Edmund,
sorry for the delay in response, I had not checked this venue for a couple of days, and I see that I should have.
Yes, the reason that you see many Ruger's is that their accuracy is good and the grip angle is the same as the ubiquitous 1911s.
If you are inclined to start, go and shoot the .22 matches with your Ruger, its capable with the right ammo of yielding the scores you need.
Of course, you know by now that this is a developmental process, and you will probably not become a master in the next year even if you immediately purchased the best equipment available.
That is not to say that good equipment is not important. In a recent discussion concerning service rifle, a friend and fellow shooter, Alvin Bethel pointed out that eliminating the equipment variables permits one to descern his errors. If you don't there is a human tendency to accept that "9" as equipment generated. Your inclination to do that will be greatly diminished if you KNOW that your gun and ammon will shoot "X"s all day!
Usually the Ruger is tuned with a trigger job only. Jim Clark does a good job among a host of many. I have a Clark 1911 and so does my father, we spent a fair price and got guns that are not going to lose their value. If you send him the cheapest 1911 of good manufacture that you can lay your hands on you will have a battery that will serve you very well.
Yes, I understand about not having had Mr. Banks build you a good bullseye gun. I regret that I did not buy several 1911s and have Jackie D. Best tune them before he passed on. I am fortunate to have one!
Since you have won several informal mathes why don't you continue to use the equipment you have in matches of a more formal and perhaps keener level of competition.
Ed, you have done the hard part, getting started. As you now know, this is a life long avocation. I continue to improve at age 48, what other endeavor can one say that he is improving in skill at age 48?
Drive on, you are the MAN!
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Ni ellegimit carborundum esse!
Yours In Marksmanship
michael