1. Sig Sauer 1911
2. Colt 1911
3. Springfield Armory 1911
4. Smith & Wesson 1911
5. Para-Ordinance 1911
6. Glock 21
IMNSHO, 45 and 1911 go together like ice cream and apple pie.
And contrary to opinion, the gun you choose from
any manufacturer may be a lemon. Some posters offer opinion, some fact, some offer a little of both based on personal experience and limited background. It's a personal decision and I don't see how some of these comments could sway
anyone into buying or not buying a specific handgun.
But, that being said, I would look for a 1911 manufacturer that builds quality 1911's, uses quality Forged frames and slides, uses quality interior parts, whose design is close to the original (e.g. No external extractors! No series 80! ...and at least has easily removed lawyer type devices), and has a good reputation of standing behind their product. Then pick a specific model in your price range while trying to maximize your wants with their offerings to get most, if not all, of the features that are important to you in the initial purchase.
If you do this, you will quickly determine that there are 2 quality choices. I'll leave the names of those choices up to you to decide, but to me, it's obvious.