There are three ways to go with a 1911. (1) Buy milspec and build up. (2) Buy Kimber, Springfield Loaded, etc. and leave it alone. (3) Spend big bucks for big name semi-custom.
I'm going to play devil's advocate and suggest you do what you planned, buy a good GI gun to serve as a base, then build up.
In the end it will cost you more than a Kimber, but you will probably have a better gun too. With the build route, you know the origin of all the parts that go into your gun. You know where they came from and what they are made out of. If you use a good local smith, you will probably come out with a gun of equivalent quality to the expensive pistols but will have spent much less than a big name gun.
I'm going the cheap build route. My milspec is reliable and accurate. I put new grips on. I'll probably bob the spur hammer soon because it bites some peoples hands. At some point it'll have to be refinished because parking tends to wear poorly. In the end I'll have the gun I want and still be in for less than a kimber.
Oh and if you intend to shoot your guns, then don't go planning on using it as investment piece too. Investment wise, guns are far more like cars than like houses. The big $ guns are big $ because they are rare and barely used. Just shoot it and enjoy.
