I had a Rock Island for several years and it was fantastic!
With that said I think shopping around for a used 1911 is a great plan. I bought a used Kimber 1911 from one of the local shops for around $500. It is just a very plain jane model but a good condition Kimber.
I also prefer the thinner single stack grips and would HIGHLY recommend you hunt for a sig p225. They are also called a p6. Being 9mm they are so much cheaper to feed on a budget. They are a time tested model that performs flawlessly. The West German police used them and they were popular over here too so used ones are always floating around and usually picked up for a pretty good price. The model was so popular that Sig actually brought it back this year as the P225-A1. I had one for several years and then gave it to a best friend in need of a concealed carry.
With that said I think shopping around for a used 1911 is a great plan. I bought a used Kimber 1911 from one of the local shops for around $500. It is just a very plain jane model but a good condition Kimber.
I also prefer the thinner single stack grips and would HIGHLY recommend you hunt for a sig p225. They are also called a p6. Being 9mm they are so much cheaper to feed on a budget. They are a time tested model that performs flawlessly. The West German police used them and they were popular over here too so used ones are always floating around and usually picked up for a pretty good price. The model was so popular that Sig actually brought it back this year as the P225-A1. I had one for several years and then gave it to a best friend in need of a concealed carry.