I love my Colt Gold Cup 1911...probably the best gun I own, but for home protection I keep my XDM9 loaded (I like the 19 round firepower and it's very accurate). :):
For a low re-coil, I would stick with the Bersa. The smaller 380's are nice to conceal, but have quite a kick. My wife hates my Kel-tec .380, but loves the Bersa.
I like my XDM9 loaded within arms reach. I know alot of people would rather have the power of a 45, but I like the fact that the XDM9 has 19 in the clip and it will do the job.
It is an addiction!! For years I just had a couple of guns...then it hit me! I can't stop!
Had to by a large safe just to keep them all in! That wasn't cheap either! I had a hard time buying the safe because I keep thinking of all the guns I could by with that money...gotta keep em safe...
I drove 2 hours to the last gun show in Ft. Wayne and I thought it was a great show! I ended up trading one gun there and buying another. It's not as big as the 1500, but it's worth going to.
Yes, you can carry your unloaded gun in after you get it checked.