Alright, I went to a gun store today and spent a lot of time with some handguns. They had a VERY nice Springfield 1911 .45 in silver that was used but looked to be in excellent condition, for $675. I was very tempted, but kept reminding myself that .45 ammo is not cheap.
The issue here was that I needed a gun that would fit my wife's hands as well as my own hands, and she has awkwardly large hands with long fingers. Despite all of this, the Beretta 92 and the CZ-75 both felt nice in her hands.
What I was pleasantly surprised by though was the Baby Desert Eagle. It was quite heavy (2.6lbs, compared to 2.15 for the Beretta 92 and 2.4 for the CZ-75 SP-01), but it had a number of great features and fit both of our hands perfectly. It is the lowest priced of my options and I honestly cannot say I could find anything wrong with it. Compared to the Beretta and the CZ, it felt less "busy" on the left side, which allowed me better placement of my thumbs without feeling like I was covering something I shouldn't be.
Right now, I'm solidly comparing the CZ-75 SP-01, the Beretta 92, and the Baby Eagle, and it's a difficult comparison. I'll be test shooting the Beretta and the CZ this week.
One problem is that the CZ-75 SP-01 Tactical is on order with no known delivery date from cz custom shop, so if I decided to go with a CZ, who knows when I'd be able to get it.
As for the .22, I held a Sig Sauer Mosquito 5" and really liked it. It's $85 cheaper than the .22 1911 by RIA, is a poly gun (but heavy), and only has a 1 year warranty compared to RIA's lifetime warranty. The warranty concerns me a bit, but the lower price certainly isn't bad.