Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Your favorite 1911, bar none ...

C'mon, Bin, it's been almost 3 months.

Don't leave us in suspense, what'd ya' buy?

He's in California he's probably waiting on permission LMAO

It would be a toss up between a Kimber and an older Colt Combat Commander... depending on how they are set up...I also really like the Springfield Armory pistols a lot but not quite up to the other two if price wasn't a factor... I'm way too cheap to spring for the high end models like Rick showed in the original post, but would love to shoot them sometime. but then the temptation might be too much...

Tell us again Rick, why you still live in California?

Bob

Colt Gold Cup National Match, dressed up.

It may not be the very best 1911 in a lot of ways, but my favorite is my Series-70 Gold Cup. It shoots better than I can (proven with my Ransom rest), and it never stutters.

Shown with its brother-in-arms, WWI 1911 with WWII arsenal refurb. The old soldier never stutters either but the sights are a challenge, to put it mildly. The .22 Conversion Kit works nicely on both.

Dan Wesson Valor

I like basic Colts and have always been satisfied with them. If I were buying one today for a carry gun, I'd find a 'Ruger Lightweight Night Commander' or whatever they're calling their all black lightweight 4 1/4" pistol with night sights. While I'm far from a Ruger nut, I do like the fact they use a titanium frame insert where JHPs hit the frame ramp.

Dan Wessons are great pistols too.

Not sure if I posted mine in this thread already, but this is what I've been daily carrying IWB for quite a few months.

I go back and forth with 1911s. I've daily carried them off and on (for long stretches of time, typically) since the early 1980s. Right now I'm in the mode where I like them again for daily carry.

Ed Brown Kobra Carry in (need I say it?) .45 ACP.

Now that's pretty.

My Colt IPSC Anniversary.

Haha. Nice call.

Keep in mind, we have to deal with our infamous 10-day wait here, otherwise known as “Cali jail” ... meaning that it takes a while for the 1911 gods to deliver here ...

So, I am happy to report that I FINALLY I took possession of a Les Baer Premier II (1.5 inch guarantee) the day before yesterday, and promptly took it to the range and put 325 rounds of factory 230 FMJ RN through it.







With Milt Sparks 55BN in Cordovan





At the range.



REPORT:

As delivered:

Gun is tight, as is to be expected. Zero, and I mean zero rattle. Trigger is very good, but not great - I’d rate it an 8.5/10 (a bit of creep), safety is stiff, checkering on grips and front strap feels aggressive, ambi safety actually pretty well done ... very unobnoxious on the starboard side (I was expecting to change it out, but I am going to keep it as is).


First firing:

Started with the included Tripp mags, and it cycled fine. Moved on to Wilson Combat ETM’s, and for 10 mags in a row, the gun would fire 6 rounds and hiccup on the 7th: failure to go completely into battery. I was a little miffed/concerned, but then did a few factory Colt 7-rounders and it cycled them fine. Pretty clear it was a mag issue.

Impressions: Gun is very, very accurate. Once I got the hold figured out, I was banging steel at 35 yards keeping multiple targets moving so much I sometimes had to wait for one to stop swinging.

I don’t shoot pistols that well !

OK, so that was 100. I CLP’ed the rails and the bushing/barrel, loaded up my mags, and went for round two.

Round two:

It cycled everything, worked 100%. No hiccups. Steel kept swinging. Grinning.

That’s 200 rounds. CLP applied again.

Round three:

100% function. Still grinnin'.



300 rounds.

At this point I changed ammo and shot another 1911 I had brought ... a Colt LW Commander to which I had recently added a Wilson beaver tail grip safety. The new ammo was Blazer 230 grain with aluminum casings, and one thing became apparent very quickly ... the LW kicks a WHOLE lot more.

I decided 25 was enough to test function on the Colt, and went back and put the last 25 through the Baer again with Wilson mags. MUCH nicer to shoot.

100% function.


INTERIM REPORT: 325 rounds fired.

I am very happy with the gun so far.

As stated, it is very, very accurate.

As expected/promised, the gun was (and still is) very tight, but functioned 100% with provided Tripp mags, and also with various Colt/Dan Wesson 7-round mags.

Shooting it in quickly ironed out the hiccup with the Wilson mags. To repeat, the first time through, ALL 10 Wilson ET mags hiccuped at the 7th round in exactly the same way. The second and third time through (and the fourth for a few of them), ALL Wilson mags cycled 100%.

The safety wore in some as well, and now operates very satisfactorily, which is to say, it feels excellent.

I’d have to say as of this moment, Les Baer delivered the goods.


Interim Post Script:

Was working the safety and dry firing later, and noticed the port side grip panel was loose. Tightened up the screws carefully and firmly. Starboard side panel was still tight.

The safety has worn in well after hundreds of cycles while bingeing on Better Call Saul.

Blisters on bottom of trigger finger and second knuckle of middle finger (trigger guard) and right side of thumb (safety). There are some edges.

Good deal, Man! Welcome to the Les Baer fan club.

70 Series Colt Government model .45 birthed in 1972 . Cost a whole $125.00 brand new. Had it every since and have no intention of ever parting with it. I added a beavertail ( mistake ) , Meprolite night sights, adjustable trigger, Colt factory Ivory grips . In fifty years it has never failed me and eats anything I choose to feed it without
so much as a hiccup . Can't beat that.

Now that you have a blued PMII, Rick, you need to ink up on a matching PMII in Baer's hard chrome finish.

P.S., keep shooting 'er, that trigger will smooth out.

I bought a brand new Series 70 back in the early 1980s. That's all Colt was making in Government Models then. Like so many other guns, though, I stupidly sold it in the late 1980s, when the price on the Series 70s had gone through the roof due to not making them anymore.

I really like the Dan Wesson Silverback 10mm.

Much as I would like to indulge, I don't believe the the hard-chrome-finished version is on the Cali Approved Handgun Roster, which means no dice. I believe I could probably send it back to Les Baer for customization at this point, but I think I have decided that I am going to pursue diligently a worn blued finish with this gun.

I used to have a Les Baer SRP. A friend of mine bought it new in the late 1980s. I bought it from him in the early 1990s for a song. He had had it hard chromed like that. It was blued when he bought it.

Great shooter. I eventually sold it, though, because when I carried a 1911 it was usually a different one, and I never quite warmed up to the look of a hard chromed 1911 anyway. Had my friend left it blued, I'd likely have kept it. Come to think of it, though, I think he had it hard chromed because he was carrying it, and it had picked up a little rust, despite his best efforts, and he got tired of battling the rust.

Dan Wesson Razorback 10mm.