When I was PFC in the Army in Germany,I had CQ one night and the CQ in charge was the Arms Room Sgt. We were talking about the .45 and he brought one up,gave me a lesson on break down,cleaning and reassemble and I did that for 24 hours. I can still do it in my sleep like the M-16,M-60,M-2 and M-249 which I have all been behind at one time or another. Anyway,I am very partial to the 1911 and the .45 caliber.
The 1911 isn’t perfect tho a great design. Trying to get that barrel link just right while reassembling can be a pain. Also the the safety/slide hold open spring tunnel has a habit of getting loose.
The 1911 is one of the easiest to detail strip, no tools if you can use the magazine to unscrew the grip screws.