My wife bought my matte stainless 1991A1 as a Xmas gift about 6 years ago, for about $500.00. The gun came with lowered port, slight flare, basic polish on ramp, throated barrel. This is also a basic milspec style with full spur hammer, standard grip safety. It has been extremely reliable; a few hiccups w/in the first 200rds and no problems since then (except when I shoot too many rounds in a single session w/out cleaning, say 300 or more).
Prices don't seem to have come down much from that, and have in some cases increased, but still, to my mind, a very good platform for further customization, or a good reliable home defense arm just as it is. I have done some accuracy and handling tuning and thats about it; I could go a lot further, but wish to keep it loose enough to be reliable.
I can't imagine spending a grand on what is essentially an earlier incarnation of this piece, without tuning mods, nothing special about it really. If you want a milspec type pistol, go for one of the 1991A1 or Springfield 1911A1. You won't feel bad about tinkering with it if the desire strikes.
As to finish, that is one thing that Colt has always been known for, even on guns that were not well-recieved. Their bluing process is the best.
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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Max1991A1 on 2002-02-23 01:59 ]</font>