Are there barrel brands that tend to have this problem more than others?
Are postwar colt Barrels generally good?
That's a question that really can't be answered. There's more to it than the barrel alone.
Barrel A may headspace correctly with Slide A... but not with slide B, and vice-versa.
It's possible for the gun to pass a NO-GO test, and still not have safe headspace.
It's possible for it to fail the test, and have perfectly safe headspace.
Short form:
Headspace is a function of the distance from the breechface to the chamber shoulder with the gun in battery. This is called the static headspace dimension. Commonly checked with a set of GO/NO-GO gauges...but that only determines if the headspace is within acceptable limits. The minimum GO gauge for .45 ACP is .898 inch, and the maximum NO-GO is .920 inch. As long as the static dimension falls somewhere between those two extremes, the gun is deemed serviceable.
Headspace is the difference between the static dimension and the length of a cartridge case... also known as actual, or working headspace. It will vary with every round fired, unless all cases are trimmed to exactly the same length.
Contrary to a popular belief, the case rim or a GO gauge sitting flush with the barrel hood does not indicate safe headspace... or even good headspace. It may well sit flush when the headspace is good... and it may sit flush when the headspace is out of the allowable range. It's simply not a reliable indicator. It's rather a means to quickly determine whether or not something needs to be examined more closely.
The only way to determine what the headspace is with a given barrel and slide assembly is to measure it.
1911 tuner is exactly correct. I think that beyond the education that go or no-go gauges are only a gross estimator on safety alone you have to realize that your headspace will change in regards to which slide you are using.
Additionally, you must consider the 1911 as a complete organism. This is not a pistol that you can drop a barrel in and "go" even if headspace is safe. You must consider barrel and slide lug clearances and peening (wear), recoil system, bushing setup and clearance, barrel lug clearance to achieve proper lug timing, frame setup (eg is it ramped the same as your barrel or not), and a host of other measurements and inspections.
If you're buying a new barrel because you broke your last one, you'd be better off figuring out why before sacrificing another barrel to the gods... or worse, your gun.
PM me if I can answer any further ?'s.