Wow.
First: I've read on this forum several hours a day, several days a week since 2008 and I don't need a lecture from you. I didn't use any foul language and didn't insult anybody, regardless of the snobby remarks by elitist 1911 owners (possibly only 2nd to HK owners) so relax and it'll be ok.
Your comments in this thread to people trying to help have been pretty rude and offensive if you ask me. You're right, you don't need a lecture from me... You needed a lecture from your parents when you were a child, to prevent rude behavior. It's obviously too late for that.
Second: You're stating the obvious, which is fine, but I wouldn't post something obvious without knowing it myself would I?
It's not available, hence it's not a current option. Obvious or not, you didn't mention that it isn't available, so I thought I'd let you know in case you missed that one line down at the bottom of the page.
Third, not only are rocks highly regarded as among the best cheap 1911s out there, but I've personally had the pleasure of shooting one at the range and I liked it. Apparently you live next to a giant sign that says "BRING YOUR TINKERED WITH 1911 RIA's HERE TO BE FIXED BY A PROFESSIONAL SINCE YOU MESSED IT UP"
Sure they're highly regarded. I never knocked the guns. If you re-read my post a little slower, you'll see that I stated "they're not bad pistols, they just need work". The first RIA 1911 I bought came to me from the factory with extractor and ejector issues. The second one I bought came from the factory with a loose rear sight and slide/frame fit issues. The third one I bought wouldn't feed with the supplied magazine. The one I currently own runs very well, however I got it used and it had already been brought up to carry condition. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not a professional gunsmith and I don't do this as a job, I do most of my own gunsmithing work and on my own guns - My statement was in regards to new in the box Rock Island Armory guns, not bubba'd, tinkered or otherwise modified firearms. Aside from my own RIA 1911s, I've handled and fired dozens of examples of RIA 1911s, both new unmodified guns and "tinkered" guns ... Not just one at a range one time. I've NEVER seen a new, unmodified Rock Island Armory 1911 that didn't need at least minor tweaking to get it into carry or competition ready status. Your assumptions are amusing, however.
Fourth: actually it DOES have a few grippy lines on the strap as you can see in the picture so that's better than nothing and it has ample rear grips as well which is a bonus. NOTHING WHATSOEVER is said about the sights but if you'd like to enlighten me, please do. From what I can see the sights are clearly a step up from fixed crap GI sights. And like I've heard from literally everybody, getting 2 tone is practically out of the question and I accept that.
Rock Island Armory doesn't ship ANY guns that I'm aware of, with night sights. The sights on the gun in the pictures from your link are novak sights, the same as came on two of the pistols I bought. There
are 'grippy lines' on the front strap of the gun in question (as can easily be seen in the images from your link) (Edit to add, there are actually some faint vertical lines that were obscured by the shadow in the picture, I apologize for missing them.)
Basically I've found what I'm looking for without settling without settling for one of the examples several other people have showed, the majority of which I already covered in the OP and your caveat "if you ignore price" is literally the worst possible way to help someone who is looking for a budget firearm.
If that's what you want to call it, that's what you call it. Personally I don't consider "Under $1000" to be a budget gun. If you wanted a budget gun and not a full or semi-custom gun, then you need to realize that some of the features you were looking for simply won't be found, and your "find" does nothing but confirm that since half of your "required features" don't exist on the gun you settled on.
I believe so.