Amistad, 1911s were one of my specialties when I owned my gunsmith shop. I built several hundred of them and worked on hundreds more. 1911s are by far the favorite gun for competition shooters to include bullseye, tactical, and all other pistol shooting sports.
Since the patent ran out, just about every gun manufacturer (except Ruger) has jumped on the 1911 band wagon. I couldn't begin to list all the companies that have made 1911s. Of course the most desired is still the Colt, but you can find S&W, Tarus, AMT, Wilson, SVI, STI, Les Baer, Chas Daily, Norinco, etc etc.
The most desirable feature of a 1911 is the robust design. No other gun in history has as many aftermarket custom parts available. You can buy long triggers, short triggers, match grade barrels, extended slide locks and safeties, all sorts of grip safeties, hammers, sights, grips, and any other part in the gun. This allows the shooter to configure the gun for the intended application. Weather you choose it for a carry gun or serious competition, there are almost an infinite number of possible configurations.
The 1911 started with the 45 ACP and 38 Super. It was also made in 22 LR, 9mm, 40 S&W, 10mm Auto, 38 Special, 357 Mag, and even a 50 cal. No other pistol in history has been made in as many different calibers with the ability to convert from one caliber to another by swapping a few parts.
In a normal 45 ACP configuration, the 1911 can be "adjusted" for all sorts of different bullet weights and power levels by changing recoil springs. You can shoot "flea fart" loads for bullseye up to serious +P defense loads.
1911's started with a standard 5" barrel, the 4.25" Commander length barrel was added later as was the 3 5/8" Officer ACP barrel. 1911s have also been made in "long slide" versions with barrels as long as 10".
Magazine capacity for a standard 1911 is 7 or 8 rounds however, "wide body" frames are available with up to 12 round capacity. The 9mm and 38 Supers are 10 rounds with up to 18 rounds in a wide body frame.
As for function, when a 1911 is set up properly, the trigger pull is second to none. My 1911s are all set at a very crisp 3.5 lbs (can be as low as 2 lbs). Trigger travel and over travel is adjustable so I have mine set at 1/16" on my target guns and 1/8" on my carry guns. The trigger is "single action" with an identical pull from the first shot to the last. There are a host of different trigger lengths to match hand/finger sizes.
Depending on which barrel and bushing you select, accuracy can be quite outstanding. My Les Baer will shoot sub-inch groups at 50 yards from a bench rest. My Colt Commander will shoot an inch group at 25 yards. As for malfunction, I can't remember the last time one of my 1911s failed to feed or extract. They are very reliable but only if you take time to adjust the extractor and smooth up the breach face.
Ruger makes some decent P-guns and are primarily designed for carry. Accuracy is decent and reliability is quite good. The biggest issue with Rugers is there is hardly any aftermarket support except grips and sights. If you have a polymer frame, you can't even change the grips. Like any DA/SA pistol, Ruger's trigger leaves a lot to be desired. I don't like all the excess travel and I seriously dislike the first shot in DA. You are restricted to one barrel length, one caliber, one configuration. This is OK if the gun fits you and meets the needs for your intended use.
Seriously that was a great post...lots of good information! I can never remember the barrel lengths on the Commander and Officer's models. Guess my Springfield is kind of a hybrid. It has the Officer's model butt with a 4" barrel. Doesn't quite match up with any of the Colt models.
