Les Baer 1911 Monolith CMP Legal?

New forum member from Hawaii here.

Would the Les Baer Monolith be legal under the new CMP Pistol rule additions?

yes in 45acp

Are you concerned about the extra weight in the front end?

- Dave

I know this thread is old... Jerry did you get a monolith? If so, what do you think of the weight? I’m considering a monolith heavy, but don’t have a chance to actually shoot one first. I love my premier and think the extra weight would really help. Anyone here have one? Thoughts?

I had never heard of the Monolith before. Googled it:-

https://www.lesbaer.com/SRP.html

Very similar to the STI Range Master which I owned at one time - when I asked the CMP Armourer in 2019 these extended dust shrouds were NOT legal for CMP Service Pistol. However, as is stated on another current thread, the CMP rules are again changing and apparently such shrouds have now been made legal.

I really liked the weight and balance of the STI 38 Super that I owned - wish that I had not sold that gun. Ho hum!

I emailed the CMP last week (Feb 2021) about the use of a full length dust cover on a 1911 in EIC matches and this is what I received back:

“As there are many models listed with full length dust covers, but that particular model characteristic isn't specifically mentioned, I'm saying it's allowed as long as the entire pistol meets the rules set forth in rule section 4.0.

Thanks again for taking the time to reach out about your pistol,
Jim Henderson
CMP Pistol Coordinator”

Ah! That explains it!

Hendo is now the man!

Very positive that CMP have appointed someone with a wealth of experience. Excellent.

Does anyone have experience shooting this pistol?

Orion wrote:Does anyone have experience shooting this pistol?

I own 2 monolith heavy’s. One in .45 and one in 9mm. Love them. Definitely more heft, but doesn’t feel barrel heavy to me. Gotta make sure you’ve got a solid grip. If you have issues with breaking your wrist during slow fire, you’ll drop your shots. 

The biggest difference I’ve noticed on recoil is less “snap” with the 9mm. Hard to say how much they improved my game. At the same time I incorporated the pistols, I also made significant improvements in stance, moved to more of a “hard hold,” and did a ton of shot drills to help me slow down in rapid fire. Likely the training and technique made the biggest difference, but every little advantage helps.

How much does a stock monolith in 45 weigh? Just curious.

Dave

When I was looking to purchase one from a friend that let me try it in a match I found my scores were lower due to the heavier slide taking longer to cycle due to the weight. It would take some getting use to and the weight would or could cause tendonitis in the forearm when shooting it one handed since it was designed for two handed hold.

Under CMP rules are pretty lenient now, but they now have a weight limit. I think it is 42 oz. A monolith 9mm will weigh more than a monolith .45 as there is more steel. Could a .45 make the cut and a 9mm doesn't? A monolith frame weighs more because of the full length dust cover. The monolith slide weighs more because they have a continuous straight line along the bottom rails to the muzzle end. How much weight that adds, I do not know. Who will actually weigh them? More stuff, scale of some type, for match director to have on hand, more time for check in, more potential controversy.

Dcforman wrote:How much does a stock monolith in 45 weigh? Just curious.

Dave

+ 8 oz. for the heavyweight.

Rodger Barthlow wrote:When I was looking to purchase one from a friend that let me try it in a match I found my scores were lower due to the heavier slide taking longer to cycle due to the weight. It would take some getting use to and the weight would or could cause tendonitis in the forearm when shooting it one handed since it was designed for two handed hold.

Likely this was from a scope on the slide? The tops are unmodified, just an extended dust cover on the lower. shouldn’t have an effect on cycle rate.

I would think a full dust cover would be legal unless they want to rule out Tanfoglio and CZ etc from the competition.  There is a Swiss outfit that makes a $5k version that weighs 50 oz, last time I looked.  I am sure one's wrist and arm will limit what
makes sense as to weight.

Wlw145s wrote:

Rodger Barthlow wrote:When I was looking to purchase one from a friend that let me try it in a match I found my scores were lower due to the heavier slide taking longer to cycle due to the weight. It would take some getting use to and the weight would or could cause tendonitis in the forearm when shooting it one handed since it was designed for two handed hold.

Likely this was from a scope on the slide? The tops are unmodified, just an extended dust cover on the lower. shouldn’t have an effect on cycle rate.

It was a 6" barrel and slide and one of the first ones on the market.

Rodger Barthlow wrote:

Wlw145s wrote:

Rodger Barthlow wrote:When I was looking to purchase one from a friend that let me try it in a match I found my scores were lower due to the heavier slide taking longer to cycle due to the weight. It would take some getting use to and the weight would or could cause tendonitis in the forearm when shooting it one handed since it was designed for two handed hold.

Likely this was from a scope on the slide? The tops are unmodified, just an extended dust cover on the lower. shouldn’t have an effect on cycle rate.

It was a 6" barrel and slide and one of the first ones on the market.

I don’t have a monolith but do have a 6 inch 1911 in 9mm. They definitely do have a slower recoil impulse. But this isn’t really relevant right?  The large majority of monoliths are 5 inch aren’t they?  I don’t even see a six inch monolith on the Baer website.

Mine are the 5” (makes tuning the spring easier.) My understanding is that 9mm runs a chance of not closing the breach if the spring is too light. 6” slide weight would compound the problem?

Not sure but a monolith would not make a difference as far as I can tell. I suppose the reduced recoil due to heavier weight will need a different spring tune than a standard 1911 but still is a separate issue from 9mm and 6 inch slide. BTW I love my 1911 9mm with 6 inch slide. Most fun to shoot gun outside my 22s.

Don't forget that in a 1911, a 9mm barrel is heavier than a .45, because the barrel OD is the same. It's usually an ounce or two.