i will throw my 2 cents in here because, well, I have owned many of the brands previously mentioned....
First off...I have never had the following:
Charles Daly, Armscor, Para Ordnance, Ed Brown, Wilson, Nighthawk, and Rock River Arms...out of all the other 1911s mentioned above (great post by the way) I have had at least one...I will go through
Smith and Wesson: I had a 1911SC commander with the scadium frame....it shot great, although I did have some problems with locking back on the last round...I sold it because I wasnt as big of a fan in the lightweight platform, commander sized...honestly, there are times when I wish I still had this gun
Dan Wesson: I have had 3 Dan Wesson PT-CBOBs in .45...two pre-CZ, one post....I should have never sold my first one (again, not as big a fan of the commander size)...i bought another one, and it had some sear issues that made it full auto at times, and (since it is a series 70 gun) would go boom when you didnt want it to...sold it to a guy who knew more about the guns and could fix it...when CZ took over I figured I would try them out...i found their quality control lacking...the sites blew off in my first range session, and the gun needed a good throat polishing...i fixed it and sold it...I likely would not buy another..
Rock Island: I am a Rock Island believer...i originally bought one because i wanted a cheap platform to try gunsmithing on...the gun was fantastic...only reason I sold it was to move on to more expensive things...another i wish i had kept and i may buy another
Sig: I had one of the original GSRs...the ones with the frames made out of house by Caspian, and mine had the infamous hammer lean/frame issues that spelled the end of the line....I generally love Sig but was very unhappy to spend 1000+ on a gun and have the beavertail and hammer be crooked...i sent the gun back to them, and all they did was shave the hammer so it didnt rub the frame anymore...needless to say this pissed me off too...long story short, i sold that one too...they say they fixed some of these issues by moving production in house, but they bought the damned machines that caspian used to make the GSRs...i have seen at least 2 revolutions with hammer lean issues...not to mention they have an issue with the extractor retaining pin dropping out of the slide and marring the frame...having said all that, i know there are people who love these guns because, when made correctly, they are a match grade gun and barrel on a solid platform...personally i would avoid...ill stick to the p228
Kimber: I have OWNED three kimbers, and will never own another....2 of them had external extractors, one of them had the new internal...i had the commander sized version of the aluminum gun the above author references...it was like all my other kimbers...they were arguably the MOST accurate 1911s i had...they were, WITHOUT A DOUBT, the most finicky...im talking 10 FTFs/FTEs in 100 rounds with Wilson, McCormick, Kimber, Baer, you name it magazines, and straight 230 grain ball ammo...i will not accept a 10% failure rate on a gun, and so no more kimber for me...again, though, if you get a good one, you have a GREAT gun...i just have gotten 3 bad ones, and now im gun shy (hardy har har)
Colt: I have had more Colts than I can count...my first handgun, that i owned myself, was a series 70 nickel...i sold it because my wife was scared of guns...ive been married to her almost 10 years now, and im still pissed about that....i currently have a custom colt that i love (it is the Punisher's gun from the movie)...some people hate the series 80 because of the extra safety...i dont mind it as much because if you ever get hammer follow the gun wont go boom when you dont want it to....i have had series 70s, a series 80 lightweight commander, the new XSEs, old rollmark 1991s, new rollmark 1991s and I have never had a bad colt...the only reason I have ever sold them is because i have limited gun funds and i get the fever to get something new...if i had unlimited cash i would likely still own them all...now that they are making the series 70 again, this may go on my must have list...the new XSE guns are as good as you can get IMO...of the more common guns, Colt is my second favorite...
Springfield: when anyone asks me what 1911 to buy as their first, this is my answer...get a springfield...again, limited money, but I own 3 1911s...one is a colt, one is a springfield, and the last will be revealed soon! i have had the TRP, TRP Operator, Champion, Micro Compact, Loaded, Mil Spec...they were all great...my current one is a few years older, the combat tactical model that preceeded the TRPs...great guns, great value, lifetime waranty...honest to God, if you have 800 bucks to spend on a 1911, and you want a good gun, buy a mil spec for 500, buy 4 wilson magazines, and spend the rest on ammo...if you need some of the bells and whistles, spend 650 on a loaded, then get the magazines, and the difference in ammo...some people swear by Kimber, I swear at them...i know no one that swears at springfield, and i swear by them...
Les Baer: the only reason I no longer own my springfield TRPs is because i finally broke down and went full custom gun...my baer is a 5" TRS with Heine Night Sights, rear slide sight serations, hard chromed by tripp, with a bobtail installed by les himself...remember that gun fund i referred to? Well this baby depleted it....what to say? Its a hand made, custom fitted gun...you get, in this instance, what you pay for...i love it...its unique, and its mine...i am sure you would be equally as happy with any of the other guns in this class like nighthawk or wilson...again, with unlimited funds, i would own at least one of each...
what you really need to ask yourself is what kind of 1911 you want...what makes this gun so great is how customizable the platform is...
5, 4, or 3 inch barrel? maybe 6? (my punisher gun has a 6 inch compensated barrel)
Beavertail? Traditional grip safety? Single or ambi thumb safety? Series 70 or 80? The list goes on and on...and each person will like different things...
I personally need a beavertail because i have big hands and get hammer bit (although i like the traditional look better)...i dont like ambi safeties...i prefer 5" barrel...i think the bobtails look sweet...but thats me...either way...good luck!!!