Well, I picked up the GI Model 1 today. Made sure there was oil on the important places, did a function check, then off to the range, I also took a PII and a Commander for a comparison.
All I can say is WOW! This thing shoots great. My ammo and reloading order hasn't come in yet so all I had to shoot was 150 rounds of factory 275gr. HP's which are rated at 875 FPS.
Anyone curious about the recoil, I don't know how to describe it. Bear in mind that recoil is unique to the individual and that this is just a description of my experience. I don't like a strong recoiling gun, and this definitely has recoil, but it's strange. It is very manageable. I would compare it to a mild 45ACP+P load, or perhaps a Defender straight back (without the muzzle flip). It's very hard to explain. You can control any recoil by your loads too.
The gun comes with a square firing pin stop, a 22lb recoil spring and a shock buffer. I was able to shoot a 2" group at 10 yards with an unsupported two- hand hold. The recoil is actually straight back into your hand/arm, with not a lot of muzzle flip and it wasn't at all unpleasant or uncomfortable for me to shoot.
Did I mention it's fun too?
Now after stripping it down and just looking, there are quite a few differences. While it is the same weight and external dimensions it goes about doing that in an interesting way. I disassembled it alongside the Les Baer Premier II and just looked, compared and cleaned.
The dust cover is clearly thinner on the GI, as is the front strap to accommodate the larger magazine. It is very nicely machined, with no marks of any kind. The feed ramp is HUGE, extending clearly into the insides of the rails.
The hammer has the top corner beveled off (shorter), compared to the PII, I'm assuming this is to help with preventing hammer bounce, the only contact with the rail under the slide, shows to be on the front corners at the top and very slightly.
The barrels, side by side appear to have the same attention to fit and slide/lug clearances. The slide is definitely thinner on the sides to allow for the larger bull barrel, it is machined inside for the lug of a bushing, so it looks like a conventional barrel could be fit and installed as well.
The magazines are pretty interesting, the wad-cutter lips are tuned at the rear to fit the rebated rim and extractor groove, the polymer follower is a solid piece (not hollowed out underneath) and has a flat-headed allen screw installed and shaped to the follower for positive engagement of the slide stop.
The frame actually has four rails, not two. There are two forward and two aft. The front ones are 1.255" long and the rear ones are .995".
Comparing the PII and this pistol is difficult, I love my Baer, but this pistol is as Hawkmoon stated, one of the finest if not the finest example made. The Baer is fitted very well, and when disassembled you can actually see how each piece is fitted to function flawlessly, but on this model 1, I could find no signs or marks of any piece being fitted, everything is just machined and finished perfectly.
