I have 3 Colt 1911s, a Gov't mdl, a Gold Cup, & a Commander. I have 2 Taylor's Tactical 1911s, a Rock Island and a "parts" gun that I assembled some 40 years ago from a combination of military & civilian parts. I like 'em ALL! However, don't ever think that just buying a pistol will get you shooting reliably and with absolute perfect consistency. EVERY 1911 I've owned needed both trigger work and ramp work to feed with the variety of bullet shapes commonly encountered. Triggers are a matter of personal feel, and what one becomes accustomed to... therefore, I always suggest that a trigger job comes after the gun otherwise works perfectly... Ramp configuration is 1st and foremost, IMO... Next, as one refines one's preferred load, whether for self defense, competition or favored plinking round, springs may be changed out for best operation and longevity. Next is trigger work... after which comes some load tweaking and maybe another change in springs... Afterall, ain't it all about the shooting?
And IMO, the same applies across the board to all makes and models. There are LOTS of pistols out there that can be taken out the box and be fed thousands of rounds of 230 Ball and run like clockwork! No additional attention needed, except the cleaning and routine maintenance necessary for such operation.
All of my 1911s have had some ramp and trigger work done of them... (except the GC & Gov't mdl Colts... they're safe queens). But, if I was to want to shoot them, I have no doubt that I'd need to get a little ramp work in... The Taylor's are rock solid guns, and have had no issue once they were ramped and triggers tuned. But, they're just plain jane 1911 types, without even some of the features recognized on the 1911-A1. They've received taller (& wider) sights, still fixed, but easier to see than the GI sights. To get a Commander style hammer on a Taylor's you need to order a pistol with a rail... although, they might change one out... Their prices ARE right.
The Rock Island is made by the same outfit, as are many others. It also is a perfectly good gun. In fact I dare you to find a 1911 with the features of the
Rock Standard FS for near it's MSRP.
I've watched others run the R1 Remington, the S&W, the Ruger, etc., but IMO, they aren't any better than those from Armscor... as some of their parts are also from Armscor. I've seen more high dollar 1911s fail to feed than any of the less expensive makes. You can have your Wilsons, Caspians, LBs, etc... match grade accuracy is one thing... but it entails a lot of work on the part of the shooter to keep that thing clean and the correct ammo running thru it. And if that's the job it needs to perform, then that'd be what I recommend. But, for your "run-of-mill, let's go shooting 1911," you don't "need" a big budget gun. Just one with all the "right" work, and I might add, by a better than competent 1911 mechanic.
Anyway, after a discussion it got me to thinking. Just about everybody and their brother these days makes a 1911 pistol. Who makes the best one? We're talking a "semi-traditional" model here. No rail. Steel, not aluminum or with any polymers (except maybe the grip, which will probably be replaced anyway). All the recent "standard" upgrades (flared and lowered ejection port, relieved trigger guard, large beavertail grip safety with memory bump, commander-style hammer). If you were dishing out advice, and the young man had a $1,000 budget, how would you rank them?
for a single-stack, I'd strongly consider a Ruger or a Rock Island, despite the latter's not being a "prestige" brand. Rock Island's support is kind of like Henry's, which is a big factor to me.
