Les Baer Premier II

Les Baer's Premier II has become the gun other custom and factory 1911s get compared against, and the company's own marketing leans into that reputation without much exaggeration. It's built on a National Match steel frame, slide, and barrel with a stainless bushing, hand-fitted at Les Baer's shop, and comes standard with a double-serrated slide, a low-mount adjustable rear sight with a hidden leaf, a dovetail front sight, and a crisp speed trigger that breaks around 4 pounds out of the box. Les Baer guarantees 3 inch groups at 50 yards on every Premier II, with an optional 1.5 inch guarantee available for buyers who want an even tighter accuracy standard. The most common configuration runs a 5 inch barrel in .45 ACP, though Les Baer chambers the Premier II in .38 Super, 9mm, and .40 S&W as well, each with a supported chamber for the specific round. Two 8-round magazines ship standard with the .45 ACP version, with higher capacities available in the smaller-diameter chamberings. Features across the line include a beveled magwell, polished feed ramp, extended ambidextrous safety, checkered front strap, and Les Baer's premium checkered grips, finished in a blued coating on the standard build. Independent testing has consistently found the trigger among the best available on any production 1911, with a takeup and reset that leaves almost nothing in the way of creep. For a buyer who wants a hard-use 1911 with genuine bench-rest accuracy, the Premier II remains one of the most respected names in the category.