These are all but one of the pistols I write about most often.

The two silver-color (hard chromed) 1911s are essentially identical, and were used in practical-shooting competition from 1978 through 1999. One of them now has a shorter trigger, for Jean's use. Their trigger pulls are both about 3.5 lbs. Their grips are buffalo horn. Chuck Ries did the pistolsmithing.
The "Officers' Model" is an Essex frame and a cut-down Colt's Commander slide, and was made in about 1978, also by Chuck Ries. Its grips were made by new gunsmith James Reid from counter-top acrylic (and they match our kitchen).
The vertical pistol is the Semmerling LM-4 I "inherited" from my mentor, Mike Harries. It's a manually operated .45, not a semi-auto. Its barrel is a replacement (but I have the original, too).

This is the other one. It's resting on one of our kitchen's counter-tops.

It's an AMT .45 Backup, the smallest .45 ACP semi-auto ever made. It's my daily pocket-carry piece.
It has a stiff DA-only trigger, which I smoothed up quite a lot. It carries five in the magazine and one in the chamber, and I normally pocket one reload for it. It has a gutter down the top of its slide, rather than sights, but it's quite accurate at short ranges (for me, that's 20 yards, maximum).
New gunsmith James Reid made its silver-black Dymondwood grips.

When I open my safe and see the accumulation I feel that I have saved the best in my old age.   Most have already gone to my children. 
I am real partial to the revolver.   I've got a few, mostly S & W, but a couple of Colts and a couple of Rugers.'
My favorite and the one I carried for a good number of years is the S & W Model 19 with a 2.5 inch barrel in .357 cal.  Well used, and well cared for as it cared for me.   
Just an old mans opinion. 

In 1970 I bought my second handgun, a Ruger Standard Mark I, regular barrel and factory checkered walnut grips. It's still a sweet shooter/plinker; when I get the urge to punch holes in paper, this is a goodie!  And it cost $57.00 (still have the bill of  sale).