SUPER TIGHT Les Baer Monolith

[Johnny Lightning]

So I am on the hunt for a really nice 1911. I was looking at a couple of different models...nighthawk, ed brown, wilson, and then a used les bear that was set up for bullseye. I picked up the Monolith and for the life of me could not get the slide back! I even pulled the hammer back and still couldn't get the hammer back! Then the manager came over and gave it a try and finally gave it a knock on the front of the barrel and it came loose. Are all of his guns that tight and does that really help in accuracy? From what I have read the barrel to bushing fit is very important not necessarily the slide being tighter to the frame. I liked the look of the Les Bear and the feel but WOW is that tight!

 

[schmeky]

Mr. Lightening,

That's pretty typical. My LB Monoith was just about like the one you examined. However, within 2-300 rounds they will wear in and loose that initial tightness.

One thing is for sure, my LB can shoot into a single ragged hole at 25 yards from a rest (when I can do my part).

 

[451 Detonics]

When Jim Clark did a Bulleye job on your 1911 you better of had a rawhide mallet on hand to work the slide till you got a few hundred hand cycles run with it.

 

[Blackhawk30]

And the fix is.............
Put your thumb on the inside front of triggerguard.Put yourtrigger finger on the spring plug and pinch it open.Works every time.

 

[Zerodefect]

Les Baers are like that out of the box. If they sit for a while they stick together. Usually a 1911 that tight has problems, but LB has something figured out. It'll loosen up after about 200 rounds.

I grip them normally, then just slam them nose first into the carpet on the floor gently to knock them loose. But usually a firm press check works.

 

[TexasRifleman]

My opinion, and I will probably get flamed for it, is that it's as much marketing as technical.

Years ago customers got it in their heads that "tight means right" on a 1911 and so LB gives the people what they want. Back in the 80's everyone was doing it.

LB is about the only maker still doing this it seems, or at least he's the one people talk about the most. There are plenty of other very accurate 1911 makers who are no longer making the frame/slide fit so tight.

Or, maybe he knows a secret no one else does. Not a knock on LB guns, they are great, I just question the need for that tightness.

 

[1KPerDay]

And the fix is.............
Put your thumb on the inside front of triggerguard.Put yourtrigger finger on the spring plug and pinch it open.Works every time.

Unless the pistol in question has a full-length dust cover. Which the Monolith does.

 

[rcmodel]

Keep in mind that a match gun like the LB Monolith wears in, not out.

As others have said, after a few hundred rounds it will be Just Right!

rc

 

[EddieNFL]

My Concept was super tight out of the box. I've put about 2500 rounds through the pipe since July and it still won't return to battery if you do a press check.

 

[Johnny Lightning]

This monolith was set up for bullseye (i assume) w/ a scope mount...wouldn't that mean that it was probably shot alot and should be at least a little bit looser? Also it is stainless which isn't even in les bears on line catalogue? I also saw a nice Colt Gold Cup model 70 while i was looking at the other pistols and am considering getting the colt since it is a pistol i have wanted for a while and the price is rite.

 

[LiveLife]

You could call Les Baer and ask ...

 

[38 Super Fan]

It'll loosen up a bit after a few hundred rounds, but my Premier II was still very tight after 5 or 600 rounds.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

As another Baer owner, they are just tight.

Look at it this way. If say a Colt starts out loose and you shoot it and it wears it gets looser. If a Baer starts out tight and you shoot it, it wears, it gets a bit less tight. By the time you wear it in enough to be as loose as say a colt, you will be really lucky to have shot that much.

 

[rodinal220]

Thats the way Baers come when new. A press check will not unlock the gun when new,impossible on a Monolith. Yes,they take several hundred rounds to break in. Unlocking will become much easier.

 

[Rinspeed]

Years ago customers got it in their heads that "tight means right" on a 1911 and so LB gives the people what they want. Back in the 80's everyone was doing it.

LB is about the only maker still doing this it seems, or at least he's the one people talk about the most. There are plenty of other very accurate 1911 makers who are no longer making the frame/slide fit so tight.

Les Baer sends a 10 shot test target from 50 yards for some models while other semi-customs come with target shot at 15 yards. Some of the semi-custom 1911s have zero fitting of the slide and frame, they just have them CNC machined to close tolerances and call it a day. Most of the tightness in Baers come from the barrel to bushing fitting and not the slide to frame fitting as most people think. I'm not saying either way is better it's just two different philosophies.

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

My opinion, and I will probably get flamed for it, is that it's as much marketing as technical.

Years ago customers got it in their heads that "tight means right" on a 1911 and so LB gives the people what they want. Back in the 80's everyone was doing it.

LB is about the only maker still doing this it seems, or at least he's the one people talk about the most. There are plenty of other very accurate 1911 makers who are no longer making the frame/slide fit so tight.

Or, maybe he knows a secret no one else does. Not a knock on LB guns, they are great, I just question the need for that tightness.
__________________

this.


that sort of tightness in a 1911 is more of a marketing gimmick than anything.

 

[Ankeny]

FWIW, I have had the lower lugs crack where they meet the barrel on two Les Baer pistols. So much for a "hard fit".

 

[robctwo]

My 1.5" PII has around 40k through it and it is just getting broken in.

 

[sammy]

I have a Permier II and a TRS. The Premier is a much tighter pistol than the TRS but I am not a good enough shooter to tell which is more accurate. After about 4000 rounds the lock up is not nearly as tight than when new. Neither is a 1-1/2" gun and I have never tried one so I don't have anything to compare it to. Here is one of my best targets on a very good day. 7.5g. of Power Pistol under a 230g. Golden Saber. Very stout load and expensive to shoot but man, is it accurate. Offhand, 15 yards with 8 rounds. The poster above's gun looks much better than mine that has 16,000 rounds through it. Got to love the 1911's!!!

 

[Peter M. Eick]

What was interesting for me is my 1.5" 10mm Baer is actually looser in operation then my 3" 45acp Baer. The difference is in lock up. The 1.5" 10mm just snaps shut. The 3" 45 acp is more of a slightly rougher fit. The 1.5" guns are just "smoooooth".