Ha! I was coming on here to see if anyone had written anything about it. A bit after the fact though...bought one yesterday! $530.00 will get you into one around here. The salesman was going on about it being a "loaded" lower. I did get the coupon that comes with "loaded" Springfields, which lets you buy extras at a pretty good discount. So I don't know what to say about that conclusively. I like the fact that you can get Para mags to fit. I had a bit of a problem buying the Kimber because of the non-compatability of the mags and people have said they have had a hard time getting them. BTW, here is the link on Springfields site. I couldn't find it without Googling it -http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-pstl-1911-hc.shtml
My thoughts after having it for a day - First let me mention the fact that my first 1911 was/is a Kimber Custom Shop CDP. With that said, I do like the gun.
Cons
-It is a bit rougher obviously.
-Machine marks on the bottom of the slide's rails.
-The trigger has a pretty good amount of creep in the trigger. I don't have a scale to measure with though.
-The thumb safety has already dented/rubbed the finish where it comes down just above the grip (on the left side).
Pros
-Its parkerized!
-Other than the safety, fit is good. The slide mates nicely to the lower.
-How can you beat a high-cap .45?
-Non-particular mags!