I am getting the urge to hunt for a Les Baer and am looking for info from those in the know. I do not currently own any 1911's but have in the past but nothing nicer than Kimber.

I am probably going to be looking at 45 cal or 10mm and more than likely a used model. Will Les Baer fit an existing gun to 357 Sig and if so what caliber would be best to start with (assuming 10mm).

Please post any pics you would like along with suggestions for a first time purchase like this (this is a lot of money for me).

Thanks

I had bought a TRS twice and stupidly sold both. Then I got a Custom Carry spec’d out with a naked slide, no FCS, magwell, 1.5” guarantee, no slide markings, and only front night sight. It’s a beauty and the fitment is excellent as expected.

I ordered all mine from Crazy John out of Idaho. He’s a character for sure though has the best selection and prices out there I’ll bet. Just set aside an hour or two to talk because he likes to chat.

The higher end 1911 is a great addition and will undoubtedly be good enough to become an heirloom piece if you so choose. As I age I want nicer things, quality over quantity. You can’t go wrong with a Baer. Just know they are hard fit and not quite as refined as say a Brown or a Wilson. They feel like one hunk of steel in the hand though and are designed to work and work hard.

A 357Sig 1911 sounds like a blast.

My first “serious” 1911 was a Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special, and thus followed a bevy of LBs, all of which I bought used. I’ve always heard / read very good things about dealing with CJ / 1911 Heaven.

My current only 1911 happens to be a Bear UTC, which is essentially the (now discontinued) Thunder Ranch minus the TR-specific markings. I’m the second owner on this one; the original owner spec’d this one nicely, IMO, for no forward cocking serrations and a “semi-naked” slide.

It came to me virtually new save for a 600-round break-in (original owner bested Uncle Les’ recommendation by 100 rounds haha). I’ve carried it a good bit and shot close to 9,000 rounds through it. It’s a workhorse and just feels more “right” to me in the hand than any other 1911 I’ve tried thus far.

I swapped-out the “thin” original grips and grip screw bushings for standard bushings from Challis. I’ve further swapped-out a number of grips on this gun over time, but keep coming back to the stags.

As for the .357 SIG question - all you can do is ask. It does sound like a good combo; I was intrigued when SIG was offering such.

Les Baer will not do anything that isn't spelled out on his website. If he doesn't offer the caliber in any of his guns, he won't do a one off. It's the same thing in regards to parts. If you like a certain combination of stuff he offers, he'll do it and charge accordingly.

As far as buying a Les Baer, as long as you stay with a 5 inch model, pick your poison. Anything shorter will be a bit of a nightmare as the guns lack the slide travel to slingshot the slide after you load a new magazine as Les uses Government length frame rails instead of Commander or Officer length and "fixing" it will cost more than it's worth and void the warranty.

I’ve got a few Les Baers.

Blue Premier II 5” Govt 45 ACP with the 1.5” 50 yard guarantee. It’s the most accurate, and easiest to shoot, pistol that I own. Almost boring to shoot frankly. Love it.

Hard Chrome LB UTC .45 ACP 5” Govt. also with the 1.5” guarantee. Very nice but I actually shoot the PII better. Witchcraft I guess. The grips on the UTC are a little thicker so my grip is a bit different. One of these days I’ll change them out to what the PII has.

Also have a blue LB Comanche .45 ACP. The short story, IMO, I wouldn’t pay money twice to buy the “Comanche”. Mine was basically nothing but a Govt model with a shorter slide. However, it was NOT milled to Colt Commander specs and I paid a talented well known 1911 smith $$$ to do the job that Les Baer should have done so that it would run like a Commander should run. Hence the name, Comanche I guess. I put about an extra 5o% of my original cost to get the pistol to run as expected. Now it’s freakin perfect but I could have got to the same place with a custom build from Harrison Custom using a base model Colt Commander as a platform.

All are tight as a drum.

.357 Sig ???

I’ve never heard of a Baer in .357. maybe they’d do it. But if it were me and I wanted a High Powered 9mm type cartridge in a Baer 5” then I would spend the $$$ on something they have experience building. I would buy a Les Baer Govt .38 Super with the 1.5” guarantee. THAT they do build. I wouldn’t pay Les Baer or anyone else that kind of cash for an experiment.

It’s been a few years but I’ve bought all of mine from John at 1911 Heaven. In stock or special order.

https://www.cj1911heaven.com/

Thanks all for the contributions so far.

TFR, that is a beauty!

^^^ Thank you!

I bought this Premier II new from Crazy John.



It is an excellent handgun, one of my more accurate ones, right up here with my Wilson Combat CQB. Even after the recommended 500 rd break-in before cleaning and hundreds of rounds later, it is extremely tight fitting. I bought one for my son's 18th birthday and he still loves it.

I initially had a touch of disappointment, turned into a love/hate relationship with my Baer. When I decided just to make changes to it to fit/work better for me and finally got used to how different it felt in my hand than my other 1911's, I grew to like it. No performance complaints, very accurate and has been 100% reliable.

A local shop has a gently used (looks new) CP II in 10mm with a 6" slide for $2750.

That seems like a decent deal from what I am seeing. Thoughts on the price?

I think I will go look at it tomorrow.

My only observation is they are very accurate but they are SUPER tight so I would imagine you will need to break it in.

My first 1911 was a Colt made in 1943. I bought it from a guy that got it in Europe in WWII. I think I paid about $100.00 for it in the early 1970s.I have several more that I picked up over the years. They all were a little different but never just what I wanted. About 17 years ago, I ordered a Premier II from Les Bear. I got the 1.5 inch guarantee. I will never be able to shoot as good as this gun can. I am completely happy with it and would recommend Les Bear without any hesitation.

Both of my 1911s are Les Baer. But if I were getting one now, I would go with a 2011.

A model T is nice to have but it would just stay in my garage and not drive it if I had one.

I have had 2 Les Baer 1991’s both were in 45acp and both were stainless steel. Mine were his V model which had everything I wanted and nothing I didn’t. As was pointed out above his guns are not finished as high grade as a Ed Brown or a Wilson. Frankly I always liked that about them, all the effort is in the go and not the show. They were great with any questions I had and were just plain nice people to work with. Having owned the other two brands I mentioned I can say the Les Baer was more to my liking. I think hard core working pistol would be an appropriate description.

About 9 years ago I decided to splurge on a Les Baer Custom Carry that my local FFL had. Was very impressed by the fit and finish of it.

After a few range trips, that quickly wore off when I realized it really didn't shoot any better than my Ruger SR1911 or my SA Loaded 1911. Reliability was 100% out of the box though.

Ended up selling it a year later and haven't regretted it one bit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigarms229,

I bought my Les Baer UTC a few years ago and it's proven to be a very good shooter and reliable. I followed the company's directions regarding breaking in the pistol and it's proven reliable, but these are TIGHT and you'll need a bushing wrench for field striping. I've got a few hundred rounds through mine and it's still difficult to take it down without the wrench.

The standard (Novak) sights just don't work well with my aging eyes, so I replaced them with Trijicon HDs and dressed up the pistol with a nice set of stock by Esmeralda.

Two of my Baers. Monolith, and Stinger Monolith, both 10mm.



dont hurt me poems

Thanks guys.

mrbumps, how does 10mm feel in a 1911 compared to a .45?

quote:

Originally posted by VANQUISH:
Thanks guys.

mrbumps, how does 10mm feel in a 1911 compared to a .45?

In the full size a bit snappier. Depends on the ammo. A lot of factory ball 10mm is not much more potent then 40 S&W, but the self-defense stuff is pretty snappy. The Stinger (CCO size) is very snappy, with much more muzzle flip, but I love it!