I have the R1 stainless, I think it's a good pistol for what it is, but caters to a very specific, niche market. It's a good, American made, entry-level, mostly traditional 1911. For me, I just had to buy American, I wasn't looking to spend a lot of money (sub $800 before taxes), and I didn't have the patience to wait for the Ruger; which really left me with only one choice. Many others have been well served by their less expensive, offshore produced 1911s and I won't disagree, but as I said, I just couldn't compromise American manufacturing for my first 1911.
As for the pistol itself, the finish on the stainless is pretty decent save for some rough areas on the trigger guard and the very visible grains of the steel on top of the slide. The remaining opinions are based on my limited experiences with 1911s and shooting in general so what I may enjoy about it, may seem "substandard" to a 1911 connoisseur. The slide-to-frame fit started a tad loose and would rattle when shook with the hammer back. Oddly enough, the rattles seem to have disappeared, the opposite of what I expected to happen over time, with use. However, the barrel bushing is a tight, solid fit, I haven't been able to disassemble the pistol without the bushing wrench. The trigger is a tad sloppy during take up, but the break feels crisp enough, at least by my inexperienced standards. The GI style safety sort of hurts to ride during a long range session; though I'm just hoping the side of my thumb callouses over time. The beaver tail offers adequate protection for the webbing between my thumb and index, I've yet to be bitten by the hammer. As for reliability, I've only fed you pistol 230 grain FMJs and it has performed almost flawlessly so far, save for the instances when I load 7+1 on my last mag to finish a box. It tends to double feed when I load +1.
All-in-all I'm happy with what I bought, I think she's a keeper.
