About Les Baer
If you don’t know Les Baer, he is a legend in the 1911 game. He started customizing Colt 1911s in the 1980s and gained a reputation for building ultra-accurate 1911s, particularly for IPSC and bullseye competitions.
In the late 1980s, Baer collaborated with Springfield Armory to develop its custom shop to build 1911s tailored for competitive shooters. His craftsmanship and designs helped elevate Springfield’s early reputation in the high-end 1911 world. Les Baer is considered part of the “holy trinity” of semi-custom 1911 builders alongside Ed Brown and Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat.
Premier II Super-Tac Details
This full-sized series 70 .45 ACP 1911 was built in 2019. The action is a traditional short action breech lock. It has a 5-inch, non-ramped, bushing-style barrel with a polished feed ramp and throated barrel.
The frame, slide, and barrel are Nation Match. It has a lowered and flared ejection port and a tuned and polished extractor. Most are the internals are Baer parts as well as the ejector, slide stop, trigger, hammer, sear, grip safety, and ambi safety.
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The front strap is high checkered at 30 lines per inch, and the slide has serrations on the front and back. The iron sights are Bomar-style. The rear is a low-mounted Les Baer Custom adjustable sight, and the front is dovetailed in place. The sight picture is three-dot night sights with white circle outlines.
The entire gun is rounded for carry and finished with a DuPont S coating over a bluing. Overall weight is about 40 ounces, and it comes with two eight-round magazines.
Here’s a quick rundown of the basic specs:
- Caliber: .45 ACP
- Capacity: 8+1
- Weight: 40 ounces
- Barrel Length: 5 inches
- Overall Length: 8.5 inches
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Trigger Pull: 3.5 pounds
First Impressions
The Premier II is one of Les Baer’s most famous models. Given its pedigree, I was expecting a lot when I unboxed this handgun.
I was a bit underwhelmed, though. It is rather plain. The finish is nice but not flashy. Racking the slide feels good but not legendary. It is not silky smooth like I’ve felt on some 2011s.
Tolerances are tight, barrel lockup is perfect, but I would consider the trigger just average for a match-grade 1911. It broke just over 3.5 pounds and was serviceable but not jaw-dropping. Even after a few shots, it felt like your average .45 1911.
It’s not Les Baer’s fault, but I hate the grips on this Certified Used gun. They are too slippery and don’t give me a good grip for a full-power .45. The previous owner switched the grips to a set of Nighthawk Custom grips, which look good but don’t perform well. I couldn’t switch them out, because the former owner used Wicked Grips Gemstone grip screws that require a custom screwdriver bit to remove.
All in all, my first shots were a bit disappointing, but that would soon change.
Winning Me Over
My next range trips were a totally different experience. You see, I take my review guns out for an initial function test, and then I do a few more range trips to do my real volume testing.
This is where the Les Baer shined. I typically run into issues and nuances that I will have to solve – that’s the point of testing.
Not so with the Premier II Super-Tac. It just ran and ran. The Super-Tac operated with any ammo or magazine I used and hit everything I aimed at. That’s when I started to understand Les Baer’s reputation for function over flash. These guns are true workhorses. They are not known for showy finishes or exotic materials, and I hear they come from the factory in a cardboard box instead of an elaborate case.
The reason for this is that Les Baer still builds guns like they did in the 1930s: one at a time, with a specialist performing each task. One person fits the slide to frame. One person fits the barrel, and that’s all each of these people have done for years. Even the checkering is done by hand – no machines. Around 150 rounds are test-fired through each gun before it even leaves the factory.
Shooting Notes
It should be noted that these guns are built “bank vault” tight and designed to wear in. This is called “hard fit.” The standard was developed in the 1960s to achieve ultimate accuracy, but not at the expense of reliability. The initial effect, though, is that new guns are very difficult to rack. You must shoot these guns to break them in, but once you do, you have an heirloom.
The base model starts in the mid-$2,000 range and comes with a 3-MOA guarantee. For an upgraded price, you can get an even tighter, more precise gun that comes with a 1.5-inch guarantee at 50 yards. In my accuracy testing, I think this is a base model, which is plenty fine for my shooting abilities.
The Premier II Super-Tac feels like a workhorse when shooting. Of course, recoil is stout for even a heavy 1911, and the slick aftermarket grips on this gun don’t help.
But something about it just made me want to shoot and shoot. It feels smooth, solid and reliable. I feel I could depend on this gun for everything. Remember, I was not initially impressed with it, but shooting it won me over. I tested the pistol with a variety of magazines and ammunition and had no problems.
Conclusion
Overall, I grew to love this pistol. While not flashy, its commanding presence makes you want to shoot it. I even started to appreciate its understated good looks, and it paired well with my Falco leather holster.
If you want pomp and circumstance, this is not the gun for you. This doesn’t get “Wows” at the range. If you want a dependable, reliable tool that can be handed down to future generations, consider a Les Baer. I get it now.
