So I'm doing a bit of a direction change in my handgun collection and I've been without a 1911 for a bit so I thought I'd see what was out there. I've been cruising the EE looking for a nice one and saw this SIG Stainless Carry posted for a nice price—it's not new but it's in nice shape and the previous owner had swapped out the factory trigger for a Dlask one for what, to me, makes for a sharper looking pistol. I like SIG 1911s (although the two I owned previously I ended up selling) and I also like Commander-sized 1911s. I also had not owned an all-stainless steel pistol before so I went for it.
No range time yet but initial impressions are favourable. The trigger pull is very nice-—short, crisp, and with a much less-prominent feel of the Series 80 firing pin safety than other SIG 1911s I'd tried. I usually toss factory 1911 grips and add a set of VZs but these grips are very good—they're smooth where your thumb goes for easy access to the mag release but nicely checkered where your fingers go for a firm grip. The grips are also a very attractive brown/dark grey laminate wood. The 25-lines per inch frontstrap checkering is not bad, although I prefer 30 myself. Sights are easy to see Novak-style night sights.
I thought that'd be it...but the day after I paid for the SIG I see a NIB Les Baer Ultimate Tactical Carry posted. The price is good—for me it's $600 less than a new one including tax, and I'd been gazing lovingly at the one that Wanstalls has on their site. I don't need a second 1911, but I've been intrigued by Baer pistols for almost 20 years now, and since selling my Nighthawk GRP I've missed having a top-quality 1911, so I went for this one, too!
When they say that Baer pistols are tight when they're new it's no joke—I can barely rack the slide on this pistol! Past the initial 1/4" or so of rearward movement (after the barrel has unlocked) the slide gets much easier to retract. I replaced the slim wooden grips (which look and feel quite nice) with a set of VZ 320 grips in Black Desert Sand. I was worried these would be too smooth but they feel great, and I think the pattern complements the pistol nicely. For some reason I thought that Baers were matte blued, but this one has nicely polished flats. The trigger pull, of course, is beautiful, the night sights crisp an easy to pick up, and the 30-lpi (yay!) frontstrap makes for a comfortable yet very firm grip. I'll report back once I've had it out to the range. In the meantime...enjoy!
No range time yet but initial impressions are favourable. The trigger pull is very nice-—short, crisp, and with a much less-prominent feel of the Series 80 firing pin safety than other SIG 1911s I'd tried. I usually toss factory 1911 grips and add a set of VZs but these grips are very good—they're smooth where your thumb goes for easy access to the mag release but nicely checkered where your fingers go for a firm grip. The grips are also a very attractive brown/dark grey laminate wood. The 25-lines per inch frontstrap checkering is not bad, although I prefer 30 myself. Sights are easy to see Novak-style night sights.
I thought that'd be it...but the day after I paid for the SIG I see a NIB Les Baer Ultimate Tactical Carry posted. The price is good—for me it's $600 less than a new one including tax, and I'd been gazing lovingly at the one that Wanstalls has on their site. I don't need a second 1911, but I've been intrigued by Baer pistols for almost 20 years now, and since selling my Nighthawk GRP I've missed having a top-quality 1911, so I went for this one, too!
When they say that Baer pistols are tight when they're new it's no joke—I can barely rack the slide on this pistol! Past the initial 1/4" or so of rearward movement (after the barrel has unlocked) the slide gets much easier to retract. I replaced the slim wooden grips (which look and feel quite nice) with a set of VZ 320 grips in Black Desert Sand. I was worried these would be too smooth but they feel great, and I think the pattern complements the pistol nicely. For some reason I thought that Baers were matte blued, but this one has nicely polished flats. The trigger pull, of course, is beautiful, the night sights crisp an easy to pick up, and the 30-lpi (yay!) frontstrap makes for a comfortable yet very firm grip. I'll report back once I've had it out to the range. In the meantime...enjoy!
