I've got several 1911s (or variants thereof):
- fullsize Kimber, Kimber Compact, Kimber Compact aluminum
- Springfield fullsize
- ParaOrdnance P14
- Wilson Combat service grade
- Colt Delta Elite
By far the worst is the P14. After several thousand rounds, the hammer started following the slide -- I had to have a gunsmith replace the hammer, sear, and disconnector. The slide stop notch in the slide has worn, so the slide will probably have to be replaced. The gun is also prone to FTF near the end of the magazine. I've replaced the magazine springs and followers, but that didn't cure the problem. One of these days I'll have the gun built into a race gun. I'll keep the frame and magazines, but the rest of the parts aren't worth saving.
The P14 has the old-style sights, thumb safety, and grip safety. I much prefer high-visibility sites, an extended thumb safety, and a beavertail grip safety. All those parts are available on other PO models. The only question is whether their Q/A is any better now that it was on my early P14 model.
My Kimbers have been excellent guns. I have had trigger jobs done on them. I had a few FTF early on with them, but none since I went to standard capacity Wilson mags (7 rounds in the fullsize and 6 rounds in the compacts).
My Springfield was a Gunsite GSP2000. It was basically a stock Springfield mildly customized by the gunsmiths at Gunsite. This Springfield came with a two-piece barrel that was, to be polite, a POS. This full size gun was noticeably less accurate than my 4" Kimber Compacts. The trigger had some creep in it and the disconnector was noticeably bowed. The Springfield has a fuller profile to the front strap, making the gun feel a bit less comfortable in my hand. It came with Novak night sights. I find the rear Novak sight to be intolerably busy. It attracts your eye and its multitude of surfaces invariably reflects light -- it's an abomination. I had the barrel and action parts replaced, so now the gun is reasonably accurate.
I've also shot a Springfield that a friend of mine owns. He got it new and sent it to the Springfield custom shop for a bunch of work. They did a really pretty melt job to the gun. But the barrel lock is only fair and shooting it side-by-side with my stock full-size Kimber, my Kimber was noticeably more accurate.
So while my sample size on Springfields is quite small (only 2), I have to say that I would not be interested in trying a third (although that is currently an academic argument, since you can't get Springfield's here in MA).
I picked up a Colt Delta Elite (10mm) used a while back. It was very lightly used. It came with the original low visibility sights, small thumb safety, and grip safety that I don't like. I had Heinie sight installed, along with a slim extended thumb safety and a beavertail grip safety. I also had the gunsmith do a trigger job. It still has the overly full front strap profile that I don't care for. But the gun is remarkably accurate.
Last year I picked up a used Wilson Combat service grade. This is Wilson's basic gun. It has high-visibility target sights, with an adjustable rear sight, and they are sweet. Very fast to pick up. It's an all around nice gun.
Of those guns, my favorite for competition is the Wilson Combat. The full-size Kimber isn't far behind. For carry, it's my Kimber Compact Aluminum frame. I don't recommend ParaOrdnance or Springfield, based on my experience. YMMV.
I don't have any experience with the S&W 1911s, so I can't comment on them.