I'm not a fan either, only having a few more that you do Colonel darling.
FWIW, I've measured different makes of 1911 pistols (most recently, Colt, SA, and RIA) and found, with flat mainspring housings, they all are around two point zero something inches front to back. A noticeable difference is seen in where the contour for the front strap starts, Colt, Kimber, Dan Wesson, and others start the contour further to the rear than SA, RIA, S&W, and others do. The latter group have a much more abrupt contour than the former and having the contour start further forward makes the side of the frame look larger. This is further exacerbated by the narrow grips BirdsThaWord has on his RO.
Kimber, Colt, SA - notice where the front strap contours start
While I prefer the more gradual contour, the abrupt one is not a deal breaker with me in regards to how they feel in hand. Cosmetic wise, I feel grips can make a big difference.
Here's my 9mm RIA with it's stock grips:
...and with after market grips:
I think it looks better with the slightly wider after market grips.
As to Springers:
I had a Range Officer and found it to a lot of pistol for the money. My one gripe with it was that they glue the ejector in place. This is not the end of the world, just something I don't like. My older Springer is drilled and pinned, so I had their custom shop do the same with my TRP. Speaking of which, the TRP's front strap has a more gradual contour than the others.
Enjoy your new 1911 BirdsThaWord!
Regards,
Greg