Re: 1911 what would you do?
Ed Brown is my favorite. Brown, unlike other manufacturers, only truly builds 2 guns. He builds a 5", and a 4.25". He then finishes them out with whatever cosmetic specs the customer wants.
Another point in Brown's favor: He makes all of his own parts, including the barrels, in-house. Nighthawk and others all sub out their products to other companies, so they aren't truly custom MADE, they're custom BUILT.
I have yet to find a Brown I don't like, or have a problem with one.
Wilson Combat is also a good gun, however they are far too wrapped up in the "Tactical" advertising, in my opinion, and at nearly $500-1000 more money than the Brown, it's just not worth it. At around $2000, Brown makes a great gun that cannot be beat.
I also like Baers, but in my experience, sometimes he builds the guns a bit on the tight side, and they can have reliability problems.
Another high quality gun that I feel the OP is missing in his list is the Springfield Professional. This gun is an absolute dream of a gun. It's the only 1911 I know of that has been put through a 20,000 torture test and has come out on top with a 2"+ accuracy at 25 yards capability. Even Les Baer said it couldn't be done.
The gun is issued by the FBI, DEA, and other Law Enforcement agencies, and it is tough as nails. While not necessarily built to be as PRETTY as the other options, if you want a serious working gun, this gun goes into harm's way more often than most of the others.
Now, we can get into custom builds done by some of the finest Smiths in the Country, from Chuck Rogers of Rogers precision, Dave Berryhill, Hilton Yam, Stan Chen, and on and on, which are truly one-off, one of a kind masterpieces that are unique and absolutely worth every penny.
I know these guys, some of them I count as friends of mine.
Choose what fits in your budget. Really, with all of the guns listed, you really can't go wrong. Just because I personally dislike Nighthawk pistols, they are good guns, and worth considering.
Take my opinion for what it's worth.