Mine was a customized Springfield National Match by Larry Leutenegger, a pistol smith known in a small circle for making good accurate bullseye pistols. He lived 40 minutes from me.
1. Any problem could have been taken care of by next day. There were no problems.
2. My time was money back then. It was correct the moment he sold it to me. A little under 3” at 50 yards- it was an older used gun but accurate enough to learn on. Accuracy, perfect match trigger, sights installed, tuned magazines, a recipe for the ammo it loved... ready to compete with that moment. No fussing, tuning, fiddling, filing, wondering, cursing, asking why it wasn’t working.
3. Confidence. Until you own one done to perfection you never know what you are missing. Once there you have a reference for tweaking everything else.
4. Pride in ownership and the feeling of every part being glass smooth as you run it.
5. Accuracy. No one can take their shooting to the next level if their tools let them down. If I missed with that .45 it was me. If I missed with my S&W (not a 1911) it was “wow! I hit the paper a few times!” There is never a wait at the 50 yard line and that’s where the cool kids hang out.
6. Longevity. A properly fit 1911 lasts longer than one that clanks and beats against itself.
If your idea of fun is to blow through lots of ammo shooting at Zombie targets at 5 yards then no doubt a Rock Island will do the job. You may need a handful of trips to the range to tune your magazine and you’ll never know that the brass is not supposed to hit your head or that the brass could be in one area rather that all over the place. Heck, if a Glock is all the better you want to be, have fun- make noise. Boom boom. Don’t shoot cast or kaBoom.
I don’t carry, but if I was going to carry that much weight around I would want it to reflect my love of metal craftsmanship and precision hand work. As perspective, my wife’s wedding ring cost more than a custom Alchemy. She wears it every day- hand made by a custom goldsmith. Me? $90 titanium ring.
You might wonder why I have a Bowen perfected Bisley Blackhawk. Until you shoot it, then you won’t wonder! Yes, a Freedom Arms single action is arguably better but it’s like fighting over “who would win, Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris” (answer: they both win because Chuck Norris said so) I kept the Bowen, sold the FA. It was a really beauty though and appreciated in value. Used my match 1911 for a couple of years and sold it for what I bought it for.
Wilson Combat has a name, reputation, and you pay for it. Same with Baer and the other well known semi-custom shops.
Consider Alchemy. Consider some of the one man shops that have 2 year waits to get their craftsmanship. I hear the Springfield custom shop does good work and a Colt is always a Colt and a custom shop Colt is probably pretty good! Me? I am doing my best to not buy a Rock River- (not Rock Island)... so much want.