As with most things in life, it's subjective based on numerous factors:

For me, it's a Glock 43x, because it does the job, 15-rounds, lightweight, small, etc.  I'll probably eventually get a red-dot for it and other minor upgrades.  That said, I'm not really into hand-guns, so why invest in something I'm not that interested in?  By the time I'm done with all accessories, parts, etc maybe $900.

For context, my most expensive gun is about $2k, from parts, and and not including cost of any accessories or optics.

That's what I went with. For a long time I carried an M&P9 for the obvious reasons, but one weekend I was carrying my custom Colt so I could show off my new fancy grips at deer camp. Had a deer I thought was dead pick it's head up and I cleared leather and shot it in the head before I could think about what I was doing. A 1911 ain't the best carry gun, but that made it my carry gun.

Nighthawk Warhawk.45

Attached File

Briley Versatility custom build (Colt Commander length)...$1,200 in the 90's.  Got it for $975 including 3 WC mags w/LE discount. Carried it as a primary duty gun for a couple years.  Seller's remorse bigly after 1911 market went crazy...

$500