The Most thoroughly proven pistol?

[R L Suehr]

Makarov.

I don't know of any other pistol that could survive this torture test.

Arex Rex is the only other gun that I know of that made it the whole way through MAC:s torture test.

[American1776]

I like the Sig P220/226. The Beretta is OK except for that slide mounted safety that serves no useful purpose. It's a DA/SA.

That's true. There are two ways of looking at that. 1) some, like Mas Ayoob, like the safety to be engaged, as there are documented cases of LEO's being saved during a gun grab by the safety being engaged and the felon not being able to make the pistol shoot. 2) it can be converted to a decocker only.

[Brick]

After years of using the 1911 series as my issued service weapon and competition arm for Bullseye, I hated the M9 when we had to turn in our 1911s and were issued the "new" sidearm. I never really found anything I liked about it even after qualifying "expert" with it on the Ft. Dix pop-up qualification range.

[Walleye Hunter]

My P210-6 is a pretty good shooter but I would never expose it to a torture test.

[Pilot321]

Yes, the Makarov is a great pistol design. I've had Maks from Russia, Bulgaria, East Germany, and China, and they never had a malfunction. NEVER. They are accurate also. My Polish P-83 Vanad exhibits similar reliability. Hard to beat the Combloc stuff.

The Beretta 92 is also a great design, but to get the accuracy of some other designs you really need a barrel bushing.

[alpacaheat]

I don't have one but I'd nominate the Browning Hi-Power.

[bortle]

I don't have one but I'd nominate the Browning Hi-Power.

I second it, and I have several

[Armor90]

The Beretta M9 was my favorite movie gun, as a kid watching Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, and Van Damme films.

It’s come to be my most trusted pistol. The XM9 trials resulted in the Beretta averaging 13,000 rounds before a failure. Recently, the Tennessee built M9’s we’re tested, resulting in an average of 19,090 rounds fired before a failure.

I don’t know if my best revolvers can do that. Back in 1911, JMB’s design performed a 5,000
Round test without a failure, and that was huge.

Other pistols may do this; Glocks, SIGs, HKs. However, the consistent documentation of the Beretta M9 performing like this is very reassuring.

It’s becoming dated, and perhaps even old school. But I’ll always keep them nearby.

This is an interesting question. The 1911 has been in use a bit longer so, I suppose that would be my opinion but the M9 has been proven for quite some time too. I would be curious to know which model has had more hits in combat though? That long M9 sight radius and the 9mm round is a damn good, accurate combination.

[Yoder]

Glock 17 is my most proven pistol. I estimate I have over 30k rounds through the gun with only a handful of failures. Of those, the majority were ammo related.

[cdi]

I know I'm old and obsolete, but so is the 1911.
I have carried one in various flavors for almost the last 40 years.

That said, it's certainly not for everyone. I would like to point something out;
The #70 issue of the Brownell's catalog has 55 pages devoted solely to the 1911.
Perhaps the market is answering the op's question.