By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
I purchased my first 1911 just about 52 years ago.
It was my choice of all the handguns I could afford and after all this time I am still excited to test, fire, and evaluate new 1911 handguns. I don’t own quite as many 1911 handguns as I once did but I own some of the best pistols I can afford. Among these are top notch offerings from Les Baer.
When the question comes up – and this is often—do you feel the pistols are worth more than $2,000? The answer is a resounding affirmative. These handguns feature tight tolerances and excellent fitting. Accuracy and reliability are top of the heap. When you feel that a pistol limits your ability to fire quickly and accurately and you may be a better shot with a better gun- you have reached an enviable position. And then you may simply feel you deserve the pistol.
In some areas of manufacturing it seems there is a race to the bottom of who can make the cheapest gun. There are a much smaller number of makers who are trying to make the dead level best firearm. The tighter the fit the less slop and the less long term eccentric wear. The greater accuracy.
MIM and plastic is okay in a recreational type firearm but not a handgun you are betting your life on. Cast frames are OK and actually pretty long lived, but not ideal in the long run. Specifications and tolerances are important to a good fit and final accuracy. While a pistol that will group five shots of Federal Match into three inches at 50 yards is interesting, I have never lost sight of the primary mission of the .45 ACP pistol. That is personal defense. This brings us to the Les Baer Stinger.
The Stinger isn’t a race gun or competition gun but a carry gun. The pistol features the CCO or Commanding Officer configuration once made popular by custom gunsmiths. This is the Commander length slide with 4.25-inch barrel over the shortened Officer’s Model frame. This is an excellent all around configuration, maintaining the Officer’s Model short frame for concealability and the longer Commander size slide for a longer sight radius. The pistol is all stainless steel and features beautiful checkered grips and dovetailed night sights.
Featuring a beavertail grip safety that leads the hand into the proper firing grip, the Stinger’s grip safety releases its hold on the trigger about half way into compression. The trigger breaks at a very clean, crisp 4.0 pounds. The front strap features custom line checkering at twenty lines per square inch, and the checkered grips, front strap treatment, and grooved mainspring housing give the shooter plenty of adhesion and abrasion. The extended slide lock safety is ambidextrous. Overall, the Stinger is a pleasing and even stunning pistol.
One thing about Les Baer pistols. They are tight. Thanks to the precise fit of the barrel to the bushing and tight rails, some effort is needed to rack the slide.
A Commander length barrel tilts at a more severe angle than the Government Model five-inch barrel and you have to get this adjustment right. Les Baer’s Stinger features a properly set link and tilts and operates correctly. The proof is in the firing and this pistol has been fired a lot. It is one of my favorite personal carry guns and it must be proofed for reliability.
Among my favorite loads is a handload using the Hornady 185-grain XTP bullet over enough Titegroup for 890 fps out of the muzzle. This isn’t a heavy load but certainly enough for break in and accuracy testing. The Stinger never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject with this loading. I also used a good quantity of the Black Hills 200-grain lead semi-wadcutter. This is among the most accurate factory loads and a great all around target and practice load. I confirmed function and accuracy before moving to defense loads.
The .45 ACP relies on frontal diameter and penetration rather than expansion for effect. Just the same, a well-designed jacketed hollow point loading makes sense in this pistol. I loaded the two supplied magazines with the Hornady Black 185-grain XTP load. I fired both magazines as quickly as I could regain the sights in recoil, firing at a man sized target at 10 yards. Results were excellent with a tight fist sized group.
Next I fired the Black Hills Ammunition 230-grain JHP. This is the traditional weight in .45 ACP and offers a hard hitting loading in any barrel length. I repeated the test with similar results. Absolute accuracy is always interesting. I know some shooters who never benchrest their pistol but only do combat shooting. That’s fine and works for them but I like to know where the pistol shoots at longer range and how accurate it is. That long shot may be a life saver!
I bench rested the little Stinger with the Hornady 185-grain Critical Defense and the Black Hills Ammunition 135-grain Honey Badger, both interesting and modern defense loads. I took my time, firing from the MTM K Zone shooting rest.
The average of five shot groups was 2.0 inches. The 185-grain load struck to the point of aim and the higher velocity 135-grain loading struck about an inch and a quarter high. You cannot ask for better accuracy. While a heavier pistol with a longer sight radius may perform combat drills faster there is nothing to be desired in the Les Baer Stinger’s accuracy potential.
Carrying a pistol requires care in leather selection. Versatile is good and so is the ability to retain the pistol during movement, if running or driving or hiking, and maintaining the balance of speed and retention. I chose the Jeffrey Custom Leather Convertible for the Stinger.
The Convertible will be used most often as an inside the waistband holster. If needed, the belt clips may be changed to allow on the belt and outside the waistband carry. This is an excellent holster, well designed, superbly executed, from one of our premier craftsmen. The Les Baer Stinger is a first class all around defensive handgun.
I think anyone would be well pleased with this sidearm
