Ron Ankeny Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 I was cleaning my Les Baer Premeire II today and I just about cried. I was wiping the barrel off and I noticed there is a crack in the back of the "lug" I guess it's the lug. It's the part on the bottom of the barrel with the link. The crack extends down both sides. I also looked inside of the chamber and there is an oval shape at the bottom of the chamber, almost like heat treatment or like you would expect if the "lug" was welded on. These things are machined out of one piece of stock aren't they? Anyhow, the barrel sure enough has cracks so I guess I am out a few hundred bucks to have the barrel replaced. The pistol is 7 years old so obviously Baer isn't going to just replace it. This gun has only seen 165-170 pf loads and there is no more than 10,000 rounds through the pistol. Is it normal for this type of thing to happen? Also, I don't know if I should send the gun back to Baer to have a barrel fitted or send it to my regular gunsmith. If I have my gunsmith do it, what kind of barrel seems to be the hot ticket? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Run n Gun Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Wow, a Baer only going 10k! SOMETHING was defective when it came from the factory, a 45 barrel should last many times that amount. I think I would call Baer and talk to them about it; you never know they MIGHT replace it or at least give you some credit against a new one. As far as a new one, a couple of buddies have had good luck with Ed Brown. Good luck, and keep us posted. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Ron, If you call Baer expecting nothing --- you might be pleasantly surprised. Yeah, it's been seven years, but this is a company in the gun industry --- and I continue to be amazed how far most of these good folks will go to satisfy a customer. Worst comes to worst, you can still go local... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted November 24, 2003 Author Share Posted November 24, 2003 I left something out. When I was looking to hard chome the pistol I calles Baer and they told me if I had anyone but them do the gun it would void the warranty. I went with Tripp because he did Baer's hard chrome. I guess I'll call them and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Ron Sorry about the crack. Something is wrong there, either bad machining or bad fitting. I have over 90K rounds thru my Commander, BarSTo bbl, tuned up three times in that span. still going great. I would go back to Baer with it. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted November 24, 2003 Author Share Posted November 24, 2003 Yeah, I suppose I need to go to Baer if for no other reason than to keep it a genuine Baer for resale purposes. I spoke to them on the phone and they said to send the pistol in with a letter explaining the history of the gun so they could determine if there would be partial warranty coverage. From the conversation, I think I need to be prepared to shell out $350.00 to have a new barrel fitted. From what I am being told, the barrel was flawed from the get go, but after all of these years I just doubt that they will cut me a break. If you wanna play you gotta pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Good luck...hope it all works out well..I haven't had any dealings with Baer..but have heard the gamut of opinions about them.. if you go with another barrel..I have had good luck with Kart, BarSto, EGW and Schuemann..my current picks would be Kart and EGW... let us know how it turns out.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 $350.00 to have a new barrel fitted Ack! That's about the price of a new barrel and labor to fit it to the slide and frame. You could send the gun back to them with a letter inquiring whether it is safe to shoot. The ensuing liability panic might get it fixed for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSCDRL Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 HA! When a friend's Baer Premier .45 blew up in his hand due to a case head rupture, Les' response was "Its a good thing you were shooting one of my guns or you could have been really hurt" It came apart into several pieces. They offered to sell him a replacement at 10 percent off of full retail. The gun had a couple hundred rounds through it at most. On the other hand, my own Baer is a Premier III .38 Super that runs flawlessly. Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Ron, I happen to know Sam has a snazzy .45 barrel that is going to be on the prize table for his steel match in the spring, I'm sure you'll place high enough to scoop it up. If you want more details on the barrel, Sam or I can give you the details. Personally, I think Les Baer should replace the thing. Unless the barrel was hard chromed, how would that affect the barrel lugs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted November 25, 2003 Author Share Posted November 25, 2003 John: I asked Tripp not to hard chrome the barrel or the extractor, but they did it anyway. The extractor hook snapped right off. I guess hard chrome can make small parts brittle. I don't see how hard chrome could make something as big as the lug brittle but who knows? BTW, looks like we will be having a state USPSA match next summer. I'll keep you posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 My all-hard-chromed gun is chromed darned near everywhere. The extractor has held up for 3 years and thousands of rounds. The barrel lugs are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Is it possible it's just a crack in the chrome? I know it's not likely, but is it possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 300lbg, if it's cracked, it's all cracked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 Ron, use a kart barrel. send it on down. will do the job under $225.00 for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted November 26, 2003 Author Share Posted November 26, 2003 Benny: I was going to call you, but now Baer is talking about looking at the gun and possibly fixing it on warranty, so I shipped it to them. Hopefully, I'll only be out the cost of shipping both ways. If those guys decide to back peddle and hose me down, I'll be really upset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 I spoke to the good folks at Les Baer. I really don't expect a company to honor a warranty forever, but these folks are a bit on the greedy side. They want $350.00 to replace the barrel. This is a great example where paying a little bit more in the first place would have payed off in big dividends. I know Benny Hill would have replaced the barrel pronto if it was one of his guns. I suspect George at EGW, Bob at Brazos, and dozens of other smiths would also cut the customer some slack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Now you know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kindlyoldcoach Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 That's crapulent. And when the new barrel they install fails, what then? I'd tell Baer to ship the pistol straight to Benny Hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I'd tell Baer to ship the pistol straight to Benny Hill. Ditto. Ron, I am frustrated just hearing about this. I feel your pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted December 4, 2003 Author Share Posted December 4, 2003 I just want to scream. Dealing with this company is the pits. I hate to bash anyone on the Web so I'll shut up now, but I can see a rant coming up in the I hate forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geo Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Plating guns that have rounds through them can be a problem. My father use to work for SPS they have a room they cook bolt in for 24 hrs after they are plated. One of the early uses for plating was airplane landing gear, they plated them and found that they broke off the planes! not a great plan. Study found that hydrogen created in the plating process was "trapped" inside the steel and call it Hydrogen Enbrittlement. one cure is to cook the parts out for an extended peroid of time. Early early Baer guns sometimes had the back of the lug where it meets the chamber a little square. (like from Allentown Pa) He has used Kart barrels for a long time and they are good barrels. I have in my collection one like you describe. Blue or carbon barrels are tougher than ss barrels, espically 416 ss barrels. If the corner was a "little sharp" and plated after a couple thousand rounds..... That the extractor broke off is interesting. Some guys won't plate extractors barrels or sears...... geo ps nice offer from Benny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Hey Geo.. nice to have you here...glad you can find time in your busy schedule. This is a great site compared to some of the others we have been on. Nice to be able to add your insight on guns along with Benny, Bob and the others.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted December 11, 2003 Author Share Posted December 11, 2003 Hmmm...Geo...nah can't be George from EGW can it? This forum gets better by the minute. Here's the bottom line from Baer. They fitted the barrel the day after they opened the box. In fact, they claim to have fitted the barrel within just a couple of hours of me talking to them on the phone. It's going to take three weeks to run a finish reamer in the chamber and put the gun back in the box. All it is going to cost me is shipping both ways and a $350.00 replacement fee. Once these guys get the gun and your credit card number wild horses couldn't pull them off of the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 I was cleaning my Les Baer Premeire II today and I just about cried. I was wiping the barrel off and I noticed there is a crack in the back of the "lug" I guess it's the lug. It's the part on the bottom of the barrel with the link. The crack extends down both sides. I also looked inside of the chamber and there is an oval shape at the bottom of the chamber, almost like heat treatment or like you would expect if the "lug" was welded on. These things are machined out of one piece of stock aren't they?Anyhow, the barrel sure enough has cracks so I guess I am out a few hundred bucks to have the barrel replaced. The pistol is 7 years old so obviously Baer isn't going to just replace it. This gun has only seen 165-170 pf loads and there is no more than 10,000 rounds through the pistol. Is it normal for this type of thing to happen? Also, I don't know if I should send the gun back to Baer to have a barrel fitted or send it to my regular gunsmith. If I have my gunsmith do it, what kind of barrel seems to be the hot ticket? Thanks. I think LB owes you a barrel. 1) They are supposed to be machined from a single piece of stock. 2) The fracture you describe could be caused by a timing issue in the gun where it is not set up right. that will stress the lugs each time it cycles. I'd put money on that one. 3) This can also happen on a gun where the owner frequenly drops the slide from lockbak onto an empty chamber (not accusing you, just noting for information). 4) This is definitely NOT normal wear and should NEVER happen. You should be able to shoot the bore smooth on that gun (like 100,000 rounds) and still have the barrel lugs maintain integrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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