TexasCHLforum.com

It all depends on what you want and what you want to do with the gun, but all your choices so far are pretty good ones. There are lots a very satisfied Kimber owners, but I personally shy away from them. There is a tendancy to have the chambers pretty tight which can cause some feeding problems and lots of folks don't like the internal firing pin block and the external extractor.

I personally prefer the "loaded" Springfileds to the milspecs, as I prefer better sights and I like beavertails.

The Spartan has gotten rave reviews from competition shooters -- and that is really the market for that gun, hence the fiber optic front sight. But front sights are cheap and easy to replace on a 1911, so if that in any way scares you off, don't let it. The Spartan is a very well made gun with more hand fitting and attention to detail than either Kimber or Springfield, plus it comes from a smaller company. STI's customer service is also great -- they will take care of you if you have any issues. And know that this gun is assembled here in TX and the innards are STI parts of very high quality. The frame, slide and barrel are the parts made by Armscor in the Phillipines, which helps keep the overall cost of this pistol down.

I don't have personal experience with the RIA Tacticals, but these sure seem to be value leaders right now. You can't beat the price at less than $400.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide.