I used to be a die hard 1911 fan. I have owned several of them by Colt, Springfield Armory and S&W. But, after discovering the S&W 3rd Generation autos in my mid 20's, I found that my 1911's were staying home in the safe and my S&W's were going to the range and being carried for CCW use instead.
For competition use, the single action trigger of the 1911 is hard to beat. It's the quickest to get on target and easiest to keep on target while the trigger is pressed. But, for carry use, or even simple range plinking, it's not what I prefer.
I decided about a year ago to give the 1911 another try and picked up an SW1911. Great gun, accurate, meticulous fit and finish, good trigger and reliable. But, it just wasn't what I really want for a CCW piece anymore. I ended up trading it for a 4506 and a shotgun, and I've never regretted it for one second. Although the 4506 is not the best CCW piece either with its long barrel, I can still conceal it in the cooler weather, but it's mostly a range gun for me. For CCW use, I find that the weight of my P220, or any of my 3rd Generation S&W's, ranging from a single stack 9mm 3953 to a full size double stack .40 S&W 4043 conceal well.
For a good deal from a great guy, check out Mark at Summit Gun Broker. Not only is he a true stand-up guy to deal with, his prices are the best I've found. And, he always describes his merchandise worse than it actually is. I was extremely surprised in the condition of the 4043 I got from him, and my neighbor was very happy with the P226. He had a pile of 4506 PD trade-ins recently, but they are not advertised on his site anymore. He is either sold out or he just doesn't have enough to warrant a page of their own anymore. If he still has some left, I remember his price was very good on them. His website is only a small sampling of what he actually has in stock, so a phone call could be worth your time. Be patient with him. He's travelling a lot and it sometimes takes him a while to get back to you.
http://www.summitgunbroker.com/index.html
I know that most people here are going to disagree with me on what I've said about the 1911. Sure, it's a great design that at one time was state of the art, and actually way ahead of its time. But now, I feel there are much better options for carry and duty weapons than a single action auto. That's why I choose a 4506 over a 1911 any day.