[Reinz]

There are a lot of "experts" pontificating on this gun that really have me scratching my head. This gun is obviously a "Total" custom build. Let's look at, as Sergeant Friday would say.. 'Just the facts'. The Baer lower is just that... the frame only. The grip safety as well as the ambi safety are not Baer. The grip safety is an Ed Brown memory groove that was well fitted to the frame and the ambi safety is a S&A/Brown type that is much better than the Baer ambi (the Baer has a downward "hooked" tip that will dig into your knuckle). Those are both excellent modifications and look properly installed. The hammer and trigger appear to be Commander style and I'd bet if you dry fire it you will be impressed on how good it is. I'd be surprised if it wasn't given the quality and detail given in the installation of the other parts, like the checkering on the front strap which looks like 20 lpi and I'd bet feels and looks quite good. Again custom done, not standard on a Colt frame
Now the upper. It has a Bomar custom mounted adjustable rear sight. There is no better sight on the market and it allows both windage and elevation. The ejection port is not a standard Colt and obviously has been scalloped by a competent gunsmith. An excellent modification to insure reliability. The front sight is a custom dovetailed one that is not standard on a Colt 1911 frame. Again a custom and superior modification. There is a custom installed full length guide rod. Not standard on a Colt upper. The front serrations are a custom mod and yes do not match the rear but many shooters feel that style of cut gives you better purchase on the slide and no do not make the pistol a "Franken gun" but a "Custom one". And the commenter that said that wouldn't know a custom gun if it a.d.'ed him on the ass. I cannot comment on things like trigger pull, the slide/frame fit or if the barrel is custom fitted and modified given the limited images, but I bet you'd find out they have been done as well.
This type of parts build would usually cost you about 3 thousand dollars.... minimum! I'd bet a subtle inquiry as to why it's being sold at this low price is because of reasons like "reducing inventory." "Hard times" "inherited it"
Not that it's a piece of junk. For the price you'd be crazy to pass this up. No comparison!

You indeed make some valid points. However, like the Ammco Transmission commercial, parts is parts.

Guns, cars, motorcycle, etc; the best parts in the world don’t make up for a hack mechanic. Many of which have destroyed countless items before moving on to another career or hobby.

 

[Jpchiesa]

You indeed make some valid points. However, like the Ammco Transmission commercial, parts is parts.

Guns, cars, motorcycle, etc; the best parts in the world don’t make up for a hack mechanic. Many of which have destroyed countless items before moving on to another career or hobby.

The thing is almost every one of those parts are not "drop in". You cannot just slap on a BoMar rear sight. The slide has to be machine cut for the BoMar to fit. Look at the front strap checkering. That was not a part. That either was hand cut or CNC done, something most gunsmiths don't have access to, so my bet was it was hand done because if you examine the flared and scalloped ejection port that was machined by hand and done quite well I might ad. The dovetail cut for the front sight, the radius grinding for the Ed Brown grip safety, all done by hand. Have I made my point?

 

[RickB]

Those front cocking serrations would be enough to cause me to pass.

 

[Nathan]

Can you detail strip and judge the fit and function of each part? Then function check as a complete assemble. Looks pretty good in pics. I would be checking everything I can check in an assembled state. Then be asking to detail strip and dig deeper. It could be a great gun or full of trouble.

shooting it is probably mandatory me to close the deal.

 

[Reinz]

The thing is almost every one of those parts are not "drop in". You cannot just slap on a BoMar rear sight. The slide has to be machine cut for the BoMar to fit. Look at the front strap checkering. That was not a part. That either was hand cut or CNC done, something most gunsmiths don't have access to, so my bet was it was hand done because if you examine the flared and scalloped ejection port that was machined by hand and done quite well I might ad. The dovetail cut for the front sight, the radius grinding for the Ed Brown grip safety, all done by hand. Have I made my point?

‘You made a stronger case there.
If I could examine in person with those points in mind as long as barrel lock up is tight as well as a nice trigger, I would consider.

 

[Rye_Tyler]

So, small world. I’m at the range today and I get talking with the guys next me. He says, try this Les Baer I just got. Turns out it’s this 1911. What a great shooting gun.. Smooth, accurate and well put together.

 

[Reinz]

So, small world. I’m at the range today and I get talking with the guys next me. He says, try this Les Baer I just got. Turns out it’s this 1911. What a great shooting gun.. Smooth, accurate and well put together.

Hope you bought a lottery ticket!

 

[Jpchiesa]

Hope you bought a lottery ticket!

I owned one (Les Baer) years ago. No doubt a well made gun, but my first red flag was their info recommending you throw away hundreds of rounds down range "to break it in". Even at the millennium, 300-500 rounds was an expense you didn't take lightly considering you were essentially flushing good ammunition down the toilet. A few years later, a Bill Wlson "Marketing" response started to hit the circle... "We make them right... Not tight!". Now about the gun. I owned a Premier ll "Enhanced" where for an additional amount it would be guaranteed to shoot 2 inches at 50 yards(?). The finish of the gun was almost rival to Colt's royal blue and it felt quite good in the hand. For example the hand checkered front strap felt perfect. But again the fit was quite tight! It took some effort to get it into battery. It reminded me of an incident at an ipsc match in Austin where a shooting buddy was getting his gun prepped for the match and was applying red loctite to his front sight. He wasn't really paying attention and we all commented to him that it seemed like an awfully lot of loctite! Well he gets up to the shooting box and the R.O. gives him the instructions to load and make ready. Well he proceeds to start tugging and pulling on his slide to the point that he's starting to look like he's going to give himself a hernia! Yes, he had glued the slide to the barrel,thus completely locking the gun up! The Baer was almosr that tight! It had a "Bomar" styled rear sight that was adjustable for windage and elevation. But again the adjustment screws weren't smooth with a positive detent "click" like a Bomar, but rather tight and hard to turn. (They responded that was intended, so the sight screws wouldn't shoot loose!) I also had an ambidextrous safety that I didn't like because, 1st it was too narrow and 2nd both sides ended with a downward curved "hook" that dug into the knuckle of my shooting finger! (Springfield Armory also uses this type of safety). True to form the gun had a lot of issues, failures to feed, stovepipe, failure to lock up. And even at about 300 rounds it still wasn't 100%. I ended up getting rid of it.

 

[19ontheslide]

Those front cocking serrations would be enough to cause me to pass.

Absolutely this. I don't care how good of a job the grip safety install and front strap are; if you're going to take the time and trouble to add front cocking serrations but not match their style to the ones on the rear, I can find another gun plumber. Beyond atrocious.

 

[Jpchiesa]

Absolutely this. I don't care how good of a job the grip safety install and front strap are; if you're going to take the time and trouble to add front cocking serrations but not match their style to the ones on the rear, I can find another gun plumber. Beyond atrocious.

I'd be willing to bet that it wasn't his idea to do that and it was what the customer wanted.

 

[19ontheslide]

I'd be willing to bet that it wasn't his idea to do that and it was what the customer wanted.

The measure of a good gunsmith isn't how many jobs they take on, but how many they refuse. A good smith, being presented with such a request, would have simply said no. Plenty of kitchen table butchers out there that'll do whatever you want. Go find one.

 

[Sinister/AMU6]

Hell yes, I'd buy this pistol before ANY Kimber.

Looking at the right side slide roll mark it could possibly be an older military replacement (I'd have to see the other side to see if it has a 779-number vice commercial 1960s horsey roll mark).

Colt hard National Match slides (with the slanted cocking striations) would lend themselves more to the wider slant grooves (vice vertical GI grooves) because they were REALLY hard. I had a smith in Virginia tell me he had a heck of a time milling these slides with full carbide mills.

 

[Jpchiesa]

The measure of a good gunsmith isn't how many jobs they take on, but how many they refuse. A good smith, being presented with such a request, would have simply said no. Plenty of kitchen table butchers out there that'll do whatever you want. Go find one.

With all due respect what you wrote is bullsh|t and elitist at that. 'The measure of a gunsmith is how many jobs they refuse?' This pap isn't even germaine to this thread. You take that elitist attitude (if you are a gunsmith) and you'll find out how little food you'll put on your kitchen table. Your role as a gunsmith should be if the job is doable, doesn't endager anyone unnecessarily, and can be done in a timely fashion to where it is profitable for you and is an acceptable price to your customer, you fix the damn gun regardless if offends your effite sense of asthetics. The work this Smith did is first rate and I'd seriously doubt that he didn't advise the customer to do this. Gunsmiths that can do this level of work are a rare breed and he was definitely no "kitchen butcher". if I saw this gun at say a USPSA match I'd ask him/her who did this work, then I'd have scheduled an appointment to have him build me one like this, but with matching front and back slide serrations.