Kimber vs. Les Baer, Wilson Combat, etc.

[MaterDei]

I currently have a Kimber Series II pistol that I really like. I've heard great things about the semi-custom 1911s on the market and find myself wondering what I would expect to see/feel in these that I don't see/feel in my Kimber.

My Kimber is absolutely reliable and seems accurate enough (I've never put it into a rest) and I can't imagine a nicer trigger. I've been really thinking seriously about stepping up in quality to a Les Baer or a Wilson Combat or even to a SA Leatham series gun when I buy my next 1911. There is currently a used Les Baer in the buy,sell, trade section of THR that has caught my eye.

Even used it sells for almost double what a new Kimber would cost me. I like quality and am willing to pay for it. So tell me; what tangible benefits would I receive in going the semi-custom route?

Thanks in advance.

 

[critter]

I recently bought a Les Baer Custom Carry that I really, really like a lot. I have never had, shot or even handled anything else that has the kind of quality this one exudes. You won't be disappointed by a LB I don't think. Can't speak to the others.

 

[El Tejon]

I own several Les Baers. I am very pleased with them with the exception of one TRS that had machining burrs under the slide. I wrote about the problems here on THR. Les Baer corrected the problem without charge. Today the pistols shoots without failure.

 

[270Win]

I have a Norinco/Wilson Combat and the quality is outstanding. Everything fits together with total precision, and the gun is dead reliable and very accurate.

 

[MaterDei]

Thanks for the replies guys. What I'm really after is what differentiates these guns from your run of the mill Kimber? Is the finish more durable? Is the trigger somehow better? More accurate? etc.

Thanks

 

[El Tejon]

Here's the thread on my problematic Les Baer TRS. Ray Coffman at Thunder Ranch diagnosed the problem and did a quick fix on the spot. I sent the gun to Illinois after I got back from class. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=83224

Finish? Distinctions without difference. The finish on all my TRSs is wearing off from use. When it gets too bad I'll return them to Illinois to re-blue when he rebuilds them.

Triggers? From a user standpoint some are better, some are worse. My TRSs all have great triggers, once I take that *&^%$## overtravel screw out of them. Why Clint had those awful things put in I do not know (had a pistol seize up on me in an Awerbuck class).

Accuracy? Don't really care. How many can shoot up to their pistol? 1 in 100 maybe?

Les Baers are put together well. With a minor part that comes off, the TRS is ready to go. After mucking with custom pistols from all the big name smiths whose guns did not run or did not last, I like my Les Baers as they work and they last.

Of course, you can go Glock and get the same, but I like the 1911 platform.

Lots of good guns out there, Mater. If you have Kimbers that work, go to class, buy lots of mags and shoot them until the wheels come off and then "upgrade" to Les Baer later.

Why guys like one over the other is like asking what your favorite color is. (Mine is goldenrod). The subjective is objective in the gun world. Pick a pistol that works, buy another just like it, train a lot.

 

[MaterDei]

Your favorite color is goldenrod? Now that's odd. Mine is green.

Oh, and btw, thanks for the sage advice.