1974 Colt DS pictured with a 1978 Colt 1911 (both mine).

The 1911 is fine for carry, despite it's age - parts are easy to come by, etc.

The DS is frankly less so. Colt doesn't make D frames any more. Thus spares are getting to be more of a problem and values are increasing. (It's correspondingly less common to find someone that knows how to work on one.) It also takes a bit of getting used to for someone used to a Smith - different means of opening the cylinder, the cylinder turns the "wrong" way, and the trigger pull just feels "funny".

They're also a bit heavy if you're used to alloy frame Smiths.

To add to the fun, 1970s Colt QC seems to have been erratic. This gun has one chamber that seems to be a bit "tight" from the factory. I don't think QC improved until the late 1990s to present, by which time the DS was on its last legs, being discontinued for good in the 90s. The guns without the shroud and which have a different grip frame that pre date the UAW era are increasingly "collector's" items and have seen increased prices.

I have carried the DS pictured, right down to the fancy grips, but don't do so regularly. (I hurt my back some months ago and the upside down shoulder rig came in handy.)