[ratwhacker]

I agree that there must have been some problem with the original LB to strip the slide off and replace it. Question the internal also. Keep looking. I'd look at Wilson Combat if you want reliability and quality. None better. Price reflects that!

Not necessarily, Les sold (sells now?) his frames and slides on their own hook, for build bases, you could get them from Brownell's. If it's a build based on one of Les' frames, the Colt slide wouldn't mean a thing, really, it was just another part being used in the build. It does NOT mean there was anything wrong, nor did anyone strip off a slide from a Baer whole gun.
Based on the photos here, it looks like one helluva nicely built pistol, and that's a bargain price, if it works as well as it looks.