Weapons of Choice: Coonan M1911 Chambered in .357 Magnum

That's right, you read the title correctly - a .357 Mag semi-auto magazine fed pistol.
Revolvers chambered for .357 Magnum has been a favorite of those who cherish "wheel" guns, and get a bonus of being able to fire .38 Special ammunition, which is cheaper at the range.

Classic 5" barrel in stainless steel

However, the Coonan 1911 will not work well with .38 Special ammunition because of the difference in pressure; but Coonan offers a .38 Special recoil spring along with one magazine, fixed sights, and custom carrying case. It has an MSRP of $1,375. List of dealers are at website.

Compact model with 4" barrel in stainless steel

Coonan offers the pistol in classic and compact models that are well made and specifically designed to fire .357 Mag cartridges, which should impress the .45 ACP crowd. The pistols are offered in durocoat black, camo, purple, pink camo, Navu ACU, or stainless steel. The compact model is not offered a .38 Special recoil spring because .38 caliber ammunition will not cycle properly in the compact (or the classic without change in recoil spring).
American Rifleman (NRA) has published a review of this remarkable handgun, written by B. Gil Horman.
I believe this may take off in popularity for those who like the M1911 platform and do not mind single action. If popular enough, it may be offered in double action semi-auto in time.