Les Baer slide to frame fit ?

[Joe_C]

I have only had the chance to look at a couple Les Baer guns in one of the local gun shops, and have never had a chance to shoot any.

I immediately noticed the very tight slide to frame fit of these pistols,didn't seem to be any movement at all !

Just wondering if they stay that tight after a good break in session of 1000 rounds or so?

I have shot an STI , that seemed very "tight" when new , but after a few hundred rounds , you could tell that the slide frame fit had loosened up a bit .
Not a lot looser by any means,but you could notice it .

thanks

Joe

[kennethhardy]

The action on mine got smoother but no looseness of any kind.

[TresOsos]

Mine have become smoother, not loose, and some have 10K plus thru them.
Treat them right,keep them clean and lubed and they will treat you right.

[Live2Ride]

My two got a lot smoother after the break-in, but they didn't loosen up any. It's like the parts were fit so tight that the break-in period just allowed the parts to wear together and fit each other perfectly. After my guns sit for bit and I go to rack the slide, they still have that initial tightness that takes some effort to break free. It's a nice reminder that it's a Les Baer I'm holding.

[gocanes]

I think the reason why Baers are harder to rack during the break in period is primarily due to the tightly fit barrel bushing, not the slide to frame fit per se.

A better way to test slide to frame fit is to take the tension out of it. Take the barrel, bushing , recoil spring, spring plug, and guide rod out of the equation. Put the stripped slide on your frame and see if it wiggles. My TRS has no rattle when completely assembled, but rattles a bit with just a stripped slide on the frame. YMMV.

None of this matters, of course. It'll shoot just fine and is extremely accurate anyways.

[Joe_C]

Thanks for the replies.

The STI (one of the 2011 double stack models) does not "rattle" when you shake it , but you can move the slide a little bit when you grab the slide and frame seperatly and put a little force on them .
I can't see any movement at all in the barrel to slide fit.

Just curious about the Baer , probably looking in that direction for my next 1911 purchase.

thanks

Joe

[Peter M. Eick]

Think about it this way. Shoot a Baer 10,000 times and it will just start to loosen up to the point it is like say a Wilson is straight from the factory. That has been my observation so far. Baer builds tight hard fit guns.

[BYJO4]

The Baer will get smooth as glass as you put rounds thru it but the slide frame fit will still be virtually as it came from the factory. The bushing also remains tight and my still requires the use of a wrench to turn it after 10,000 rounds.

[Bbrown]

Mine is one of the 1.5" guarantee PII, it loosened up considerably after about 3500 rounds. When I first got it, no movement anywhere. Now, with over 5K rounds, stripped down and just running the slide on the frame there is quite a bit of play. Fully assembled and in battery, there is still quite a bit of movement for a Baer, you can feel it easily.

That's the slide to frame fit. I still can't get any movement of the barrel within the slide when in battery. And it shoots fine, far better than my eyes can see after almost 50 years. It is smooth as glass on glass. I love the gun and am not too worried about the slide loosening up. I think shooting a Baer feels different, they're just solid and seem to "eat" the recoil.

[Peter M. Eick]

Actually, I found that my non-1.5" PII is much tighter to move the bushing and the like then my 1.5" PII. The 1.5" is just super smooth while the non-1.5" just needs some force to turn the bushing. This is after nearly 10,000 rounds down the non-1.5" PII.

[MoCop]

Mine also became smoother and the slide/frame fit loosened just a smidge. It's still the tightest and most accurate 1911 I have ever had.

[Fazer386]

Smooth & tight !

[baerhunter]

Hey Joe C.,
My oldest and most favorite Baer (approaching 20 year old PII) is still tighter than most brand new "fitted" .45's. Is it as tight as it was for the first 500 rounds or so? No, of course not.....I wouldn't want it to be. It simply smoothed up during the initial breakin and has remained that way, essentially, since then. Frankly, I'm not sure that a normal human being can shoot a Baer loose....of course, having said that, someone will state that they have. Anyway, they're tight and they stay that way, pretty much. Buy with confidence. Best of luck in your purchasing decision.

[Magnumite]

My Baer slide/frame fit is about the way you describe the STI, Joe. Just enough to notice it.

[rwd]

All of my Baer's got smooth as glass with no looseness what so ever

[zenbiker]

Originally Posted by rwd

All of my Baer's got smooth as glass with no looseness what so ever

Just my experience with my Ultimate Master. Very tight and hard to rack but after a few hundred rounds became smooth as butter but no excess play. Perfect. My favorite gun. Like a rock. Dead on accurate and solid as can be.

[packas]

Man. You guys are driving me mad. I've still got 16 wks wait for my Baer

[Rick McC.]

Both of mine are still very tight when in battery; takes some effort to start to rack the slide (it's the "hard fit" barrel, slide stop/barrel feet and bushing), and no slide to frame play at all.

That said; both have been totally reliable and are extremely accurate.

Rick

[MoCop]

Mine's loosened up just a bit and the only time you can feel slide to frame play is when its had a few hundred rounds through it and is running a bit dry.

[smallie9]

Originally Posted by MoCop

Mine's loosened up just a bit and the only time you can feel slide to frame play is when its had a few hundred rounds through it and is running a bit dry.

"Looseness" by Baer standards is still better than most, and yes mine is also waay smooth, and what a shooter. I can't imagine a 1.5" being better, surely more accurate than most of us could shoot it.

[JGus]

Originally Posted by TresOsos

Mine have become smoother, not loose, and some have 10K plus thru them.
Treat them right,keep them clean and lubed and they will treat you right.

TresOsos stated it perfectly; smoother, not necessarily loose.

I have a brand new Premier II that is tough as h*ll to rack the slide, but I have a Concept V with a lot of rounds through it that is smooth as butter. The Premier II will have the same smoothness in time.

[Coltman23]

Mine custom carry has some slight play but only when it's dry. When it's lubed there is none but you can slightly see oil squeeze out of the rear rails when moved side to side.

[MoCop]

Originally Posted by smallie9

"Looseness" by Baer standards is still better than most, and yes mine is also waay smooth, and what a shooter. I can't imagine a 1.5" being better, surely more accurate than most of us could shoot it.

True, but Coltman summed it up perfectly what I was trying to say

[Bbrown]

Originally Posted by Peter M. Eick

Actually, I found that my non-1.5" PII is much tighter to move the bushing and the like then my 1.5" PII. The 1.5" is just super smooth while the non-1.5" just needs some force to turn the bushing. This is after nearly 10,000 rounds down the non-1.5" PII.

Based on the fit of my 1.5" PII, it makes sense to me that these models achieve that level of accuracy from a better fit, not necessarily tighter fit, of all the parts working together. My bushing turns easily without a wrench, as long as I remove the slide/barrel as one off of the frame and then slide the barrel forward to relieve the fit.

[hdswap]

Originally Posted by joe_c

i have only had the chance to look at a couple les baer guns in one of the local gun shops, and have never had a chance to shoot any.

I immediately noticed the very tight slide to frame fit of these pistols,didn't seem to be any movement at all !

Just wondering if they stay that tight after a good break in session of 1000 rounds or so?

I have shot an sti , that seemed very "tight" when new , but after a few hundred rounds , you could tell that the slide frame fit had loosened up a bit .
Not a lot looser by any means,but you could notice it .

Thanks.
Joe

after 2,000 rd's mine is still as tight as a bank vault. From day one it has never malfunctioned.