Building a Les Baer

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Hey guys this is my first post so please bear with me. I am trying to build a custom 1911 from scratch I want to use a Les Baer frame and slide from Brownells. Do you guys have any information that would be valuable to me as I am not sure on whether or not this is legal in my home state of Massachusetts. I want to build a Les Baer as a heirloom gun something that I can pass on to my son. Thank you in advance to anyone that post on this thread Semper Fidelis.
 
1. It is legal. You have to file an eFA-10 upon completion.

2. It's not like bolting together an AR15. If you don't know how to fit locking lugs to the slide, do a proper action job, or put a fine finish on a gun you are not going to get heirloom quality.

3. I have a low opinion of Les Baer because a metalurgical analysis I arranged indicated his frames were consistent with 1141 resulphurized hot rolled carbon steel, not the "forging" he claimed. No, I have no idea what his current production is.

Unless you are a skilled smith, think Wilson, Nighthawk, SVI, STI or Derr for an heirloom quality weapon.
 
I can't answer your question, but welcome and good luck with your search!
 
I'd go through Greg Derr. In the past I would suggest springfield's customs shop, but lots of us are turned off by the recent controversy with that company.

Hard to go wrong with a Wilson combat either. What your budget, 3k+?
 
Thanks for the information. No i am not doing the work. I just want to be able to get a frame that needs fitment since you cant buy a wilson i wanted to send a frame to wilson amd have them finish it. Les is the one that is notorious for being tight and i love the front and rear serratio s of a les thats why i want that frame.

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My budget is putting cash into a coffee can until i get the money together lol. Massdiver
 
If you are willing to spend $4K+, and wait a year, check out www.sviguns.com. These are built to order and on a "cost is no object" basis, and they will work with MA residents. Anyone who is interested in checking them out can arrange a meet with me at Hopkinton.

You will also know that your "gun in progress" will be monitored by highly trained attack dogs - beagle, pit bull, American bull dog and a few labs.
 
Thanks for the information. No i am not doing the work. I just want to be able to get a frame that needs fitment since you cant buy a wilson i wanted to send a frame to wilson amd have them finish it. Les is the one that is notorious for being tight and i love the front and rear serratio s of a les thats why i want that frame.

A gunsmith can fit any brand of slide/frame with no play. Les Baer isn't unique in that sense.
 
If you are willing to spend $4K+, and wait a year, check out www.sviguns.com. These are built to order and on a "cost is no object" basis, and they will work with MA residents. Anyone who is interested in checking them out can arrange a meet with me at Hopkinton.

You will also know that your "gun in progress" will be monitored by highly trained attack dogs - beagle, pit bull, American bull dog and a few labs.

This.
 
If you are willing to spend $4K+, and wait a year, check out www.sviguns.com. These are built to order and on a "cost is no object" basis, and they will work with MA residents. Anyone who is interested in checking them out can arrange a meet with me at Hopkinton.

You will also know that your "gun in progress" will be monitored by highly trained attack dogs - beagle, pit bull, American bull dog and a few labs.

I hear such good things about these guns. Big bucks for sure though
 
If you are willing to spend $4K+, and wait a year, check out www.sviguns.com. These are built to order and on a "cost is no object" basis, and they will work with MA residents. Anyone who is interested in checking them out can arrange a meet with me at Hopkinton.

You will also know that your "gun in progress" will be monitored by highly trained attack dogs - beagle, pit bull, American bull dog and a few labs.

I had never heard of them until Sandy called up for help writing a post processor one day. Looked them up afterwards and man are those some nice looking guns they have up there on their site.
 
Hey guys this is my first post so please bear with me. I am trying to build a custom 1911 from scratch I want to use a Les Baer frame and slide from Brownells. Do you guys have any information that would be valuable to me as I am not sure on whether or not this is legal in my home state of Massachusetts. I want to build a Les Baer as a heirloom gun something that I can pass on to my son. Thank you in advance to anyone that post on this thread Semper Fidelis.

Welcome to NES. A few things: If your planning on a family Heirloom a LB might not be the best choice. The LB frames and slides at Brownells are not what I would consider the quality to start with, they have lots of machine flaws which are hard to fix. Second when I think of heirloom I think Colt- the original 1911 and made better today than ever. Colt tend to hold their value and increase in value where others don't.

Now there are fine 1911's out there but few are truly custom. By custom I mean that the owner gets to cherry pick his options and parts. If you buy a Les Baer, Wilson, Ed Brown or STI for example you get their stuff. Kinda like wanting a Chevy engine in a Ford chassis- a big no from manufacturers.

You can find a great smith anywhere in the country via the American Pistolsmith Guild which represents many in the trade. There are some who are not members but this is a good starting point. Best of luck in your quest.
 
I had never heard of them until Sandy called up for help writing a post processor one day. Looked them up afterwards and man are those some nice looking guns they have up there on their site.
You probably noticed they have high end everything, from the software you worked on to the machines. If you ever have the chance to service them in person, don't pass on the opportunity - you will be impressed.

I saw one gun leaving the factory for $18,000 (hand engraved, gold inlaid titanium gun).

SVI guns are "full custom", but only with their parts. You have to pick from several dozen options (both parts and machining operations) then your gun works its way through the factory over about a year. Everything is machined or EDMed, and their adjustable sights are better than Bomars ever were. Some of the options are not practical to get from custom smiths, as they are machined into the part at time of manufacture (for example, you get a choice of several slide profiles ranging from round to 3, 5 and 7 sided).

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Greg makes an excellent point on value. If you are going to have a no-name or regional name gunsmith build a gun, a Colt frame will hold the value best. When dealing with frames from companies like SVI, STI, Baer, Nighthawk, etc., there are two types of guns - the "Real thing" make by the OEM company and "Frankenguns". Since Colt does not make high end custom guns, there is no "real thing" standard you are going to be on the losing end of a comparison with.

Some regional smith are superb, but the name does not hold long term national value. The fact that some of these folks like Derr remain "regional" is because they do not do things like buy full page ads in American Handgunner; donate a gun for the magazine's monthly give away; etc. Notice how the mags review only two types of guns: Modern guns built by advertisers or old guns of interest .... which is why you will see regular articles on Nighthawk and STI but never see an article on Infinity. (Which used to be regularly covered, back when they bought ads).

You will even find that certain "stock" guns from big names (like Wilson Master Grade, anything from SVI, and a few others) hold their value better than "full custom" jobs from independents.


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You can find a great smith anywhere in the country via the American Pistolsmith Guild
Les Baer is no longer a member. I heard that he resigned because nobody was going to dictate his customer service policies. Note that Greg is a member.

I know when a friends Les Bar 45 blew up (over charged load) and self destructed in a manner not typical of overcharged rounds (frame split along a manganese sulfide stringer) Les said "I stand by my customers. I'll offer you $50 off full price on a replacement gun". He also said he would charge to do a failure analysis on the frame. That part is not a rumor, I was in the room when the owner had it in speaker.
 
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You probably noticed they have high end everything, from the software you worked on to the machines. If you ever have the chance to service them in person, don't pass on the opportunity - you will be impressed.


(In case anyone was wondering Rob fact checked my story and now knows who I am and the company I work for.)
 
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I did a custom build a bunch of years ago utilizing a Caspian frame. Due to Rob's recommendation that I inquire about the availabilty of custom serial numbers, (He has several from SVI) I am now the proud owner of a custom 1911 S/N 45ACP.

I chose all of the parts and had a smith in TX build it for me.

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What fun I had at the gun shop doing the transfer of the frame and the clerk looking all over the frame for the S/N......[rofl]
 
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(In case anyone was wondering Rob fact checked my story and now knows who I am and the company I work for.)
Absolutely true.
What fun I had at the gun shop doing the transfer of the frame and the clerk looking all over the frame for the S/N......
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Same thing happened to me with serial number "38SUPER" [smile]

And then there my big gun with s/n "50BMG" and my 1911oid with "40S&W".
 
Ohhhh snap! One of yours? If so, a commissioned piece for a "special" customer?
Inquiring minds want to know!

Was this a presentation piece for the commander in chief?

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I don't facebook but it is being donated by Greg and Caspian. Over 20 smiths from The American Pistolsmiths Guild are building it. I don't remember what will happen to it.
 
The very special 1911 will be a raffle gun for the APG in 2018. the members are building it. We will make another special 1911 for the President to have after he leaves office. We use the raffle proceeds for scholarships to gunsmith students.
 
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