Tuj:
It has been my experience that the best accuracy is obtained by tuning the load to the gun. As a rule of thumb, what shoots well in one gun will usually shoot well in others, however, this is not always 100%. One of the loads that shoots well in my Springfield 1911 (200 gn cast RNFP with 4.3 grains of Titegroup) also shoots well in my XD. I found a good 9mm load that shoots a 1" to 1 1/2" group from my Hi-Power also shoots well from a 6" Luger, however, it does not do so well in my 226. The 226 shoots better with slightly more powder, and this load doesn't shoot accurately in the Hi-Power.
I really don't know how loads interchange between similar guns, say 2 or 3 different 1911's. My guess is that they would share similar charactaristics, however, one gun preferring a .1 or .2 grain charge difference over another. My Smith 52 for example gives me the best accuracy with 2.3 grains of Bullseye behind a 148 grain cast WC, while the accepted conventional load for this gun is 2.5 or 2.7 grains of BE, these loadings open my groups up about an inch at the 25 yard line over the 2.3 grains.
I remember when I first started loading, I was about 19 or 20 years old, and had loaded some ammo for my Marlin 30-30. I had been meticulous about the charges, seating, case prep, etc. For the load I had selected the one highlited as "Accurate" from my Lyman reloaders handbook. For the occasion, I mounted a 4 power scope on the rifle and headed to the range. How could it be anything but perfect? I shot a target at 50 yards, 5 rounds printed into abour 4 inches. OK, barrel needs to foul in. I shot 5 more, ant then 5 more, no better, I was very disappointed. Later that week I was at the gun counter at GI Joes lamenting my disappointment, and a gentleman asked me if I was just getting started reloading. I said I was and related the story of my 30-30 reloads. He said I should tune the load to the gun, starting a couple of grains low, then working up in .2 or .3 grain increments. He said the first groups may be loose, then I should see a tightning trend, continuing to tighten until the smallest group was obtained, then as the load progressed heavier, it would open up again. I kind of didn't beleive this would happen, but in desperation, it was worth a try. So I did as he suggested, started low, and worked up in .2 grain increments.
And so I headed to the range to try this work-up. viola!! Just like he said, the groups at 50 yards went from 4 inches down to 1/2", then opened up again as my loads went over this sweet spot. Every centerfire I own, rifles and pistols follow this same pattern. Some are more inherently accurate, and some take more work. Sometimes you get lucky with factory ammo, sometimes it only shoots mediocrely.
Typically with non-tuned ammo, I expect 3 to 4 inch groups at 25 yards out of most pistols, both automatics and revolvers. With load tuning this can be reduced to groups of 1 1/2" or less.
The revolver has perhaps an edge on inherent accuracy because of the fixed barrel, and can be made to shoot a little easier than the autoloader. For automatics, if the gun is tight, you can get a 1 1/2" group, if the gun is tight, yes I said that twice. Most new auto's lock up pretty tight, Sigs, CZ's, XD's, Brownings all have pretty good lock-up right out of the box. 1911's can go either way, their reputation will preceed them. Old military imports, parts guns, etc, can be pretty loose, and shoot accordingly.
Anyway, you seem to be in the same boat as me, looking for a 1911 that has match grade potential, for less than a second mortgage on the house. Popular opinion seems to favor the Springfield Range Officer, as a pretty tight gun for less than $1000, I am also looking at some of the S&W 1911's, the ones I have looked at seemed pretty tight.
It too bad we can't hit the range together to work on bullseye, I'm always looking to try to improve my shooting.