

What I'm trying to say here is that it's basically my favorite gun ever. At any given moment, I probably have mine on my person and I dare say that I enjoy the thing more than I do my Romanian AKM. Just let the magnitude of that statement sink in for a moment, because I love my AKM something fierce.