you really should go and shoot them before plunking down the cash for them
nothing worse than spending good money on a gun only to find out you cant stand shooting it
1911s are pretty standard... so you dont have to shoot every kind of 1911 out there... the slight differenced between them wont be so much of a deal breaker and will be easy to tell once you have fired a few 1911s of pretty much any other type
trigger break
ergos
finish
etc
the baby eagle you are going to have a hard time finding at a range for rental
so if you know someone with one see if you can borrow it or go to the range with them and shoot it... pretty much anyone will let you put rounds down range with their gun if you offer to buy the ammo
as much as i hate to say it because the guns are fucking beautiful... shy away from the kimber... their quality has really gone down the shitter lately... i know a few people who have had them and had a wide range of problems with them, and its no different when you go on any of the gun forums... in the past few years something at kimber has definitely changed for the worse
at very least go out to a few local gun shops and handle as many guns as you can... its not as good as actually firing them... but you at least get a bit of an idea... handle guns you dont even want or like... you might find that what really works for you is something like a Ruger P90 or a Sig p220... oooh speaking of Sig they have a whole line of 1911s that are amazing
if i remember correctly you use to work with B right??? still in the area??? if so check out Hoffmans (obviously), Newington Gun Exchange (in plaza on rt175 before you head up the hill), and Riverview (on rt5 in east windsor), and just for shits and giggles check out Cabela's (sometimes they have specials on stuff)
if you want, shoot me an IM, im always looking for an excuse to go look at guns