If it ain’t got a pony....it’s a PHONY!
Haha, just kidding. I am a 1911 fanboy. I’ve got Colts, Springfields, Dan Wessons, and Kimbers. Fit and finish-wise, the Dan Wesson has no rival in my collection. It was $1499, so only marginally more expensive than the other stuff. However, it has had some hiccups too. I had to replace the safety detent and spring because it was WAY too stiff. It was difficult to disengage the safety and the slide wouldn’t lock open on empty.
One Kimber has been flawless since day 1. It’s an old TLE with external extractor. This is interesting because those extractors were so bad that Kimber was replacing slides left and right. The other is a Stainless TLE which has had its whole upper half replaced and many of the parts in the frame replaced, all warranty issues.
Both Colts I have run flawlessly, but fit and finish is the worst of the bunch. Much looser tolerances and the laser engraving is rough and had to be smoothed out. The finish isn’t even on either one.
The Springfield, a “Loaded” model, has had one little hiccup. The left handed side of the ambidextrous safety only worked 1/2 of the time. Otherwise, it would get jammed up. I’m not a lefty, so I replaced it with a non-ambi safety. Since then, flawless.
Remember, its a 111 year old design. A lot of hand fitting has go into to make it run right. Some of those gremlins don’t show themselves until you really run the gun hard. That’s why the 500-1000 round break-in is often cited. You have to commit to the process and not get too fired up if it’s not perfect on day one.....like a Glock.
1911s aren’t just a gun, they’re a lifestyle.