RE: pistols
For quite a few years now I've owned a Taurus PT-99AF in pimpadelic satin-nickel. It's been 100% reliable--not a single feed, extraction, or ejection problem (other than sending a 9mm casing down the front of my shirt once every couple of hundred rounds).
In terms of accuracy, it's about what you'd expect for a big combat handgun. Nothing stellar, but I can predictably hit the paper within a couple of inches where I'm aiming.
The only downside is the aluminum frame, which makes the gun top-heavy; there's a decided sense of muzzle-flip on recoil. A good two-handed grip solves that little problem, though.
I'd recommend one.