When you're talking about a firearm that will be carried in the woods as a back-up firearm for defense against critters and possibly people, that will be subjected to abuse, mud, debris, moisture, and God knows what else then forget anything in the 1911.
Seriously. The fact that so many people are recommending 10mm 1911s proves my theory that most posters here don't actually venture more than 50yds off the gravel roads from their King Ranch pickups.
I live on the edge of the wilderness. I am in the woods at least once a month where there are wolves, bears, ill-tempered elk, cougars, and the occasional tweaker.
There is no cell service where I go. If I get lost, there is no walking in any direction for a couple of miles and hitting a road. I grew up exploring the woods and hunting and fishing where choosing the wrong equipment could be fatal.
The 1911 is the wrong equipment.
I took this pic last month from where I consider to be my backyard. I am 10 miles from the nearest paved road, no cell service, 15 miles from a town, yet I don't consider it to be true wilderness...
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This is on a moose hunt a year or so ago. Nearest town was 20 miles to the West, it was grizzly country, wolves everywhere, and if you start walking East, you won't hit a town for 100 miles.
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What
<<are the most common>> sidearms in Alaska and Montana and Idaho? Either a large bore stainless revolver or single-action or a Glock in 10mm. Period. You will rarely see anything else being carried where actual lives depend on firearm choice rather than internet chest-puffing and gun shop bragging.
This is what I carry when in grizzly country with my own reloads that use 300gr hard cast bullets that I actually cast myself. It's a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley in .45 Colt with a 5.5" barrel.
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This is what I carry when in most places in Idaho where there is a nearly zero chance of coming across a grizzly, a Glock Gen 4 G29 in 10mm.
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The Glock G29 is reasonably compact, holds ten rounds, or you can use the G40 15-round magazines and a $12 X-Grip adapter if you desire. It is reliable, stupid accurate, and eminently customizable to meet any of your needs. It is in the top three list of any serious outdoorsman who knows anything about real world conditions and doesn't get a case of Tourette Syndrome whenever someone mentions Glocks.