Some brands are probably going to need more work than others. That said, I've never bought a new 1911, but I've seen plenty of people with problems at the range right out of the box (especially with the cheaper brands). The parts don't simply "drop-in." It was designed back when some hand fitting was the norm.

The extractor can often use a little shaping and tweeking. There's a pretty simple set of tests to do to make sure it's fitted correctly--it's pretty easy to tune yourself and a replacement extractor only runs about $25 if you mess it up. There are models with external extractors which should be better behaved. Other common reliability enhancements are to have the ejection port lowered and the feed ramp worked.

http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/r...ty_secrets.htm

Ty