When it comes to combat shooting I think sticking with the tried and true weapons is always your best course of action. There is a reason that of all of the different assault rifles in the world 90% of the fighting forces use either an AK or an AR. These weapons are proven.

The same goes with pistols. 90% of the tactical community uses either a 1911 or a Glock. When making a choice for a tactical pistol I consider only these two weapons and then it comes down to operator training as has been mentioned in numerous other posts in this thread. The 1911 is great if you are willing to devote about 80 hours of formal training and 5000 rds to learning how to operate it efficiently or just buy a Glock - which works great, is reliable and will do the job.

I personally carry a 1911 when given a choice and a Glock when issued.

I think you can see from this thread that there is no 'best'. Although from a practical stand point I would have to go with the Glock for someone starting off with tactical handgun shooting. Another strike against the 1911 which hasnt been mentioned yet is that to get a 1911 working properly for combat applications you need a $1100 to $2000 weapon. Again though - I come from the chuch of the raven and nothing compares to a custom .45