Well guys n gals... I bit the bullet, no pun intended.
It ain’t the greatest 1911...and ain’t the greatest Springer either... but it’s MINE !!!!!!
Happy Memorial Day Tidal Wave,
Congratulations, She's beautiful. I'm sure she'll bring you a lifetime of shooting and outdoor memories. It's more than a 1911-A1: it's an heirloom. Your grand kids will enjoy shooting their grand dad's gun while they're thinking of you.
I own four Springfield Armory 1911-A1's. I have no clue of which Springfield Armory is greatest, or best, or any accolade, etc. I really like the GI Model because I enjoy US military history. I could pick up a copy tomorrow and opine it's the greatest Springfield Armory 1911-A1. It's all opinion, and if you love sports like I love sports, we're thoroughly imbued with scientific opinion. Double that if you're a fisherman.
What's greatest is opinion. And my opinion is your Springfield Armory 1911-A1 is a great handgun.
You probably not yet have grand kids who will enjoy shooting your great Springfield Armory 1911-A1
TidalWave, I sincerely hope you enjoy an eternity of recreation with your 1911-A1. That gun will go through tens of thousands of rounds and still be warming up. This is just a guess: with minimal maintenance (cleaning, spring changes, firing pin changes, maybe a couple barrel changes, etc), as long as standard pressure rounds are fired, a run-of-the-factory-mill 1911-A1 will be good for 100k rounds. That's merely a guess based upon my experience with Springfield Armory 1911-A1's.
A word of caution I've learned the expensive way: Springfield Armory 1911-A1's tend to propagate in contradiction of all known science. They'll mystically appear in your gun safe.
Best of luck to you, Tidal Wave