Custom Les Baer 1911

I own 1911s from all the "big four" --- Baer, Brown, Nighthawk, and Wilson. It is wrong to call these "production" guns. Each Nighthawk, for example, is totally built by one gunsmith

From all these manufacturers, you can start with one of their models and ask to modify those. Some allow more leeway than others. But you can probably get what you want since you are looking at a fairly basic pistol. Now, some of them may not use certain parts made by someone else. I doubt Brown or Baer want to use the extended thumb safety from Wilson.

Last pistol I ordered from Nighthawk was a Falcon and I changed the front and rear sights, changed to slim grips, and changed to a medium length trigger. Before that, I ordered a Brown with a different front sight, had the barrel cut so it had a reverse crown and was flush fit, and added serrations to the rear of the slide.
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I think that RickB hit the nail on the head with the word "bespoke" when it comes to custom 1911 pistols. Bespoke is defined as being made to order & custom made to fit a particular person or individual specification. It is the difference between and off the rack hand made suit and a suit build for you and you only from your measurements by a tailor based on your specs. There are smiths out there like Don Williams of the Action Works who will use the parts you want on your "custom" pistol. He will take your request, your individual desires and make it work. He has the knowledge to advice you and help you build spec a custom pistol and the talent to build it. That cannot be said of every "gunsmith".

For example on this BHP I wanted Harrison 1911 sights. Harrison does not make sights for BHPs. Don took standard 1911 sights and modified them to work on the BHP. He then tailored the front sight to match the point of aim point of impact for the BHP vs a 1911. I wanted a certain finish and he specd that out for me. He produced a custom thumb safety built from the factory safety. We talked about the Garthwaite flat trigger vs the C&S trigger. I chose the Garthwaite version but still used a C&S hammer and sear. What I ended up with is a one of a kind pistol. It is different then any other BHP on the planet. It is what I wanted nothing more nothing less. This is the pinnacle of bespoke because it is both made to order and custom made to fit a particular person and an individual specification. "Why Do You Think I am Paying You if Not to Have My Way?” :D -Charles Portis True Gritt





Guns like 1911s from Les Baer, Nighthawk, Wilson Combat, Guncrafters etc... are close to this but are much more like a Ferrari. Les Baer 1911s can built to order so, all Ferrari sports cars are made to order, so in one sense they are bespoke. However your choices are limited to what is one the menu and based on the Ferrari or Les Baer foundation. You cannot ask Les Baer these days to build you a pistol based on a Wilson frame and slide using a Kart barrel. Just like you cannot ask Ferrari to use a Bugatti engine or put a Ferrari engine into a Buggati body. You however can pick your color. You leather, how much carbon fiber, which engine controls you want, etc... On a Les Baer you can add or remove front slide serrations, add a 1.5" guarantee, get stainless steel, change the sights etc... but all your choices are within the Les Baer universe.

It will still be built to order but it is not a whatever you want custom. When you buy the Ferrari or a Les Baer you are buying into a certain amount of restrictions because you like Ferrari's or Les Baer's take on a sports car or a 1911 pistol respectively. If you want a 458 Italia you can only customize or personalize it within the Ferrari universe if that makes sense. I see the semi-custom 1911 builders to be similar. There are many good 1911 houses and you pick the one that closely matches your personal aesthetic, your intended purpose and your budget. From there you accept the limitations of that particular builder and pick a pistol.

I don't have the numbers but I believe that more people buy the standard configurations off the rack vs actually customizing a stock configuration which pushes these guns further out of the world of "bespoke" IMHO. This clouds the issue even further because some Les Baers of 100% off the shelf while some have limited customization. Dealers like CrazyJohn even "custom order" pistols which they stock in their inventory to allow people options without the wait often associated with custom orders. I have a Les Baer TRS and it was not built to order nor was it custom made to fit a particular person or individual specification. It is an off the rack handmade suit not a "bespoke" pistol again IMHO. It is still a high quality pistol and one of the best in the safe but it is not "bespoke".

Now Wilson does have a true custom shop which will work on approved frames, slides and barrels but all the new parts that they will install are Wilson parts except for some sights IIRC. Still a great way to go if you have bought into Wilsons approach but it is not pure "bespoke" because while it is built to order it is not truly custom made to individual specifications because they have greatly restricted your choice of parts.

There is more than one way to skin a cat. I personally believe that the 1911 house like Nighthawk, Les Baer, Wilson etc... make excellent pistols. They are some of the best gun on the planet without a doubt. They are better 100% better than having the local Bubba smith slap whatever parts you bought at Brownells into your stock Govt pistol. They are certainly heads and shoulders above even the best mass production pistols like Dan Wesson but they are somewhere in between mass production and true "bespoke" IMHO. I know that Seven and others will disagree but that's half the fun of these forums isn't it.
 
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Well, it's not quite so much that I disagree with the hashing out of terms (words are important!) it's kind of the idea that a poster opens a thread with a (seemingly) obvious intention and rather than getting some help on his venture... he gets slapped with ensuing arguments over the fine details of terminology.

Again, there is value in finding and hashing out the proper words, but fer the luvva -- Les Baer themselves call their operation "Les Baer Custom." And yeah, we could gather some torches and signs and protest out in front of his joint about his Les' blatant disregard for the true meaning of "custom" but if perhaps we could help the OP find his grail gun also, we'd be furthering the value of these forums. ;)
 
Well, it's not quite so much that I disagree with the hashing out of terms (words are important!) it's kind of the idea that a poster opens a thread with a (seemingly) obvious intention and rather than getting some help on his venture... he gets slapped with ensuing arguments over the fine details of terminology.

Again, there is value in finding and hashing out the proper words, but fer the luvva -- Les Baer themselves call their operation "Les Baer Custom." And yeah, we could gather some torches and signs and protest out in front of his joint about his Les' blatant disregard for the true meaning of "custom" but if perhaps we could help the OP find his grail gun also, we'd be furthering the value of these forums.
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Les can call his shop whatever he wants but I wouldn't call it custom. LOL ;)

Back to the OP I would suggest looking somewhere else besides Les Baer unless the OP sees something on the site he really likes. Les Baers are not for everyone. The are not the prettiest guns and many people believe that they are too tight. Les Baer is also not known for being very flexible. He is also not known for the best customer service. Often people are told shoot another 200 rounds and see if the problem goes away.

I personally would not own one except for the fact I got mine LNIB not even broken in for $1350 OTD a few years back. Don't get me wrong I like my TRS and it is IMHO a no nonsense fighting pistol but pretty it is not.

If I was looking for what the OP is asking for I would call up Don Williams at The Action Works. I would get a base gun like a Colt 80 or 70 series and then talk to Don about what you want done to it. Based on what you have stated he can set you up with a pistol that is exactly what you want nothing more nothing less.

Kingcuda said:
What I really want is just a standard mil spec 1911 but with better sights a beavertail grip safety and a skeletonized trigger and hammer.
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$750 Colt Base gun. NIB
$165 Beavertail
$188 Harrison, Novak, Heine or sights of choice.
$45 for Tritium Lamps
$303 Deluxe trigger job with barstock Hammer, sear and disconnector. You can choose from Harrison, C&S etc... parts.
$100 Barstock thumb safety of choice.
$50 pick your trigger of choice.

Add to that your finish of choice. Anything from hard chrome, Robar NP3, Black T, Ion bond matte or classic blue. Finishes will cost you on the low end $160 on the high $350.

So for about $1765 to $2000 give or take you will get exactly what you want and it will be a true bespoke custom 1911s.

If you are willing to push the budget up to $3000 you can get a Kart, KKM or Wilson barrel and 30 LPI checkering could be added. You could even serrate the top and back of the slide. :D

I know you wanted it original from the factory but most of the high end builders want to put more into a gun then those basics but if you are set on a Baer give him a call and see what they can do for you.

(See how I worked that back in there Seven. LOL ;) )
 
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Well, it's not quite so much that I disagree with the hashing out of terms (words are important!) it's kind of the idea that a poster opens a thread with a (seemingly) obvious intention and rather than getting some help on his venture... he gets slapped with ensuing arguments over the fine details of terminology.

Again, there is value in finding and hashing out the proper words, but fer the luvva -- Les Baer themselves call their operation "Les Baer Custom." And yeah, we could gather some torches and signs and protest out in front of his joint about his Les' blatant disregard for the true meaning of "custom" but if perhaps we could help the OP find his grail gun also, we'd be furthering the value of these forums.
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You seem to be the only one hung-up on terminology, and I don't see anyone (else) distressed by it?

It's not a matter of "should Les Baer not be allowed to call themselves 'custom'" (something that nobody has suggested, near as I can tell), but, should someone who wants a truly custom gun - not limited to the maker's own parts, not limited to one selection from column A and one from column B, not limited to one or two available finishes, etc. - go to Les Baer?

I sent a basic, G.I.-style pistol to Grayguns, in Oregon. They installed SVI lockwork, a Kimber thumb safety, S&A magwell, Wilson beavertail, they recontoured the area where the trigger guard met the front strap.
It was never a matter of not offering a particular service, or using only a specific brand of components; they did what I wanted.

If I'd asked for a finish that they didn't do in-house, I'm sure they would have sent it off to someone who did, and then re-check everything before returning the gun to me.

You can call it "custom", or "customer service".
 
Bruce does nice work on 1911s. People often think of him as the Sig guy but he can make a mean 1911 as well.
 
I wouldn't say I'm distressed by it. What I would say is that it seems to me as if the OP wanted a Les Baer with the options he liked -- and without the options he didn't care for, and most of the answers are "you don't want a Les Baer, you want _____."

But it's all good. I just hope he updates this discussion with the direction he went, maybe a few pictures.
 
You might also consider a Guncrafters The Pistol with no Name. You could most likely spec a skeleton trigger on it. I know they have done them before. I have always loved the clean look of this pistol.

Blue-No-Name-1.jpg
 
I had Claudio Salasa at Briley custom build me a 38Super on a Les Behr frame. The gun was simply outstanding. I used it in three gun matches and it was a winner. It had a 1.5lb trigger and would keep five shots in under an inch at 25yds....my requirements before he started. I don't know if he's still there or not, but if he is he would be the one I'd want to build a gun for me.
 
There are very few 1911 gunsmiths that will "build you anything you want."

They all have a style, and that's what you're buying. Would you go to Chuck Rogers and ask him to stipple a grip instead of doing golf ball texture? Probably not because Chuck is not known for his stippling, he's known for his golf ball texture.

Yet, Chuck's guns are considered custom 1911's.

I have a gun built by Bob Marvel. Bob had a specific list of features that he would incorporate into a pistol. To start the gun, Bob asked for a raw slide and frame. Specifically, a .38 / 9mm frame and a .45 caliber slide.

He wanted the .38 frame so he could cut the throat himself, and the raw frame and slide so he could cut the rails, and radius the slide to his profile.

That's about as custom as it gets. He's taking a raw slide and frame, finishing all of the dimensions, throating the frame, cutting the rails, etc. - yet, there was still a specific list of features that Bob would do. Some of them very esoteric like stress relieving parts through cryogenic treatment.

He would do checkering, and stippling, and a couple of unique texture treatments that he developed - but, golf balls - no, not his style.

So, let's not labor under the illusion that every custom gunsmith will do whatever in the universe you can think up - they won't.

You're buying their "style" not an unlimited feature set.

That's not a far step from Baer, Wilson, etc. who have a feature list you can pick from to configure their style gun the way you want it built.

You can call that a "production custom" - or whatever terminology you want, but, in effect, they are building a "bespoke" gun in their style from their feature set list.
 
If you have a gun at Chuck Rodgers your in for a treat. I took a mixmatch Colt slide and whatever frame to him 4 years ago.

The man stripped the gun of every part in probably 3 minutes while talking to me. And I agreed to a tune up of gun, the gun ran like a Wilson or Ed Brown must when he finished.

I also saw him later at a indoor gun range testing a customer gun and said hi. Great gunsmithing needs to continue.

Everytime I check his website says not accepting new orders very bummer I think.
 
I just got done shooting my Baer PII again today. One-hundred and fifty rounds of my own reloads. This gun is just wickedly accurate, front cocking serrations and all. And no, it is not one of the 1.5" at 50 yards guns.

I've shot Wilsons and they are almost as accurate, as the adage goes "the most interesting gun is an accurate gun."
 
What I really want is just a standard mil spec 1911 but with better sights a beavertail grip safety and a skeletonized trigger and hammer.
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If that's all you want, then just get a "mil-spec" and have the sights of your choice, a beavertail grip safety and skeletonized hammer and trigger installed. It would be a lot cheaper than paying for a "name" and will probably just shoot just as well, or at least as well as you can shoot.
 
I disagree get a Colt because you won't be sorry or want out. Get a 1991 available at gun genie my neck of the woods 730 dollars otd. That is the best advice I could give you. Wish I had 730 but I have my current 1991 stainless unfired 850 otd and my shot the heck Rock Island Gov. I'm liking this gun more and more. Paid 475 was shop pricetag but fun can't be priced.
 
Ok you really need a Rock Island no kidding. If you start with this then you have it at your dresser. You know it goes bang bang then you can trust it. They are good price and good quality.
 
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