Gunsmithing Les Baer

[AfghanDM]

I’ve had my Baer since ‘99. She’s still a great shooter but I need to have her refinished and a new front nite sight installed. I was thinking about Robar, but I know there are a few 1911 guys on here so I figured I’ld ask.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

https://www.apwcogan.com/

They customized, tricked out, and refinished a Colt 1903 for me that still makes people poop their pants:

They did hard chrome, they recut the Colt Pony, updated all springs, did a trigger and action upgrade and replaced the sights. The gun runs like a top and shoots like a sharp pair of scissors. Easy to deal with and totally dependable.

VooDoo

 

[021411]

You're going to get an assload of suggestions but Cummings Custom Refinishing (CCR) does a really nice job.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Baer use to refinish pistols.

vodoun - how could you do that to a 1903 Colt?

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

.....cause it was trashed and I purchased it as a junker to build a custom 1903. Someone has stripped the original blue finish, home fixed a broken safety lever, and then packed the gun in cosmoline and then died somewhere along the line. The gun had no collector value except maybe as a parts gun.

I spent months finding it and getting it in my possession....I have done a few of these. Refurbishing/customizing Colt 1903's to save them and make carry guns out of them.

VooDoo

 

[PatMiles]

Call Robar and ask what the thickness of their finish is. I did a trigger job on a friends Para which he later shipped to Robar, when he received it back the gun would double and triple. We pulled it apart and found that the treatment on the sear and the inside of the frame was causing the sear to drag when trying to reset after a shot.

 

[clcustom1911]

Call Robar and ask what the thickness of their finish is. I did a trigger job on a friends Para which he later shipped to Robar, when he received it back the gun would double and triple. We pulled it apart and found that the treatment on the sear and the inside of the frame was causing the sear to drag when trying to reset after a shot.

--------^ that x100

With my Baer TR, she's so tight, I couldn't imagine adding even .001" on each dimension of the frame and slide. I personally don't even think the slide would move on the frame at all.

With precision fit firearms, they are a hoot to shoot, but refinishing them is always tricky due to the "growth" of some coatings or metallurgical case hardening processes like Ferritic Nitrocarburising.

You could call Baer and see who they recommend as well.

 

[Gasgun]

I’ve got a Les Baer that I bought about the same time.
Took it to Gunsite twice, carried it daily for about 15 years.
It’s got about 15,000 rounds through it.
It is overdue for a refinish.
Thinking about sending it to these guys for their Ionbond finish:
http://clubcustomguns.com/
Anyone have experience with them?

 

[66427vette]

Send it back to Les.

 

[Ankeny]

My refinished Baer's all wore hard chrome by Virgil Tripp.

 

[dttheliman]

Send it straight back to Les , they use a special DuPont finish IIRC - and the firearm will run like a raped ape when you get it back.