I am currently debating between a major purchase of a handgun.  I know that the general Ar15.com advice is to get everything that you are thinking about, but I honestly cannot afford to get both.  I have enough money to get one or the other.

I am deciding between a HK Mark 23 and a high quality 1911 (Wilson, Yost-Bonitz, Nighthawk, Ed Brown, etc.).

Here are the pros and cons of each as I see them:

I personally like every HK pistol that I have ever shot so I am not buying based solely upon their reputation.  I have never had a problem with any of the HK's that I shot and find them to be very reliable.  I am also impressed with the ruggedness of the pistol.  The Mark 23 grip, although large, fits me very well and I like the way that the controls are arranged.  I like the O-ring design and I think that it is very innovative.  I have never heard a bad thing mentioned about these guns.

As for the 1911's, I like the 1911's I have shot.  They have always been more accurate then I am when shooting them.  I believe that there is a big difference in an out of the box Colt or Springfield and a 1911 where a number of the parts are hand fit to the gun and are match grade.  My biggest fear with one of these high quality 1911's is that I would be afraid to really use the gun.  I would be worried about getting scratches and such on it, where I don't have that concern with the HK.

I realize that once I purchase either one of these guns, I will pretty much be stuck with it.  It will be very difficult for me to sell these guns if I decided to since they are not very liquid.  I want to make the right decision.

My vote is for the 1911. You can purchase a match grade and still have $$$ left over compared to that HK you reference.

I would take a YoBo 1911 over the Mk23 in an instant.

I have no desire to have another USP, and the fuckers are HUGE compared to a 1911. I plan on carrying the damn thing, so I want a firearm I can conceal.

My desires are probably very different from yours though.

I already have a USP compact or P7M8 that I will carry, so a carry gun is not my main concern.  I am mainly looking for a high quality pistol that will be fun to shoot and will be accurate.