in defense of the Colt 1911 or style pistol, there maybe many more after markets parts available for it then any other you mentioned, some good some not so good, the reliability of the 1911 depends on how well you affix these parts ... after market drop-in parts sometimes just don't drop in, you need to know how an what makes it function
i'd say the first problem you'll run into is the ammo itself especially if its reloads, second is the magazine, to understand that three thing go along with its function , the magazine release controls the way it locks-up,, the height into the frame ,, where the bullet sits in relation to the barrel is only part of a possible non-working one..
to go on further... the slide release controls the follower in the mag' at last shot position holds the slide open, set either the follow or the slide release wrong an it won't work properly, then the barrel excepting the bullet over its ramp is also important [] or the way the ramp is cut either on the frame or the barrel [ meaning after market parts or other then original Colt]... anyone of or all of these modifications will cause problems feeding
so even lightly customizing an adding after market stuff like extended mag. buttons, slide release, barrel changes an the magazine itself, any very small minimal change in design of the product can cause problems, not to mention the 47 other parts available, changing beavertails, springs an grip safetys, even adding a rib'd site, the extra weight on the slide changes how it will fed an eject, once on the frame, if it doesn't work an you don't know how to make it work, you'll hear about 'a l l ' the complaints on which product sucks or won't work on my gun.. not say there aren't bad products out there... sometimes cheap ain't the way to go
just a bunch of thought here an my 2cents....
Person A swears his brand X 1911 is 100% reliable when using a particular brand magazine. The next guy says his 1911 will not work at all with that same magazine. Sometimes 1911's won't work with factory supplied magazines. I own or have owned Browning Hi-Powers, Glocks, Smiths in various calibers, just to name a few. ALL are reliable with the magazines they are issued with, why is there so much confusion with selecting 1911 magazines? I've yet to see a SIG or even a Smith and Wesson .45 that didn't work with the magazines that are factory supplied, I wonder why the 1911 is so much harder to deal with?
