deffinately get rid of the recoil buffer when the 1911 was originally designed it didnt have one, the recoil buffer is a stupid trend Colt started, I dont know why other then they were trying to perfect perfection, the 1911 is a rugged design and works best when everything is kept to the basics.

The best lower priced 1911 you can buy would either be a charles daly or a springfield government model again both guns are as basic as it gets. Oh and forget kimber, kimber 1911's are the only gun that keep my cousin in business, he is a gunsmith and constantly has kimbers in his shop seems like the only guns he works on are kimbers. He tells me the kimbers are the jaguars of pistols. Constantly need to be tuned.