I like the little M1 carbines.  The newly manufactured ones seem to be well made and magazines/ammo are readily available.  I think a red dot sight might be the best option for such a weapon if the issued irons are lacking.    

The more modern pistols I shoot, the more I realize just how far ahead of the curve the 1911 and the 1911A1 were.  Firing 185-200 grain bullets out of that platform keeps the recoil impulse manageable and hits with plenty of authority.   

I like the Buckmark.  Decent little pistols for the money.  I have the precursor to that line in the old Browning Challenger II and prefer the weight of the all steel pistol to the polymer version but they are functionally similar and both are fine shooters.   

   Thinking alloy - typed polymer.