You know, now that you mention it, I've shot Kimbers and they're not really all that much better than my Rock Island in terms of accuracy. The higher end "premium" 1911's sure look a whole lot better, and have nicer bells and whistles, and probably have better theoretical accuracy, but to be completely honest, I can't really tell the difference when it comes to putting lead on targets. I can shoot groups the size of a quarter at about 15-20 feet away very very easily with this pistol (see pic below), and that is more than enough for me, and with enough practice, I'm sure I can get tighter groups at longer distances too. In short, the Rock Island can shoot alot better than I can, and pleasantly suprised me. I was expecting a gun I could shoot every once in a while with OK reliability and so-so accuracy, that I bought mainly just so I could say I owned a 1911, and instead received a gun that is utterly reliable and super accurate. I'd definitely buy another one.
Those are the pros, but everything has it's cons. To be fair, I feel the trigger could be lighter, the sights should be bigger, and the finish should be nicer (it's a black park finish that can scratch pretty easily.) I also didn't like the grips, and I'm actually partial towards an arched mainspring housing, but these are all things that can easily be fixed, and to be honest, this IS supposed to be a no frills plain Jane GI style 1911, so what more can I ask for?
Oh, here's that grouping pic:
It was shot at about 25 feet and the center orange dot is about the size of a quarter, or maybe a 1-2mm larger than a quarter. The 3 rounds outside the group were because I was trying to aim for the center, and was adjusting my aim. Not perfect, but pretty good for a "budget" 1911.
