I would suggest reading up on 1911's at forums such as High Road (
www.thehighroad.org) and 1911Forum (
www.1911forum.com). At the moment Springfield Armory is univerally enjoyed for their 1911 models, particularly the MilSpec and WWII Models. Their reliability is top notch, they perform very well, and they're extremely cheap (a SS Milspec tops off the price list at $520 or so).