I'm in what I call 'my revolver phase' right now. I've already gone through my '22lr target pistol and rifle phase', my '9mm phase', my '12 gauge shotgun-clays phase', and a couple others.
I guess I'm working up to my 1911 phase.
One thing that has put me off of 1911's, and you see it in this thread and other current 1911 threads (see the ruger one): it appears that buying the gun is just the start - and then you have to dump cash into fixing the design flaws - sights, trigger, barrel, etc. Personally, I don't buy guns that need work, I don't work on them myself, nor do I take guns to a gunsmith to have them modified. Call me a simpleton, but I just buy guns and shoot them. If I don't like them, I sell them and buy something I like better. I'm not sure I've ever read a 1911 thread where somebody said; "...I bought such-n-such 1911 and just shot it and it was great...".
Really, who wants to buy a new gun that needs work right out of the box? Did any of those armies, special forces, etc just buy such-n-such brand 1911 and deploy them? Or did they have to put $1,600 worth of work into each one of those $800 guns to get something they would use? Compare that to the out-of-the-box S&W 10's, 64's, 686's, 28's etc that were deployed out-of-the-box by the MILLIONS for what, a hundred years or so?
OK, you asked for it, you got it: I bought a Colt MkIV Series 70 new in 1972, and it shot just fine, never a problem, didn't modify it one whit, and it kept shooting accurately and reliably until it was stolen about 15 years ago. It's probably still doing so for whoever has it now.
I bought a new Springfield Armory Champion (their Combat Commander Clone) new in 2000 (one of the first "Loaded" models) that I just shoot, never any problems, good accuracy, completely reliable. It was my primary carry gun for about 10 years, still shoot it frequently. No mods (well, I did install some custom grips a few years ago), no maintenance problems, no repairs.
I have an original 1911 built by Springfield in 1914 during the first production run of license-built guns for the military, of course marked U.S. Property, which is all original, and which shoots reliably and reasonably accurately (groups are only slightly larger than some of my current 1911s, but it was built to combat service tolerances, and has had 99 years of service and wear). Again, no maintenance other than cleaning, and it keeps on rocking and rolling.
I bought a Springfield Range Officer earlier this year. Great gun, it has been flawless in its operation, no problems. Very close tolerances and fit throughout, yet no operational problems, even during break-in. I broke in the barrel just as I would a new rifle, and it is an absolute tack driver. No modifications necessary.
I bought a Colt Lightweight Government a year or two ago, and have done no modifications to it. I did send it back to the factory under warranty, as the original magazines and the slide stop did not agree with each other, and failed to hold the slide open after only a very few rounds. This did not happen with any other magazines. Colt replaced both the slide stop and the magazines, no problem since. When I sent it in, I asked that they do a factory trigger job, as it is rather rough (not typical or acceptable), for which I would pay. Unfortunately, the "technician" it was assigned to misunderstood the work order, and did not do the trigger job. I am currently debating whether to send it back or just live with it, but I am a major trigger freak. Again, no mods, and, if it weren't for the (to me) poor trigger on this particular gun, I would have absolutely no complaints. It is an excellent gun, a full-size 1911, but weighs less than a steel frame commander, and is a perfect carry gun - the slim design just makes it disappear in any IWB holster. Oh yes, I did the barrel break-in when I first got it, and it is also extremely accurate. It has been my primary carry gun since purchase, supplanting the Champion.
Several others currently on hand include a Colt Officer's ACP, again, never a problem, no failures, very accurate, and gladly eats anything I feed it, including hollow points and 200 grain LSWC reloads. I've also owned a plethora of Colt 1911s, including Commanders, Combat Commanders and Government models, never any problems, and I never modified any of them.
Oh yeah, one more - I purchased a Browning 1911-22 last week. What a neat little gun! This diminutive 1911 only has a couple hundred rounds through it to date (including my ritual barrel break-in sequence), but it has fed, fired and ejected every type of .22LR ammo I have fed it flawlessly, and it is surprisingly accurate. I typically shoot handguns at 50-75 yards, or further, and it holds its own quite well out there, with good groups. The other day, I took it out shooting and, after using it on targets at those distances, I went looking for "targets of opportunity" on the way out to pick up my targets. At distances of 10-35 feet, that little gun is amazingly accurate, even with point shooting. I was obliterating empty shotgun shells, bits of broken clay targets, empty 22 casings, etc. In fact, it is so accurate in that role, I think it is going to be my "go-to" gun for walks in potential snake-infested areas, as head shots on rattlers will be almost automatic with it. Yes, it really is a 1911, just scaled down.
Frankly, I think the reason you rarely read a thread on 1911s that doesn't talk about modifying them is due to the "in" trend of doing stuff to guns, just like is popular with the AR-15 and its derivatives. Just like cars, stock works well (if you buy a quality car or gun), modifying them gives the owner a sense of pleasure, accomplishment, ego boost, or whatever, but has nothing to do with the basic utility of the car (or gun). Remember, when somebody spends $1,000 modifying a gun (because he wants to), it must be justified. I don't believe I will be unsafe with a 1911 that didn't come out of Brown's shop, or cost less than $2,500, just because somebody said so on the internet. It is the most proven and "experienced" semi-auto design available, and it is still going strong - must be some reason for that. Oh yeah, I carried 1911s in combat, and they are quite effective in that use.
