I am considering a Les Baer 1911 but I have had trouble with 1911s in the past...

[kamagong]

I have a Kimber Custom II and I like it. It was my first 1911 and it's a good one. But it just does not compare with my Baer. The Baer is better made, has better parts, and has a better trigger.

The Baer is not an inexpensive gun. But have you checked out the prices for some of the Kimbers? There is a bit of overlap between the prices of the two manufacters. The Gold Combat is $1825 and the Super Match is $2089. For that kind of money I'd rather get the LB Thunder Ranch Special or the LB Premier II. And the LB gun won't have a plastic mainspring housing or MIM parts.

 

[Rinspeed]

I've thought about getting a high dollar 1911 just because.

A friend has a multi thousand dollar Wilson. A nice smooth gun. I was shooting it a while back to see if that's the one I want. It jammed feeding several times. I asked him how long it's been doing that. He said since new.

All of them will put out a dog once in awile. I wouldn't judge a company by one sample. Wilson makes a great gun and they have a reputation for great service that is second to none. I can't help but wonder why your friend hasn't sent his back to Wilson, it probably is an easy fix.

 

[M2 Carbine]

[QUOTAll of them will put out a dog once in awile. I wouldn't judge a company by one sample. Wilson makes a great gun and they have a reputation for great service that is second to none. I can't help but wonder why your friend hasn't sent his back to Wilson, it probably is an easy fix.E][/QUOTE]

No, I'm not knocking Wilson, especially because of a glitch in one gun. Just passing on the experience.

I think it was the first time I put a magazine through the Wilson, my friend walked up and said, "What do you think about it?"
I said, "The thing is a waste of ammunition".
"Why".
"It's boring to shoot. Look, it puts all the bullets in the same hole".


I've asked him a couple times about sending the gun to Wilson but he doesn't get around to it. I think he's trying out some different recoil springs.

 

[45crittergitter]

I have personal experience with two 5" LBs and one Commander length. One of them was so tight out of the box that even my 300# gun-guy friend couldn't get the slide open without mechanical help (pushing against a piece of furniture). I thought, "No way a little pipsqueak .45 ACP cartridge is gonna make this thing run." But it did. Perfectly. With crappy LSWC reloads in old questionable brass. POI exactly at POA. The only trouble had with any of these guns (assuming good mags), is that one of them doesn't like the open-ended CCI shot loads. Other than that, price is the only downside.

 

[Chuck R.]

One of them was so tight out of the box that even my 300# gun-guy friend couldn't get the slide open without mechanical help (pushing against a piece of furniture). I thought, "No way a little pipsqueak .45 ACP cartridge is gonna make this thing run." But it did. Perfectly. With crappy LSWC reloads in old questionable brass. POI exactly at POA.

This reminded me of a thread a couple years ago on THR in where a dealer had gotten in a Baer for one of his customers and he was convinced that something was wrong because it was just "too tight". Of course this resulted in pages of opinions on tight 1911's VS reliability and various methods to fix the pistol that no one had even bothered to shoot yet. It was pretty funny.

From what I read the recommendation from Baer was to "shoot the thing" and then let him know if there was a problem.

The few complaints I've read about Baer's were from guys that didn't research what they were getting. IF a manufacturers suggested breakin bothers you, then you might want to look at a different make of pistol.

A Baer is a tight 1911, it's the way they're made, and it's why I like them 17K later my Baer is still tight whereas, my Colt Gold Cup started somewhat tight and as the years went on developed a rattle. Baer's are made to be shot and shot a lot.

Chuck