Baer Barrel Fit

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[size=48]Here is a picture of a typical Baer (top photo) barrel bottom lug fit. The barrel has approximately 0.010" of bearing surface for lockup. This means the barrel will drop out of battery after slide has traveled 0.010". Translates to higher slide velocity and more felt recoil. The headspace was good on this barrel and sides of hood were sloppy loose. Also the upper barrel lugs were unfit! So QC was on low end of totem pole as usual. The barrel I am fitting has 0.075" of bearing surface for lockup which means slower slide velocity because barrel stays in battery about 7x longer; yes it makes a difference. Proper upper lug fit and hood fit. Baer barrel easily rotates when placed into slide. My barrel will NOT rotate. Hood and upper lug fit prevent it. I've only seen one Baer 45 that the bsrrel was fit correctly in over 20 years. Just because it feels tight in battery doesn't make it right. Just thought I'd share.[/size]
[size=48]Jon[/size]

Jon, 

You are not the first gunsmith who I have heard these things from.

But but they have a 1.5" guarantee!

At three yards ?

Hmm, I'd like to see a video of a Baer shooting 1.5" group at 50 yards.

MarkOue wrote:Hmm, I'd like to see a video of a Baer shooting 1.5" group at 50 yards.

Rumor is they don't even have a 50yard test facility

Saying their barrel fit is good or bad is one thing. Implying they fake their test target is an entirely different thing especially when they charge a premium for the 1.5" guns, pretty sure that would be against the law.

Poorly fit barrel could squeeze out 1.5" in a rest but from hand it would be tougher.
Jon

I did not pay the extra $300 for a 1.5" gun so mine test target was only 1.6".  I don't care what you all say I love me LB Wadgun it is good enough for me.  Maybe some day I will need a gun built better but I doth it.  The top of my bucket list is a Wilson Combat.  Don

Set your bucket list sights little higher.   Accuracy X or one of Jon or KC creations?

Wobbley wrote:Set your bucket list sights little higher.   Accuracy X or one of Jon or KC creations?

yes when I ever make Master.  The Wilson is not for BE it is just for me to fondle.  Something to pass on to my son who a top of the line BE pistol wouldn't mean much.  You seldom see them in gun magazines. Don

They do not test at 50yds.  Only at 25yds and the guarantee is a hope that nobody will check.  I suppose they figure that most people will not notice.

Toz35m wrote:They do not test at 50yds.  Only at 25yds and the guarantee is a hope that nobody will check.  I suppose they figure that most people will not notice.

I'm going to guess you have no actual proof of your claim. I suppose this is how internet rumors begin.

It came from a person, I trust, who talked to a gunsmith at Baer.  He was shocked and so was I.

I suppose if a person were to push Baer about how they test they and wanted to see proof they may find out.

Of course I was thinking about this some more.  I wonder what groups people do see.

And this guys is why I had Jon put my wad gun together. Shoots awesome. Just ransom rest tested it today for the first time. It could probably stand to be shot some more, and further broke in, and ransom rest tested again at a later date but 3.4 gr of BE with a 200 gr LSWC I cast is grouping under two inches right now. That's a light load for 50 but it prints good!

I have no doubt that Jon is correct, and for what he posted he may be the guy I would want to work over my Baer when it comes time.

However...

I bought a NIB Premier II a couple years ago. No 1.5" guarantee, you know the lesser 3" at 50 yards model. I slapped together load that functioned and shot to call at 50 yards. No ransom resting, no tweaking, and I can still shoot a hardball match in the mid 280's with that gun.

Maybe they aren't the cream of the crop, but if you don't have 3 grand and a years wait, they will get you where you want to go in the mean time.

So what is fit wrong to create the short engagement? Hood too short?

Looks like they just radius the lower lug too much or too soon. A lot less material on there compared to the one Jon fit.

Ah, I overlooked that detail

So, the test target that came with my 1 1/2" guarantee is just a scam by Les Baer?

Warhorse wrote:So, the test target that came with my 1 1/2" guarantee is just a scam by Les Baer?

Not a scam. It's accurate. But my guess is you'll have to run a warmer load to get it to shoot accurately at 50'yards compared to something fitted the way Jon does. Jon did my gun and I can shoot lighter springs, and lighter loads at 50 yards and the gun shoots soft. REALLY soft. I had a range officer that was "snappy" in comparison when talking about felt recoil. And in that same Range Officer if I ran anything lighter than factory hammer spring (28 or 30 pounds is factory from SA I believe) the slide would come back too fast and groups would get bigger at 50 yards. Your LB may have similar qualities. Accurate yes. But not nessesarily as forgiving or comfortable to shoot as something that was properly fitted and then broke in.

With a few exceptions, this thread would seem to reinforce why anything posted should be given little or no value. 

Seems several of the posts are providing info that they heard from "a guy who knew a guy who heard it from a guy". 

If you want to crap on Baer guns, or anyone else's, then do so with some decent firsthand evidence.  If Baer is guilty of false advertising, then prove it with substantiated evidence instead of by innuendo.

Mr. Eulette has the experience, expertise, and reputation to be valuable source of information.  I question, and so should anyone reading this forum, the value of the opinions of most of the other postings of this thread.

There are people who read these boards and forum for information and guidance.  Posting BS does no one any good and defeats the intent of the board or forum.

Jon, when I try to see your photo links, I get an error image saying that you need to activate third party hosting, which as I recall costs a lot of money.  Photobucket is not as user friendly as it used to be.

Ok I'll look into it. Posting pics on this site SUCKS ;l)
Jon

I post picks direct from computer or phone and bypass using a third party i.e. Photobucket.