RE: I Need A Pistol
The Glock 21 is an outstanding pistol IMO, perticularly is you have large hands like I do. And a Glock won't break the bank if you're on a budget. Ruger semi-autos are good guns, but I found that I don't care for the way they feel and fit in my hand, and as a result I don't shoot then very well.
I've never shot an XD (yet), but the XD's reputation speaks for itself. From what I've heard from owners here and elsewhere, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them, and they're fairly priced to boot.
If you like a 1911 clone there are many to choose from. I'd be a little leery about buying a 1911 with all the custom bells and whistles designed to make it "match grade." I've known of very expensive custom 1911's that were deadly accurate with JRN and cast lead bullets that wouldn't feed many of the "large mouth" JHP's very well. Remember that accuracy isn't the most important attribute for a defensive pistol...RELIABILITY is. Doesn't matter if you can shoot the wings off a fly at 25 yards if the pistol doesn't fire when you really need it to. People tend to get hung up on accuracy, but when you consider that the average range of a defensive pistol encounter is 21 feet (7 yards), shooting a 2" group at 25 yards isn't really all that important. I'd say an acceptable standard for accuracy for a defensive pistol is 4" at 25 yards. With 4" or less, any shot that's aimed center mass on a human being will still hit meat, and that's what counts.
The Glocks, XD's, Sigs, H&K's, and Rugers all are designed as defensive pistols with reliability as the primary concern. Many, but not all, of the 1911 clones are designed to be accurate first. Kinber makes a number of great service grade versions that you might consider, and so do many of the other makers of 1911's out there (and there are LOTS).
SIG just introduced its version if the Model 1911A1 called the SIG GSR. There's a review of it in the June 2004 issue of Shooting Times if you're interested. It's a top notch quality (like anything SIG makes ISN'T) 1911 with a unique "SIG look" about it. Another semi-unique feature is the Picatinny rail system behind the dust cover. As a home defense gun, a picatinny rail allows for the easy mounting on a tactical light and/or laser sight. A plus when trying to positively identify targets in the dark while still fuzzy from sleep, IMO. The MSRP is $1077, but I'll bet it'll sell for a bit less than that, making it competitively priced with other 1911's of this quality. If I were in the market for a new pistol in .45ACP I'd give this one a good hard look.
Mike