[Superman]

Thanks, guys. I was leaving this thread alone out of pity. KC really wants to have the last word. I don't like his chances, given my experience with this fine community of helpful advice-givers, but wanted him to have a fighting chance.

I'm glad for the additional input.

I really do like the .45 ACP. I have fired other guns and I like this one. I have the feeling I can shoot this gun better than most others.

This will be my first-ever handgun. As I mentioned earlier, I have a fair bit of experience with rifles, and some shotgun experience. So....I'm hardly a newbie with regard to firearms but I certainly am starting from scratch with handguns. I'm learning, and I'm a fast learner.

No tool is an "all purpose" tool. But again, this will be my only gun for a while. I have applied for a CCW, which should be issued in the next couple of weeks. I will, at times, carry this gun on my person. Not often, but it will happen. Mostly, the gun will live in my home. I fully intend to shoot the piss out of this gun at the range. I intend to become second-nature comfortable with it.

I may at some point have the gun worked by a gunsmith, but we shall see. If I do, the purpose will be purely functional. A reflection of my motoring approach as well. I appreciate the aesthetic beauty of a 911, but that's not why I drive one. My last 911 was "rough," cosmetically. Mechanically, it was peerless. No bling-1911 for me.

I think I may have found my gun. I had once looked at a Taurus and nearly bought it, but now glad I didn't. As it turns out, that gun is not as reliable as I want. I was also favoring a 1911 because of the time-tested reliability but now I think I may opt for the Springfield XD. Been doing some reading and looking, and this is a nice gun for the money. Hold lots of bullets (a nice feature, since zombies often run in groups). Double-stack handles are not a problem for me. They feel great, in fact. WAY better than those short-handled things where your pinkie hangs off the bottom of the handle.

What does "mil-spec" mean? Military spec, I imagine. But what does that mean? For tools and building materials, there is the term "contractor grade." Yeah ummmm.....that's not a nice thing to say about a tool.