I carried the 1911 .45 ACP for several of my service years. It would still be my pistol of choice for self defense. It is noisy and has some recoil to it... please wear hearing protection and if you can get an experienced hand to teach shooting it, all the better. Be sure to clean it and use light oil on the parts after the solvent. (Real oil.) The barrel is relatively thin compared to a revolver; it carbons up quite a bit. Be sure to clean at least twice (check again in a few days) after shooting.