My 0.02... I don't have a Colt but do have some trigger time with the rail gun and would put them on par with the nicer, but not custom shop, Springfields.
I currently have 1911s/2011s from each of the below with a plenty of time with them:
The guns:
Springfield - their higher end production guns are great base models for tweaking. They run well out of the box. Very good for the $. For a budget conscious 1911 first timer, I would recommend the Operator for both carry and single stack competition.
Sig - another great value for the money. But I can never leave well enough alone so my C3 has G10 grips, slightly flared mag well, polished/tweaked trigger and ambi safety. This is the carry gun I have more than 50% of the time
Dan Wesson - best value, and maybe best production gun out there. I have never heard of one needing any polishing, deburring, etc as is not uncommon with most production guns.
STI - Their more expensive guns are close to custom quality. Of course, you can't pick and choose feature like a custom. For a reasonable fee they will do some tweaking for you.
Kimber - Kimber's machining is generally very good and they are well finished. There are gobs of models to choose from. I think the pretty finishing and endless slick ads are the reason for their popularity. I would opt for a Springfield Operator over any full-size Kimber. They skimp on small parts and warranty service is hit or miss.
Akai Custom - well worth the wait time. When I went through the process of breaking in my limited gun the sensory input from the gun was such that I occasionally found myself in a trance as my eyes rolled up into my head.
Matt McLearn - Race gun heaven. Matt and Shay at Akai are two of several great pistol smiths out there. Who is best amongst all these guys is unanswerable, IMO.
Wilson Combat - I can't say anything that hasn't been said before about these very nice pistols. If you don't want to select every component/feature Wilson makes it easy to spend a lot of money on an heirloom quality gun, usually with little or no wait time.
The features:
Front strap checkering - I can't live without it. I wouldn't buy a gun that doesn't already have it as having a smith do it later is pretty expensive. Besides, why buy a base model to begin with?
Shorter vs longer barrel length for draw speed - I experimented with this quite a bit when I used to shoot production. The comparison was first between a G17 and G34. Me and my associates found no difference in draw speed. If there been even a tenth of a second difference I would have stayed with the 17, but I went with the 34 for the sight radius.
Shorter vs longer barrel length for sight radius - This makes a significant difference on longer shots. Doesn't happen too as often in USPSA vs 3G. Here I put aside the STI Marauder in favor of the DVC 3G.
Shorter vs longer barrel length for concealment - Big difference for me. But I am barely 5'10" so a taller guy may not have an issue with a full size 1911 in summer clothes. Perhaps a bigger issue is the mag well as the flared ones I prefer tend to print. With heavier clothing, I go full length.
Size, in general - I prefer a commander sized 1911 for concealed carry most of the time, but I have been known to carry the STI Marauder when wearing a jacket. Coming up soon will be a Commander sized 2011 from Akai.
YMMV
