Les Baer or Dan Wesson?

[THEMULE]

It recently (Last spring or so) occurred to me that I’m not a very good “red blooded American” as I don’t own a 1911.

So I been digging and researching off and on over the summer and fall as time allowed.

I think I’ve narrowed the manufacturer down to Les Baer or Dan Wesson.

I’d like to hear your experiences with either.....

Thank you.
Bob

 

[colt_saa]

I do not think that you can be disappointed in either Company

When I started shooting 1911s, Dan Wesson was a revolver manufacturer. But now-a-days everybody makes 1911

I have had several Les Baers over the decades and I really like them. My favorite to this day is my Leas Baer TargetMaster Long Slide

Les was very accommodating and the firearm had a few options added, like the extended slide release and extended mag release. Then the entire piece was finished in Baer Coat which has been holding up Very well. I even had Les laser engrave a set of smooth Coco Bolo grips for me.

While I do like the Dan Wesson Bruin for a Long slide chambered in 10MM Auto, I am still partial to my Les Baer 45s

I like the older (no longer available) MMC adjustable sights. I found a nice set of Amboyna Burl grips for my Les Baer carry piece

 

[GypsmJim]

A 1911 isn't a 1911 unless its a Colt. My choice (if I didn't already have one) would be a 70 series Gold Cup.

 

[Pisgah]

It really depends on what you want it for. Both are nice pistols. If you want it for maximum showoff potential, the Les Baer will impress folks who are impressed by a name, while the Dan Wesson will save you $1000, and either will make knowledgeable folks envious of your pocketbook.

If you are of a practical mind and just want a well-made, accurate 1911, a Rock Island Armory 1911 will serve as well as either, at a fraction of the price.

 

[Sevens]

I think that both are fine choices, but let's expand the conversation a bit.

I believe that if you stick with the lower end of their catalog, the Dan Wesson is the best value in a 1911. I am not saying that you have to stick to their absolute cheapest offering -- I'm saying that when you get the very upper end of the Dan Wesson models, you are spending money that approaches or meets Baer, Brown and Wilson.

Dan Wesson uses quality parts and they pay a lot of attention to the final product and all of them that I've handled and shot seem to be more than the sum of their parts.

Les Baer makes a fantastic pistol for sure and for a box-fresh, brand new 1911, the accuracy of his guns impresses me. The feel of the final lock-up fitment of these pistols are truly like nothing else in my experience. I've owned Brown and Baer and handled and fired Wilson Combat and countless others, I still haven't felt anything that locks up like a Baer in full battery.

My biggest complaint on Baer is that their basic finish is not at all durable. If you carry IWB and you sweat, the finish doesn't like it.

If it were me making the purchase... I would be torn between a low-to-middle Dan Wesson or a used Les Baer. Personally, I believe the Dan Wesson would be a better looking pistol.

I wouldn't buy a Colt for more reasons than I care to list.

I'll be interested to hear where you end up.

 

[thebolt]

The Dan Wesson is a production pistol with production tolerances and fitting. The Les Baer tolerances and hand fitting are on a different level, well above that of a production pistol. I carried a Colt 1911 for many years as LE and the tolerances and fitting of that pistol were truly junk. It always fired but it was nothing anyone should be proud of. Long story on the Colt but that is for a different time and place and I don't want to go off topic to your question. I own Wilson, Ed Brown, and several different Les Baer pistols. I carried two different Baer pistols, a Thunder Ranch and a Concept VIII, as my LE pistol for the last 15 years of my career. The Les Baer pistols are works of art but priced at a very reasonable level for a pistol of this quality.

You will never be sorry if you purchase a Les Baer but you will always wonder if you settle for a factory production pistol. This is my opinion based upon my experiences and I wish you good luck in making your decision sir.

 

[oysterer]

I have various Baers and Dan Wessons and after owning, shooting and understanding the Dan Wesson build philosophy as they call it, that really resonates with me. I prefer them over my Baers. To me the Dan Wessons I have and have shot are perfect fitted and super accurate and beautifully finished. The Baers are hard fit, meaning there is some canting going on to achieve the same results as a perfect fit would. I also have a 1.5 guarantee Baer and that does not have the hard 'canted' fit. It seems smoother and more fully fit and that seems to be the norm for the 1.5 guaranteed guns. The Baers have a utilitarian finish with flats and corners which border on the crude and I am over that. Anyway...you can google more on that but independent of the price, Dan Wesson every day for me. Have another, the A2 coming in and I am very excited.

Colt, not really. I have owned them but they are nowhere near what I expect in a 1911 even in basic ability to shoot groups. Before them I would investigate the Smith E-series. I see them around and owners seems to be happy. They are a series 70 slide as well and very popular in competition environments. I would also investigate the Sig 1911 a bit more. Those have a firing pin block but I would still be interested to try as I see the factory producing great CNC made and production fit guns such as P210. I would get a target grade 1911 without hesitation but so far have no direct experience other than handling a few.

 

[Laketime]

A 1911 isn't a 1911 unless its a Colt. My choice (if I didn't already have one) would be a 70 series Gold Cup.

Who would you recommend to do the custom work to make it run and group like the other two?

 

[Old_Cop]

Les Baer stainless Comanche, took the required 500 rounds to break in. It was as accurate as a hardball match gun. Just one complaint the top of the slide was as abrasive as 240 sandpaper, which would abrade holsters, leather or plastic.

DW Valor is very nice .45, mine has the black finish and is loaded with small touches like a beveled edge on the bottom of the slide. I have only shot it once.

 

[Warren Sear]

Four letters... begins with "C"...

 

[ben_g1]

If your up in years and have a touch or two, or three, etc of arthritis. You might want to find one you can test working the action on. I bought one and had to turn around and sell as the only way I could break the slide was with the palm of my hand.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

HAHAHA!!!!!!! I love you guys.

I figure I'm as red blooded an American as there is and I don't and won't own a 1911. I have in the past. Sold them, and was happy to do it. I have no particular use for them. I don't like them for concealed carry, and I can shoot targets with anything. YMMV and, of course, it definitely does.

 

[LPD256]

Here’s another thought. A 9mm 1911 is just as American as a .45acp. Bill Wilson, Ken Hackathorn, and other reputable shooters now carry 9mm. One in the tube and ten in the magazine. I have several in .45acp including a Colt Series 70 Wiley Clapp that is a nice shooter. I have a stainless Dan Wesson Pointman 9 and a Wesson Vigil Lightweight Commander in 9mm. Those are guns I shoot most as they are cheaper to shoot, more fun, and less recoil than my .45’s. The lightweight Commander is a great carry alternative. No experience with Les Baer but a great reputation. Both of my Wesson’s were guns traded for Wilson and Nighthawk 1911’s purchased for hundreds under MSRP. Barely shot.

 

[mike campbell]

I'd go secondhand on a Wilson (I have, twice), Baer, NHC, GI or Brown. If I had issues with it I'd KNOW the original maker would make it run right. It might or might not cost me, but when it came back it would function flawlessly.

In spite of a couple of good experiences in my lifetime, I wouldn't expect the same from any standard mass-producer.

 

[tocohillsguy]

I think that both are fine choices, but let's expand the conversation a bit.

I believe that if you stick with the lower end of their catalog, the Dan Wesson is the best value in a 1911. I am not saying that you have to stick to their absolute cheapest offering -- I'm saying that when you get the very upper end of the Dan Wesson models, you are spending money that approaches or meets Baer, Brown and Wilson.

Dan Wesson uses quality parts and they pay a lot of attention to the final product and all of them that I've handled and shot seem to be more than the sum of their parts.

Les Baer makes a fantastic pistol for sure and for a box-fresh, brand new 1911, the accuracy of his guns impresses me. The feel of the final lock-up fitment of these pistols are truly like nothing else in my experience. I've owned Brown and Baer and handled and fired Wilson Combat and countless others, I still haven't felt anything that locks up like a Baer in full battery.

My biggest complaint on Baer is that their basic finish is not at all durable. If you carry IWB and you sweat, the finish doesn't like it.

If it were me making the purchase... I would be torn between a low-to-middle Dan Wesson or a used Les Baer. Personally, I believe the Dan Wesson would be a better looking pistol.

I wouldn't buy a Colt for more reasons than I care to list.

I'll be interested to hear where you end up.

I agree with the above statement. DW is the most bang for the buck in the forged 1911 world. I've never owned a Baer, but some caution against the non-full sized Baer for reasons I don't recall. You should also check out Ed Brown. Nighthawk and Wilson. It's been a while since I was in the market, but those were the big 3 several years ago with Baer rounding out the top 4. Personally I prefer the frame/grip safety geometry of the Wilson over the Ed Brown, but Ed Brown makes a beautiful 1911. All that being said none of them will out shoot my CCO Dan Wesson.

 

[THEMULE]

I'd go secondhand on a Wilson (I have, twice), Baer, NHC, GI or Brown. If I had issues with it I'd KNOW the original maker would make it run right. It might or might not cost me, but when it came back it would function flawlessly.

In spite of a couple of good experiences in my lifetime, I wouldn't expect the same from any standard mass-producer.

NHC? GC?
Please fill me in on these?
Thank you.

 

[THEMULE]

I appreciate all the feed back. While I understand the purity of the Colt (I think that’s what folks were getting at), I don’t see the quality in them that has gone into the Les Baer, Dan Wesson or Sig Sauer. I don’t want to start an argument here, but this has been my experience. Although it has been very little to be honest.

I read somewhere the Sig gets there parts from India and S&W uses MIM parts. I was seriously considering the Sig Super Target until I read the India thing. If I am mistaken, please let me know.

I believe Wilson and Ed Brown are out of my price range, truth be told Les Baer is a bit of a stretch as well but acceptable. At the moment the Dan Wesson I am eye balling is the Bruin. Not sure which model of Les Baer I’m partial too.

 

[Terry Two Shanks]

From experience have owned several Les Baer. They are a great 1911 and a quality 1911 and a good value for the 1911 You will get. I have also owned Colt Gold Cup really good gun but Baer is way better.

 

[Sevens]

NHC is (I assume) Nighthawk, a small outfit made up of guys who left Wilson Combat and set up in the same podunk town in Arkansas. There’s some really personal soap opera-type hijinx behind the break-off of these guys and this newer company. I have zero experience with the pistols hands-on, but they get good reviews. I find them gaudy and expensive, given the other options that I do have experience with, I would never consider one for any reason.

GI is Guncrafter Industries. These have a fantastic reputation. I love the way they make these absolutely clean in design, not mucked up with anything gaudy. A shooting bro (who also owns a handful of Baer, Wilson and Dan Wesson) has a single Guncrafter and it is nice, but he still prefers a Baer over the GI, and the Baer typically carries a lower price.

 

[CH4]

I own both and several other brands, from RIA to EB. Best value between the two is a toss up for me - you can’t go wrong with either. Both are high quality 1911 manufacturers who do things a little different, don’t use MIM and bring appreciable characteristics and value to the table at the $1500 - $2000 price range.

FWIW, I no longer have a single Colt 1911 in my safe, however I wish I still had my GCNM Delta Elite. Selling it was a big mistake.