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

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kashton

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I used to own a 3 inch Kimber Tactical Ultra II and it had major issues with reliability, it even stove-piped a LIVE round. Needless to say, I sold it back to the same shop I bought it from after trying to get it fixed.

My father also owns a very nice full size 1911 that has also jammed on me many times, in fact, every time I shoot it it ends up jamming a few times in 50 rounds.

I have also had a chance to shoot a Kimber Warrior, which also jammed on me.

I have not had the best experience with 1911s but I have never shot a Les Bear.

What are your opinions with them? Any problems?
 
I agree with BM. Listen to him, he's gained a fair bit of experience with Baers the past couple of years.

I have a Concept II myself. It's been an excellent firearm, but I've only had it for a month. Still, this hasn't given me any reason to doubt its capabilities. Les Baer makes a good gun, I'm seriously thinking of picking up another.
 
As long as you know going in Baers are built on the tight side you should be very happy with one. I laugh when I hear people say tight guns don't run. When my Baer was new I could hardly rack the slide but it has been 100% reliable from round one. They also just keep getting smoother and smoother as you put more rounds through them. Most of the tightness comes from the barrel to bushing fit instead of the slide to frame as most people assume.
 
I had 4 LB, still have 2. All together about 15k rounds. No problem once. Just chanding recoil springs for different reloads.
Friend of mine has Premier II. It has over 70k rounds and it's still tight. I could not turn bushing without the wrench.
 
I spent 4 years in the Marine Corps, and have been shooting guns for over 30 years. I have never shot a gun like my Les Baer Premier II. Get one and hang on for the time of your life. It will be the best weapon you ever shoot. Contact John at proload.com he has about 300 in stock, and has the best prices around. A PII is about $1350.00
 
Are you sure it's not you?
I haven't had that many jams on 1911's in my whole life (including a Norinco 1911 POS that my buddy owned)

The micro compacts (3", 3.5") are notorious for not being all that reliable and somewhat tunable.
But a full size quality 1911 (kimber +) usually run with few failures.

Are you sure you have your grip right and are not limp wristing?

I'm just asking, not implying.
 
I would give Les Baer a chance. But you will need to be careful of what ammo you shoot thru it when new, Baers are fitted tightly and may not cycle certain rounds.

As for Kimber 3" guns, I have one and it was a POS when NIB and still a questionable gun after many (did I say many?) trips back to Kimber and my local smith. Don't combine 3-3.5" M1911 experiences with the full-size versions, they really aren't the same gun.
 
I own or have owned about 8 1911's of several different brands. LB's are the BEST I have ever handled. Get one, shoot about 1000 rounds to break it it (just for fun, you understand) and it will begin to slick up like a greased pig.

The are wonderful shooters from round #1 and only get better with age. They ARE tight when new and you will swear it can't possibly function. You will be wrong.

Get one. Enjoy.
 
After the initial sticker shock, my Baer Premier has worked flawlessly.
Amazing accuracy and makes a good shooter look even better.
My only complaint might be that the finish seems to be wearing alittle more than other guns I've carried.
 
Well, I never have any of my other guns jam on me so I know I am not limp wristing... I shoot my Kahr MK40, Glock 27, H&K P2000SK .40 V2 LEM.. etc.. never had a problem, its only with the 1911s, unless there is a special way to shoot them.

What would be a good option for a stainless Steel finish Les Baer?
 
Stainless is the base material not a finish. I think the concept 3 and 4 have a SS frame with a carbon slide. One has fixed rear sight and the other has a adj. rear. Either should be around $1350-1400.
 
If you want reliable, go for a Baer 3" guarantee guns. My 2 PII's both worked perfectly, but they are very tight out of the box. My 1.5" HWML 10mm is a good gun, but it took around 700 rounds to really settle in. Since then no problems for about the last 6000 rnds.
 
I've got 2 Baer's a Concept V, and a Stinger that I use for CC.

The Concept V has over 16K through it and only bobbled a couple of times during the 1st 500 rounds. I still think those might have been a worn out Wilson Mag issue. It is still "tight", but smooth as glass, it just keeps getting better.

My Stinger has close to 8K through it now and has never jammed. It was built slightly "looser" than the Concept V in that I don't need to push the slide out of battery to remove the bushing like with my 5".

Of the 8 total 1911s I've owned, these are definitely my favorites.

Chuck
 
I've owned a PII for a couple of years. Still waiting for it to jam. Been thinking about loading the magazine with one in backwards just to get it out of the way.

Ended up buying a Dillon 550B to feed the thing. Extremely accurate and it's one of the 3" guns. If I buy another [additional] .45 it will be another LB, probably a Stinger.

DJR
 
I have a commander size Baer Custom and LOVE it. I got it new as part of a tip from a hunter along with 3000 rounds of ammo. Best deal I've ever gotten. Kimber's great, too, but this gun shoots amazing.
 
I have a Premier II, in .38 Super. I had a couple of failures to go into battery with the first mag through the gun. Since then I've put about 600 trouble free rounds through it.

Accuracy is outstanding. Fit and finish are top notch.

The one thing I really love; it's the only 1911 I've shot (I own several mid to high enders) which never gives me trouble with the grip safety not disengaging. I don't know if it's cut differently, or if its just tuned better, but I always get the safety off with my grip.

I'd easily buy another when the time and money are right.
 
ugh I can't believe I have to point this out but you can not limp wrist a 1911. Some models are finicky about ammo, many do poorly if over lubed but you can not limp wrist one, you can hold one sideways and pull the trigger with your thumb and it will still cycle.
 
i have a lb monolith. really accurate with a great trigger. no frills. very tight when new. still is. found a custom holster from rafters. the recoil sring may be more dangerous than the round down range, however.
 
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.:eek:

I've owned four Kimbers for years, three are Ultras (3 inch) and recently bought a Ultra Covert. Friends own about another nine or ten Kimbers. All have been so reliable and accurate that I'd pick anyone at random for carry.
So I'm reluctant to buy any other brand, especially a high dollar gun. It's bad enough to have trouble with an inexpensive gun, but a high dollar gun giving trouble is really aggravating.

My friend said he wished he had the money in the Wilson so he could buy a couple more Kimbers. But his wife bought the Wilson for him.:(

I've thought about a Les Baer, if they make a 3 inch.
 
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