1911 Newbie. Any advice appreciated

I like Chip McCormick magazines. They work well, and they aren't that expensive.

You've got a great gun. Invest in some Wilson combat magazines. Get a good holster. Become TOTALLY familiar with it. And always carry "cocked & locked"

You've already taken the plunge on purchasing one, so this advice comes too late (as usual), but the most important thing is that you're completely comfortable with the function of the weapon. Simply put, if you're not comfortable with carrying it cocked and locked you shouldn't carry it.

Same advice as for anyone purchasing a handgun. Make sure it fits and points like an extension of your finger and all controls are comfortably located and intuitive and you can shoot the round well. Then do whatever is required to make it your own, changing anything that's not perfect.

I use http://ubgholsters.com for my 1911'a

Only let Les Baer work on pistol if needed. If some one else does other than his people he won't warranty If it still has a warranty

Mags:

CMC power mags and Wilson combat mags WORK. I prefer the CMC powermag 8 rounders and have fired a gojillion (tm) rounds with no issues.

Holster:

I like kydex. Ive been very pleased with the CQC serpa holster as it offers some retention, and is easy to draw from. For competition (IDPA / USPSA) I have been very pleased with a Blade tech as it is very adjustable and easy to clean.

Mag pouches:

Again, I like kydex as it can be adjusted and doesn't need to be "broken in" like leather. Blade tech, again, makes excellent mag pouches that are very adjustable, and come in one or two mag set ups.

Maintenance:

I prefer to use a grease on the major moving parts and save the oils for parts that don't see major wear or friction. This works for me, and I have never had any issues resulting from a perceived lack of lube. A heavy day is about 4-500 rounds, and my 1911's haven't had issues. A match day is anywhere from 150-200 ish.

I clean my firearms after every shooting session, so before I shoot, I'm running on "gunk" free lube and there isn't carbon or fouling acting as a lapping agent to "polish" my gun. The maintenance is easier this way since I don't let the nastiness accumulate as some do, and it doesn't take much time to wipe down the gun and re lube it for future use.

Operation:

N00B's may have a tendency to have N00B induced malfunctions that stem from lack of training and or familiarity with the platform. Unlike revolvers and some of the other auto's, the 1911 demands respect from the shooter!

Common 1911 specific shooter induced malfunctions to avoid....

Failure to fire due to poor grip resulting in a failure to deactivate the grip safety. (Fix: Retrain grip. Dry fire)

Failure to fire due to a failure to deactivate the thumb safety. (Fix: Retrain grip, ensure thumb rides on top of safety, dry fire.)

Failure to fire due to ACTIVATION of the thumb safety during a shot string or follow up shot. (Fix: Retrain grip, ensure thumb rides on top of safety, dry fire.)

Those are the 3 biggies I see, all of which can be avoided with good training / dry fire.

You've got to get to the point where you properly operate the firearm without having to think about it. It's not hard, but for those not used to using a safety, it may take some adjustment.

Parts:

Your Baer already has excellent parts, and they SHOULD already be well fitted. The only thing I would recommend is a beveled mag well if you don't already have one. While you don't NEED it, they DO make reloads a bit easier. Wilson combat sells some that fit under the gun and are secured by your side panel screws, which makes it very easy to install.

Other 1911's:

You CAN'T have just ONE!!

You need a full size for carry, and a compact for carry for certain summer time attire....and one for competition....and a spare for competition....and one with a light rail and light for home defense...and one for formal outdoor BBQ's....and one for.....

A common concern I've seen brought up is that 1911's don't always like to feed hollow points until they've been broken in a bit. This can largely be influenced by your magazines, and also can somewhat depend on whether or not your feed ramp has had any polishing work done on it (pretty sure your Les Baer has), but in any case, don't be discouraged if they don't feed well right away. Put a few hundred more FMJ's downrange to finish the break in process.

i like the wilson 47d 8rd. mag also start buying alot of ammo they tend to be hungry. mostly just enjoy. 1911's are a pure joy to shoot. i fired off about 450rds today between my .45 & 9mm 1911's. it just leaves one big smile on your face.

Here's a guide on how to completely disassemble a 1911. This might come in handy for cleaning and it's a good way to become familiar with the mechanics of the pistol.

http://warlockfirearms.blogspot.com/2010/05/complete-disassembly-and-detail.html

get familiar with field stripping and detailed stripping and =beware the dreaded idiot mark when reinstalling slide stop, it has a tendency to scratch the frame. I use BErry Ultimate Gun Lube on the rails and bushing of my 1911. Search for it on here and you can get info. Awesome stuff. I have heard great things about Wilson Mags but opted for some from Tripp Research that have been flawless through 4000 rounds thus far. Maybe look into them. Congrats and enjoy!

beware the dreaded idiot mark when reinstalling slide stop, it has a tendency to scratch the frame

Click to expand...

This. :banghead:

My first 1911 was a NIB stainless, and it got "the scratch" the first time I field stripped it at home.

On the bright side, I'm convinced that MOST 1911's out there have the idiot scratch, so it kind of just becomes part of "completing the finish," I think.

Congrats on your new Baer. Rest assured, your new 1911 has not even been broken in yet. You'll notice it still clicks into battery. It'll take around 800 more rounds for it to really smooth out.

I like Wilson and Tripp's Cobramags the best. However, they also really run well on CMC Powermags and the factory Baer mags (which are mediocre).

The only real advice I can offer is to shoot the crap out of it. It's a fantastic pistol.

One of the Baer recommendations that I've seen is to not clean the pistol for at least 500 rounds. Keep it well oiled, but don't field strip and clean it until you been through 500 rounds.

The "slurry" created by the lubricant and the powder residue smooths out the action.

Baer mags work great. Everyone else has posted great advice but neglected this one tidbit. Start saving for your next one.

Here is my TRS after a hard shooting session:

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread, and to all who have responded. I'm in a similar boat as the OP, having recently bought my first 1911 and it being a Baer (mine is a HW Monolith). I've only managed to get a couple hundred rounds down range, but it has been flawless. It's got to be the finest piece of machinery I've every owend-maybe ever held in my hands.

This may seem like a hijack attempt now, but I'm more trying to hide from those that may scream at me from posting within this thread when I ask:

Is it blasphemy to put a 22LR conversion on a Les Baer? Do I have to go all the way to a Marvel conversion price-wise? Has anyone out there actually tried a 22LR converted Monolith?

**I already have a modified Buckmark, and shoot it tons. It is 1911ish, and I'll be putting 1911 panels on it one of these days, but I'd have to tie a (small) brick to it to approach the heft of a real 1911.


Warlock Firearms-- extra thanks for the effort and the link

Shoot it often. Les Bbaer makes great pistols & mags that you can bet your life on.

Don't go cheap on magazines. I had some 'bargains' that the floorplate broke out on the first time loaded, another that threw cartridges out the ejection port. I replaced them with Chip McCormick shooting star 8rd. mags that have never failed in any way.

I'm not a plastic holster fan. I have watched more people stuggle with kydex et al. They don't form to the body and can really gouge when moving around. I like a good leather holster for a nice pistol like that. (I carry a Glock in leather, never mind a Baer 1911) Galco, Gold & Goodrich, & Strong make solid serviceable holsters. If you like something more exotic, El Paso is a good place to start. IIRC there are members here that make some nice leather. The 'classifieds' here can get you some deals.

A couple threads to look at:

general
Autos

or Google 'holster' and you'll be busy for days....

..."Is it blasphemy to put a 22LR conversion on a Les Baer? Do I have to go all the way to a Marvel conversion price-wise? Has anyone out there actually tried a 22LR converted Monolith?"...

would have to pose a counter-question:

is it blasphemy to spend 50-100 dollars just to practice one afternoon with plain old ball ammo?

no experience with that/those brands, mine is a wilson, on a series 70 GC. is that blasphemy? even with the recommended 40 gr plated winch 22lrs, never what i'd consider "reliable". (not that a 22 trainer has to, or really needs to be. could realistically be considered a plus to practice the clearing drill some when you may not have to spend a lifetime trying to do so quickly.)

but after a while i got tired of the every 3 or 4 mag jam, and bought a 13# colt 38 super gold cup main spring, and a complete ed brown main spring housing/parts to simplify the caliber change over. feeds wally world federal brick ammo quite reliably now. the problem was that 22lr energy is not quite always up to cycling the slide, AND cocking the hammer.

whatever flavor of conversion you decide on, keep the rails well lubed for max smiles.

gunnie

Join these forums...

http://forums.1911forum.com/

http://forum.m1911.org/forumdisplay.php?forumid=7