To be truthful, I could have written a check for $1500 - $2000 and purchased a very nice, reiable .45. But, in my opinion, I would have missed out on alot.
Since, I am new to this line of handguns, I would rather start from the bottom end and work my way up, learning along the way.
Here's what I have to work with:
1) The finish is excellent, actually more than I expected, so I see no need for any re-finishing of any sort.
2) My main complaint is the mag-release. The mag fits so snugly that a free-fall is something that will probably never happen with this frame. BUT, not having to claw the mag out with my free hands fingernails would sure be nice!(Mags are new Springfield 8rnd)
3) The slide-release. Impossible to manipulate with one hand. After clawing out the empty mag and inserting a full one the slide must be pulled and released with my free hand to chamber the first round.
4) The grip safety. Out of the box there was some play and it actually rattled a little when the handgun was shaken. So, after I became familiar with field-stripping the handgun, I gently bent the leg of the leaf-spring up a little to put more pressure on the grip safety. Now, it seems to work properly...there is constant pressure on it keeping it in place, yet it is still easily depressed when the grip is squeezed. The down side is that the hammer will fall about about 80% of the time when the trigger is pulled and the grip safety IS NOT engaged. Did I do this by bending the spring or is it caused by something else?
I don't expect this model to function like a Hot-Rod, nor am I willing to invest $500 to make it, but I would enjoy shooting it without physical pain being involved while operating the basic conrols.
Finally, other than the above mentioned, this puppy is a pure joy to shoot and I look forward to many other 1911s in my future.
Sorry for the long post.