looking for 1911 insight

[ctbassman]

Neither Kimber or Springer

Don't waste your time on either of these 1911's, for a bit over $500 more than you want to spend you can get yourself into one of Les Baer's concept pistols. This gun will take care of a Kimber or a Springer any day of the week. They are listed on his site at $1570, and both are cal legal. Take this statistic into account when considering manufacturers of 1911's and think about the attention to detail your pistol is going to get from the manufacturer.

From the ATF website, 2005 statistics of pistols produced above the 9MM caliber and below .50 caliber.

Les Baer 1647
Kimber 45,532
Springer 93,706

I truly think the extra $570 spent will outweigh not spending it in the long run. You will have a much better gun than a Kimber or Springer, all match grade parts, all built in the USA, Les Baer warranty, and an accuracy gurantee to shoot 3" groups at 50 yards. I dare you to see if Kimber or Springer will gurantee that type of out of the box accuracy, not going to happen. Fit, finish, parts, and manufacturing process at Baer is slower, but far and above what Kimber or Springer can offer to you. Hope this helps you out, or at least gives you something to research in your quest for a 1911. Take care.

[Kruzr]

Don't waste your time on either of these 1911's, for a bit over $500 more than you want to spend you can get yourself into one of Les Baer's concept pistols. This gun will take care of a Kimber or a Springer any day of the week. They are listed on his site at $1570, and both are cal legal. Take this statistic into account when considering manufacturers of 1911's and think about the attention to detail your pistol is going to get from the manufacturer.

From the ATF website, 2005 statistics of pistols produced above the 9MM caliber and below .50 caliber.

Les Baer 1647
Kimber 45,532
Springer 93,706

I truly think the extra $570 spent will outweigh not spending it in the long run. You will have a much better gun than a Kimber or Springer, all match grade parts, all built in the USA, Les Baer warranty, and an accuracy gurantee to shoot 3" groups at 50 yards. I dare you to see if Kimber or Springer will gurantee that type of out of the box accuracy, not going to happen. Fit, finish, parts, and manufacturing process at Baer is slower, but far and above what Kimber or Springer can offer to you. Hope this helps you out, or at least gives you something to research in your quest for a 1911. Take care.

No question my Baers outshoot my Kimbers. The only problem is, you won't get a new Baer home in California for under $1600 when you consider transfer fees (and that's from Sporting Arms.....the best buy you can find in a Baer.) You can be out the door with a TLE for under $1000. Turner's had the Custom II on sale for $729 which is the same gun as the TLE without the checkering and night sights.

Since you never can own just one 1911, IMO, the Kimber is a better starter 1911 than being spoiled right away on a Baer. After the first Baer comes another one.......then a Brown or a Wilson. You then start buying 1911's for reasons other than their shooting capability.

[Thrillbilly]

No question my Baers outshoot my Kimbers. The only problem is, you won't get a new Baer home in California for under $1600 when you consider transfer fees (and that's from Sporting Arms.....the best buy you can find in a Baer.) You can be out the door with a TLE for under $1000. Turner's had the Custom II on sale for $729 which is the same gun as the TLE without the checkering and night sights.

Since you never can own just one 1911, IMO, the Kimber is a better starter 1911 than being spoiled right away on a Baer. After the first Baer comes another one.......then a Brown or a Wilson. You then start buying 1911's for reasons other than their shooting capability.

Quick question (not intended as a flame). Are Les Baers really that much better? I personally never have shot them is why I ask. Ive shot various 1911's and have always been able to hit what I was aiming at consistently. Now I have never shot any real cheap 1911s, I have shot my Colt and Kimber, My buddies Springfield that he had sent out to wilson and had a bunch of work done to it and his Colt. And None of those seemed that much better than the other. So my question is it worth it to pick up a Baer for any other reason that to say I have one?

[ctbassman]

Turner's lists the Baer Concept line of pistols under $1600, so you can get one through them and avoid the FFL Xfer fees and such. American Shooting Center in SD also is a baer dealer. You may have to wait, but you will still get a much better gun for the money than a kimber or a springer. You don't have to go to Les directly. Even some of the lightly used stuff on gun broker will save you a few bucks even after you pay the FFL fees. In my opinion it is better to spend a little more upfront, than to buy a few before you find the one you like. This is from experience, I made that costly mistake myself.

[Kruzr]

Quick question (not intended as a flame). Are Les Baers really that much better? I personally never have shot them is why I ask. Ive shot various 1911's and have always been able to hit what I was aiming at consistently. Now I have never shot any real cheap 1911s, I have shot my Colt and Kimber, My buddies Springfield that he had sent out to wilson and had a bunch of work done to it and his Colt. And None of those seemed that much better than the other. So my question is it worth it to pick up a Baer for any other reason that to say I have one?

I was surprised at the accuracy difference between my first Baer and my Kimber Target which I always considered a very accurate gun. If you are shooting IDPA or IPSC, then it won't matter much. If you shoot at little round circles, you will notice a difference. Note that Les guarantees all his guns to shoot 3" at 50 yards.....not 25 yards like most high end makers. He also offers the 1 1/2" guarantee for a few hundred bucks more.

If you are thinking about a 5" gun for range use, it's hard to beat a Premier II. If you like more of a combat gun, the TRS is the package, IMO.

Baer's start out with everything oversized and they are hand fit to the gun. Every part has the serial number on it. You can't take a production gun and make it like that. Les has his own way of making guns. Lots of 1911 people don't like them because they are so tight. Nonetheless, they function.

I've had issues with one of mine and Les was alwayss reachable on the phone. I met him at SHOT a few years back and we had a conversation about how he fits barrels.

[Thrillbilly]

I was surprised at the accuracy difference between my first Baer and my Kimber Target which I always considered a very accurate gun. If you are shooting IDPA or IPSC, then it won't matter much. If you shoot at little round circles, you will notice a difference. Note that Les guarantees all his guns to shoot 3" at 50 yards.....not 25 yards like most high end makers. He also offers the 1 1/2" guarantee for a few hundred bucks more.

If you are thinking about a 5" gun for range use, it's hard to beat a Premier II. If you like more of a combat gun, the TRS is the package, IMO.

Baer's start out with everything oversized and they are hand fit to the gun. Every part has the serial number on it. You can't take a production gun and make it like that. Les has his own way of making guns. Lots of 1911 people don't like them because they are so tight. Nonetheless, they function.

I've had issues with one of mine and Les was alwayss reachable on the phone. I met him at SHOT a few years back and we had a conversation about how he fits barrels.

Hey thanks for the info. Most of my shooting is done out in the desert We usually bring Paper and steel. I will have to look into getting one in the future (Just got my Raptor last week. Only 3 more to go before I can buy again)