Agree with 2HOW on the break-in period, especially for less expensive guns. I know Walt Rauch's Taurus 1911 was a bear for 300 or so rounds, then settled down and ran just fine. I'll typically dump a quick 100 rounds of ball through any new gun before I even try to do anything with it, hopefully knock the rough edges off.
That "softer steel" myth has been around for a long time. The Rock Island guns are made to current American specs (the highly rated STI Spartan is also manufactured in the Phillipines).
If you want softer steel, check out some of the older Spanish semiautos...Silly Putty, but good enough for the mission at the time.
Michael B