1911, Les Baer, Wilson Combat, Ed Brown???

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  • Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
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    Dec 15, 2019
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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Get a Rock Island in 10mm tbh, you actually get a decent gun that needs little work and doesnt cost as much as a used Camaro

    Having owned a couple of Rock Island Armory 1911's in the past, what work are you suggesting they need?

    Or are you just making an assumption based on their pricing?

    Have you ever owned a Rock Island 1911?
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    TxStetson

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    Get a Rock Island in 10mm tbh, you actually get a decent gun that needs little work and doesnt cost as much as a used Camaro
    I have the double stack Rock Island 10mm, and honestly it is one of the few guns I have not changed or added anything to. It's great just like it is. It came from the factory so tight, it wouldn't reliably run soft loads. After running a couple hundred hot loads, and hand cycling it a couple hundred times with lapping compound on the slide and grooves, it has not so much as hiccuped in the last 3500 rounds. The only thing I don't like about it is the way it throws the brass 30 yards away.

     

    A1Oni

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    Having owned a couple of Rock Island Armory 1911's in the past, what work are you suggesting they need?

    Or are you just making an assumption based on their pricing?

    Have you ever owned a Rock Island 1911?

    Ive owned a few RIA 1911s yes, they run fine out of the box, but is it really YOUR gun if you don't tinker on it or customize it to the parameters you want? what I am saying is that the RIA 1911s are a blank canvas for people who want a solid 1911 but don't want to payout the ass for fancy doodads and whatnot when they themselves can customize the gun to their liking be it something simple as swapping the grips, safety, or backstrap to turning it into a tack driver that is more accurate than the bloke shooting it.
     

    oldag

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    I have owned a Les Baer Premier II, a stainless Wilson Combat Classic, a Wilson two toned CQB, and a stainless Ed Brown.
    (See attached photo}.
    The Les Baer was the worst 1911 I have ever owned. It arrived with damaged bluing. I contacted the factory and was basically told to go fly a kite. Les himself even told me he had no time to deal with customer problems. He last words to me were "sell it if you don't like it, someone else will be glad to take it off your hands!" I did just that a few weeks later.
    When I pay close to $2,000 for something I expect to get good customer service. Not at Baer. At least not 10 years ago.
    His 1911s are also built to over tight tolerances. They tell you to shoot 500 rounds through your pistol before you attempt to take it apart for maintenance. I tried to take mine apart after only 200 rounds. The slide and barrel got wedged together partly open. It took a large rubber mallet and my bench vise to get them apart. No other "high dollar" 1911 I have ever owned was this way.
    Wilson Combat has a saying that goes something like this "we don't have to build them tight, we build them right".
    The Ed Brown was a good pistol, but I found the Wilsons more to my liking.
    All high dollar 1911s are great. I had to buy the three in the photo before I decided to keep the stainless Wilson Classic at the bottom. The other two pistol have gone on to other happy campers.
    DON'T BUY FROM Les Baer.

    Have heard a number of similar stories about Les over the years.
     

    bigtex10mm

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    I have the double stack Rock Island 10mm, and honestly it is one of the few guns I have not changed or added anything to. It's great just like it is. It came from the factory so tight, it wouldn't reliably run soft loads. After running a couple hundred hot loads, and hand cycling it a couple hundred times with lapping compound on the slide and grooves, it has not so much as hiccuped in the last 3500 rounds. The only thing I don't like about it is the way it throws the brass 30 yards away.


    I have 3 1911's in 10mm and all three eject the empties into the next county. I have been told that its due to to the recoil spring. Supposedly you can replace it with one that is a few pounds less and it will function correctly but keep the empties close by. I actually spread a plastic tarp on the ground and stand on the front left corner. At the end of my shooting session I just pull up all 4 corners and pick up the brass. No more searching in the weeds!!
     

    TX oddball

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    I have a Wilson Combat CQB and a Les Baer Premier II, both .45acp. The Baer P-II has extremely tight tolerances, even after 1200 rounds, the slide is a little more difficult to rack than any other semi-auto I have. The fit and finish is no where close to my Wilson. But it is a shooter, extremely spot-on, equal to the Wilson for less than 2 grand new. And so far 100% reliable. I actually spoke to Les with a couple of questions and he was fine on the phone, but yes, I have heard he can be a curmudgeon. I still have it, and I still like it a lot.

    My CQB is without a doubt my favorite hand gun, above all others including Sigs, Glocks, Walthers, S&Ws, etc. Fit and finish are superb, and my favorite shooter at the range. And like the P-II, 100% reliable so far. I have said that if I had to only own one handgun from my collection, my Wilson wins.
     

    Axxe55

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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    I have 3 1911's in 10mm and all three eject the empties into the next county. I have been told that its due to to the recoil spring. Supposedly you can replace it with one that is a few pounds less and it will function correctly but keep the empties close by. I actually spread a plastic tarp on the ground and stand on the front left corner. At the end of my shooting session I just pull up all 4 corners and pick up the brass. No more searching in the weeds!!

    First of all, welcome to TGT. Stop over in the Intro Section and say hello to everyone.

    Problem you run into changing to a lighter weight recoil spring, is going to a too light weight a spring and then getting slide to frame battering. Recoil springs are suppose to be suited to the type of ammo a person is using in their pistol.
     

    OLDVET

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    Richardson, Texas
    The recoil spring is very important in the prevention of damage to your slide and frame. Consult you local gunsmith concerning spring weight. Please remember a recoil spring loses some of its resistance as you use it. A worn spring can be as much as an inch shorter than a fresh recoil spring. The case ejection is caused by the ejector bar on your frame. Just be glad your pistol ejects the casings away from you. I've had some Tupperware guns eject the casing directly over my head.
     

    oldag

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    I have a Wilson Combat CQB and a Les Baer Premier II, both .45acp. The Baer P-II has extremely tight tolerances, even after 1200 rounds, the slide is a little more difficult to rack than any other semi-auto I have. The fit and finish is no where close to my Wilson. But it is a shooter, extremely spot-on, equal to the Wilson for less than 2 grand new. And so far 100% reliable. I actually spoke to Les with a couple of questions and he was fine on the phone, but yes, I have heard he can be a curmudgeon. I still have it, and I still like it a lot.

    My CQB is without a doubt my favorite hand gun, above all others including Sigs, Glocks, Walthers, S&Ws, etc. Fit and finish are superb, and my favorite shooter at the range. And like the P-II, 100% reliable so far. I have said that if I had to only own one handgun from my collection, my Wilson wins.
    Tight tolerances can provide a very smooth slide if the dimensions and tolerances have been properly designed.

    A slide can be tight even if the drawing did not have tight tolerances called out. Probably more so. Rail too wide and mating slot too narrow and you have a tight fit - caused by loose drawing tolerances. This should not be confused with machining to tight tolerances.
     

    OLDVET

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    Richardson, Texas
    Have heard a number of similar stories about Les over the years.

    I had a local Les Baer dealer tell me that Les test fires each pistol that goes out. The ones that are the most accurate get sent to the people that pay extra for the accuracy upgrade. The dealer told me the fact that a pistol is more accurate than others from the production, is just by chance. Here I thought I was paying for a little more attention to detail.
    My advice, is buyer beware.
     

    Jarhead0093

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    Apr 26, 2021
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    Justin, TX
    Wilson Combat is my pick. I only have experience with them and Nighthawk, not Les Baer or Ed Brown.
    But Wilson makes fantastic firearms. Recently bought a Wilson Combat Experior Double Stack Commander.
     

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