New Les Baer PII

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ilmonster

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Well, I've taken the plunge! In purusing local gun ads, I saw a Les Baer Premier II for sale for what looked to be a potential reasonable price. After a few emails, we came to an agreement on price and did the deal this past Sat. It had 150 rounds through it, and looked new. It was a tight slide to frame fit, but not as vault tight as the one other Baer I've handled where I almost couldn't rack the slide.

I took it to the range on Sun. and put 100 rounds of my 200 gr. SWC handloads through it, and it ran flawlessly. Compared to the three other 1911's I've owned, it has softer recoil, a great trigger and made baseball sized groups in the target at 35'. Couldn't be happier.

So with about 250 rounds through it, I decided to take it apart and clean and lube it. Wasn't too hard to disassemble, but certainly had the tightest bushing I've ever removed, and a bushing wrench was mandatory. Lubed everything with Lubriplate and put it back together. Now time to up the round count. Great pistol. Can't blame anyone but me anymore for poor shooting!! Some pics...

IMG_1894.jpg

IMG_1895.jpg
 
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Glad you liked it ilmonster. If you know my handle, you know that I worked for les for over two decades....but I retired just before your gun was built. I did checkering and slide to frame fit and the men who do it now are better than I ever was. BTW, the man who did your barrel lock-up and bushing fit on your gun is one of the best I have ever known. He was praised by no less a personage than Charlie Petty, years ago, a man who is a living legend in the 1911 world.

Your gun will give you a lifetime of service.
 
ilmonster

Nice, clean looking gun; very business-like in it's appearance. You've got a keeper for sure there.
 
Tark, I certainly know who you are and have read your posts! Thanks for being a contributor on Thehighroad! Yes, the bushing was snug but turned off with my bushing wrench perfectly smoothly. I am also amazed that the checkering was done by hand! It's perfect. Can't imagine having the skill to do that day in and day out and not make a mistake every third pistol (I guess that's why Les hasn't rung me up to do checkering!!). Lugs on the barrel...perfect. The 100 rounds I shot on Sun. were handloads, run through three different brand magazines and they ran perfectly with no FTF's or FTE's.

This is my first hand made/fit pistol, and the craftsmanship is discernible and impressive. Couldn't be more pleased. Now to load up some more SWC rounds by this weekend to throw downrange.
p.s. love the very fancy box the pistol comes in!
 
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Ilmonster,

Well congratulations on the new pistol. I have a PII myself, and find that it's a pure joy to shoot, up and down the power factor spectrum. It positively rocks on 200 gr SWC and a soft Bullseye powder load.

Do report back later on your progress.
 
Once thing that impressed me was that the guns serial number is on the frame, slide, barrel and even the slide stop. I assume that the parts including the lowly slide stop move down the line as a group. Didn't know that a slide stop was uniquely fitted to a Les Baer. Neat stuff!
 
Les will probably throw a 1911 frame at me for saying this, but really, guys, checkering isn't that difficult. But it sure tears up files. A checkering file costs 50-70 dollars and it is worn out after a few frames. A 40LPI file is used to serrate the backs of slides, and a slide is very hard compared to a frame. A file lasts for three to five slides per side and it's gone. This is one reason why a gunsmith charges so much to checker.

ilmonster, the fitting of the slide stop is one of the most important steps in barrel lock up. It must evenly contact the barrel lug on both sides. this takes many trial and error fittings. On run of the mill service grade 1911s the slide stop probably doesn't even touch the barrel lug when the slide is in battery. The link is holding up the barrel. This is OK if accuracy is not at a premium. But in a custom gun the slide stop itself bears in the barrel lug with the slide in battery. This results in a consistent lockup every time. If you take a slide stop from any other LB pistol and try to use it in your gun, one of two things will happen: The gun will bind up and the slide will refuse to go into battery; or it will go into battery, and be loose. Play in the lockup adversely affects accuracy.

If you pull the gun apart, you will also find the serial # on the underside of the safety, the beavertail, the extractor, the firing pin stop, the mainspring housing and the mag catch. It's a custom gun.....EVERYTHING is hand fitted!

Good shooting.
 
Tark, thanks for the education (I can say I learned something this week!). My first 1911 was a Colt Gold Cup 20+ years ago and I remember the barrel lugs not even looking like they ever touched another piece of metal (at the time, didn't know they should). The link must have been holding the barrel as you describe.

Interesting to know that checkering is so tough on files. I understand how tooling (files in this case) can be a large cost in the production of a product as I work for a manufacturing concern where consumable tooling is a large cost for us.
 
That is a beauty! I had four Baers over the years, two were PIIs. I know opinions vary, but I believe Baers are something special, and the best value in semi-custom 1911s out there. Glad I've been able to hang on to my favorite of the four I owned, a HBNM I ordered back around '98 IIRC.

BTW tark, my HBNM thumb safety, numbered to the gun, had been welded up and refitted. Is that something you've seen?
 
Welded up at the shop or after it was sold? I'm not familiar with that procedure, but then I did everything except barrel lockup and final Assembly. 90% of my time was spent checkering and fitting slides to frames. I know that sometimes safeties are welded up and re-shaped, but I Don't know why it is done or how. Call the shop and ask for Brenda, she has forgotten more about 1911s than you or I will ever know. She started working for Les about the same time I did and she is still there. She can answer just about any question.
 
HBNM.jpg Thanks tark. No I ordered the gun and picked it up as soon as it came in. It was NIB. No aftermarket welding. I later noticed the safety had been welded up and refit. Some years later I decided the gun was so accurate and reliable that I might like to carry it. I smoothed sharp edges on the slide, hammer and grip safety and had them reblued, installed a .100" front sight and an Ed Brown safety. The welded safety is not important. I was just curious.
 
I own a PII and Concept V (same as PII but all stainless). Can tell you that everything will loosen up, including the bushing after >1000 rounds or so.

When I say loosen up, I don't mean like sloppy. There is no looseness in slide to frame fit or lockup, just that everything is smooth. When I first got both guns it was a feat to pull the slide back but now it can be done with the hammer down.

Have a blast with your new gun.
 
Why would anyone want to sell a Les Baer gun after only 150 rounds after probably waiting a good part of a year for it?
 
And the gentleman I bought it from (second owner) was selling it because he had two Les Baer's and an Ed Brown - didn't need the second LB.

As an aside, I went to the range today to put another 50 rds. through it, and the guys in the lane next to me wanted to shoot for score at various distances. First was six shots at 15'. Here's the target. First two shots actually went through the same hole. I didn't initially believe it, so after the second shot I dropped the magazine and cleared the chambered round to look down the barrel and make sure a bullet wasn't lodged down the tube! It wasn't. It did go through the same hole.

I was a bit apprehensive about spending this much coin on a handgun, but now with just 150 rounds downrange, I think it was absolutely worth it! Totally happy!

IMG_1909_3.jpg
 
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Mousegun said:
Why would anyone want to sell a Les Baer gun after only 150 rounds after probably waiting a good part of a year for it?
Click to expand...

You be surprised how many people buy guns like that, don't shoot them or shoot very little, then trade them several months later. Happens all the time. It's all about the hunt. And "I've had one of those" bragging rights.
 
Very happy for you, looks like you did very well. My TRS was the best $1700 I've ever spent by far. You could have paid another $1200 for a Wilson and maybe gotten $250 worth of better quality small parts but I seriously doubt it would fare better than the Baer. Shoot it in the best of health my friend.



145.jpg
 
Does Les Baer publish the weight of their guns? I have looked on the web site and did not find any weights.
 
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