When I started shooting IPSC many years ago, I started with a 1911 .45ACP. About 17 years ago I traded my competition Para single stack for a Les Baer "Ultimate Master" 1911. I still despise the pretentious name of the Baer, but it is a work of art and continues to shoot flawlessly. I never quite achieved "IPSC Master Class" but I did make "A" class before I stopped competing when my knee went out. I'm now sporting new synthetic body parts and my knee is getting stronger so I hope to eventually return to the IPSC circuit where my Les Baer will once again be pressed into reliable service.

I love playing with all manner of pistols and revolvers, but for serious work, I would never consider anything but a 1911. If you want to determine what truly works best, simply have a look at the competitive circuit where the free market rules and see what the vast majority of people shoot. The best of the best shooters, where skill is not deterred by moderate equipment variances, tend to be driven by sponsorship $$ so what they use is not necessarily indicative of what is a "better" pistol. It is the unwashed masses that one needs to examine where one pays their own freight that one gets an idea of what is "the best". This is particularly true in Standard division where fancy heavily modified and compensated Darth Vader Open division pistols are not permitted to rule the day.