tbuck you are either a 1911 fan or you aren't. I have been selling handguns for several years and the majority of customers I find are relatively new too handguns and for the average person the 1911 is large and not as comfortable in the hands as say a Glock, Taurus, Sig or anyother plethora of autos on the market today.John M. Browning invented the 1911 and he was well over 6' tall and slender of build. That tells me he had larger than average hands so the 1911 is what felt right too him. Likewise for me, I am 6'4"and my hands are alittle longer than averageand I LOVE the 1911s, always have and have shot many of them. But I prefer the slimmer single stack versions compared to some of the higher capacity double stack versions on the market.
I just recently purchased a Para LDA 1911.
http://www.paraord.com/product/product.html?id=38 This gun is a DAO (Double Action Only) as it features a bobbed hammer. The Para has an incredible trigger that is smooth and has no firmness too it or rough spots. If you like the 1911 but don't want a SAO (Single Action Only) then I encourage you to check out the Para's. As for a SAO 1911 I LOVE Kimbers, for the money I don't think you can beat them. Even their cheapest guns are comparable to most other makers target models. For the cheapest 1911s that are still a quality piece and are closer too the original GI model Colts, look at the 1911s from Springfield. They aren't pretty, but they are tough as nails and shoot decently.
If money is no object then check out Les Baer or Wilson Combat and like guns. I have a few buddies on my local SWAT team and their choice is the Wilson Combat 1911. You can spend $2k-$3k+ on either of these makers finest guns, but one session at the range will have you understanding WHY!
Ammo isn't as cheap as a 9mm for sure, but you can get some quality ball ammo for plinking around from UMC, Winchester, Remington and several other makers. I had one supplier whom I could buy 50rnds of .45 ball ammo and retail it for less than $15 a box. I can't remember the maker right now (I want to say it was a cheap line who was owned by either Remington or CCI, but can't remember when I need to as typical) but my customers love it. Several of my Kimber customers cussed the Russian Wolf ammo for it's dirtyness and claimed several jams up with their typically unfussy Kimbers. So stay away from the cheap import stuff and you should be ok.
For carry purpose stick with either the Federal HydraShok bullets or what every law enforcement officer I know ofcarries, the Golden Sabre from Remington. In fact the departments around my area require their officers to use Golden Sabre. The head of the SWAT team told me that the engineer who designed the Black Talon also designed the Golden Sabre and that the GS proved superior in all their tests when determining what the depts should issue.
Good luck and "THE" auto pistol too me is still the one that came from the man who invented the auto pistol... the 1911 rules FOREVER!!!
RA