Although I would agree that the Springfield would probably be my first choice in that price range I would however offer another contender to the fray. The Rock Island 5" 1911 is really a nice piece that can be had for $277 at the moment. It does have the tiny mil-specs sights, but they can be swapped for about $25.00. Also, the RIA comes standard with a lowered and flared ejection port, round frontstrap, chromed barrel, and beveled mag well. In regards to just 1911 pistols, I own a Colt, SA, STI Trojan, and a Rock Island and I was very pleasently suprised by the Rock Island. It's not a STI, but for the money it is reliable, nicely finished and a really good bargain. You could take the money saved on purchasing this vs the SA and add some customizations if you saw fit to do so. The only two negative comments I can make concerning the RIA are as follows: 1) The majority of my 'custom' parts I added required signifigant amount of fitting. I'm about 90% through with it at this point and it turned out well, just took a little longer than it would have if I would have been working on a SA mil-spec. 2) Not really a negative for RIA, but the SA has better service in regards to repairs in the long run IMHO. Also, you would be more likely to find a reputable gunsmith to work on the SA vs the RIA ad the SA would retain it's resale value more than the RIA most likely.