Good choice, Rick on buying a Les Baer.

Personal experience. Les Baer makes a solid, work gun. His 1911 tolerances are extremely tight and will need some breaking in. Depending on the model, some won’t have a lot of shaping to their edges or nice looking refinements, cut into the slide, that typically offer not much, other than eye appeal...They’re built for use, and a lot of it.

I liked his Thunder Ranch 1911 with front and rear slide serration. It’s a serviceable weapon that was designed for daily holster work. A very nice 1911 that once broken in, like good boots, will become a daily favorite to carry.

Wilson Combat makes a good 1911. Their line card for pistols has grown and diversified into other pistols besides the 1911’s. There’s a lot of name recognition built into the prices of their firearms - which isn’t bad, but they typically cost a little more than a Baer 1911. I think a lot of people buy them for the name recognition to show around the gun range. I own a couple of them. Both bought used, like new. I’ve put a few thousand rounds through both. They’re a nice weapon.

Nighthawk was started by former builders at Wilson. Their claim is one builder for one pistol, compared to Wilson Combat might have several builders working on the same pistol being built. I’ve never owned a Nighthawk built 1911. They’re typically a smidge more money than a Wilson build, depending on the model. Owners seem to like them. Many of the individuals who purchase a Wilson or Nighthawk tend to never really use the firearm to it’s potential. It’s almost like a prestige thing to own one. You’ll see a lot of both come up for sale used, but in like new condition.

One not mentioned, that is my personal favorite, is the STI Staccatto 2011. Double stack mag that holds 20+1 of 9mm. Excellent sight options depending on the model if an RMR with co-witness sights is your thing. Nice, smooth trigger, with good operating features and ambi-safety, and they run like a sewing machine.

Fantastic accuracy out of the box. It’s a smidge bulkier than a traditional 1911. But there’s a good selection of holster rigs available for them.

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Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog
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