Like many others here, I've shot just about every 1911 on the market, and own several of them.
Top favorites = Kimber & SA, no question, no competition, nobody else comes close for that price range (there are superior products available on the market, but they'll cost you dearly, such as an Ed Brown, etc.).
I'm going on 10,000 rounds in my Kimber Team Match II and no problems with any of the so-called "dreaded" MIM parts...I guess it's a mental thing, because I can't find any physical evidence to back it up. I also have a basic stock Kimber Custom II and a Custom Stainless TLE II. None of the three pistols liked SWC's and they each had just the tiniest bit of creep, so I had them get a fluff and buff ($60 for a trigger action job and barrel feed ramp polishing for each of the pistols) and now they are my perfect shooters. It's interesting to note that most people I have shoot my Kimbers can't really tell the difference in performance/results between the three...the basic Kimber 1911 is that good.
My Springer Custom Loaded Full-Size 1911-A1 in Black Stainless is almost identical in performance and nitpicks with my Kimber TMII. It does have an internal extractor, rather an an external, and only 7+1 instead of 8+1 rnds, but other than that, it's equally amazing. It, too, had a tiniest bit of creep and didn't like SWC's, until it also got a fluff and buff, and, again, problems solved and it is an amazing shooter.
I can't decide between my SA & Kimber...both are that good. I'm especially impressed with their fittings: slide/frame, barrel/bushing...almost zero play.
The Sig is supposed to be even tighter than the SA & Kimber, but numerous reports of reliability problems are holding me off on that one until they get the bugs/glitches ironed out. Recent samples are reported to be much better than the older serial numbers. Preacherman knows his stuff, so if he says the quality is now fine and represents the best performance/$ value for <$1k, then I'd definitely take his assessment into consideration, too.
Para's...ah, the enigma of Para's...their quality has been all over the map in the last several years...a real hit and miss, if you know what I mean. Some samples are so perfectly fitted that you'd swear they were lapped together and hand-fitted together. But most I've fonded are as loose and sloppy as a [insert crude joke here] and make a Taurus seem like an Ed Brown...and that's saying something. You definitely take your chances with a Para.
Kimber or Springer...you can't go wrong...probably close to 60-70 variations in that price range offered between Kimber and Springer.
Good luck!! (and we expect pictures and a full range report, too!!
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