From the '70s, I wasted tons of money on Colts, the 1911 is the only pistol I ever really cared for and Colt was all I ever wanted. I shot thousands of rounds and thought, well, I guess that is a good as I can shoot, I had 3 custom built guns that I shot and 12 new or like new guns of all sizes to someday build into anything I might want for the future. I had a Bar-Sto barrel put in one of my guns and learned immediately that Colt barrels sucked, it shot circles around my other custom built guns. I read about Les Baer winning the FBI hostage rescue team's contract for the new gun they wanted and it sounded like exactly what I would want and I decided to make the jump to the next level in the cost of a custom pistol just to see if there was anything better about it. Being a 1911 purist, I did not like the wide body Para-Ordnance frame like the FBI ordered so I ordered a single stack traditional 1911, a Baer Concept III full size tu-tone adjustable sight gun. After the first magazine I was stunned, at almost any distance that I shot it put the shots all in one hole. Next I bought a Premier II with the Inch and a Half groups at 50 yards accuracy guarantee option and it shot even smaller one hole groups, and over time I realized that all the custom Colts, as much as I loved them, were just a waste of money. I sold all my Colts and went on a Baer buying spree that still lasts today. There are a few gunsmiths that can equal the performance of a Les Baer but it will be at a much higher cost. Colt has made some improvement in quality recently but they are still very sloppy and loose, and even more nauseating they are built by the sorry ass Obama loving Auto Workers Union. Your Kimber in my opinion is a step up from a Colt whose guns may be made from the best quality material, but Kimber puts them together tighter and better so you will get better accuracy from a Kimber. Baer completely controls the size and tolerences of all manufactured parts so as to get the tightest fit with the least amount of hand fitting to keep the price as low as possible and he has done this to an art. If your heart will be the happiest with a higher quality product and if your budget can afford to step up you owe it to yourself to give a Les Baer a try. Cosmetically you may find that Baer falls behind Wilson and Ed Brown but in the reliability and accuracy arena he is nearly unbeatable. Nighthawks are drastically over priced for what you get, their quality took a dive when Ron Phillips left them. Near perfection, in this life, is hard to find, but it is what you can expect from Baer, Wilson or Ed Brown. If I had to settle for only one gun in my life, it would be my Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special with the Inch and a half guarantee, it is with me at all times and I would bet my life on it anywhere anytime. I have 9 Baers 2 Wilsons, 1 NightHawk and 1 Ed Brown, they are all fabulous pistols and warm my heart completely and it feels good. These words are only my opinion from my experience for the last 25 years. Good luck on your quest.
