One Gun to Own - I'm Not Sure Which I Would Choose but It's Probably a 1911

I've heard people pose the question "what is the one gun you would choose, if you could only choose one?"

There are so many answers to this question. Part of that is that guns are tools and choosing one is like selecting a single hand tool for like; how much can you really fix with a hammer? Maybe a flat head screw driver is an overall better choice?  It seemed that people always went toward something suitable for a zombie apocalypse or something else kinda silly but I wondered what if nothing happened to society and you could only have one gun, what do you take?

To specify, let's assume that society continues chugging along, no zombies, economic collapse or solar EMP devastating the electrical grid. No invasion by the Russians/Chinese; no tyrannical/authoritarian US government takeover. The world as we know it now continues along just the same for the rest of your life. What do you choose?

I had thought about that question before and almost every time, I come back to the idea that I want something practical but I also want something fun. I really like .22 rimfire for its cheapness and high fun value but the defensive level of .22 isn't very high so a centerfire caliber like 9mm or .45 would be good.

I took a logical approach to the question. What is it that I like to do and what is it that I do on the regular. I really like the Henry lever action .22 but it's not a carry gun. It would still make high marks if I could only have one gun since it's fun factor is off the scale. I like my Ruger MkIII but it's not a good defensive pistol. The AR-15 is highly versatile but not a good daily carry. I don't hunt regularly so count out a shotgun or various rifles.

I definitely want something to carry for person defense but I still really want something fun so as to take people to the range with. It most definitely needs to last and parts availability are important.

After considering everything I could think of such as longevity, fun factor, practicality etc, I came to conclude that whatever I chose should have a .22 LR conversion kit available so that I can still have some fun while having a viable defensive capability. Popular pistols with .22 conversion kits include Glocks, 1911s, SIG P22X series and CZ 75 and P0X series.

I have a pistol from each of these categories and I like all of them. While I don't have the .22 conversion kits for any of them, I know they exist and are well liked. Of all of those, I almost always end up coming back to the 1911 in .45 ACP with some .22 conversion kit.

The 1911 is really the pistol that got me to go buy a firearm in the first place (even if that gun was an XD-40 Service). I know there are others like me who would choose the 1911 as well.

I'm interested in what other people's opinions on this are as well.