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If you are an admirer of custom firearms or have browsed 1911 forums online, you've probably come across the name Les Baer. Les Baer's Monolith Stinger Heavyweight pistol is a combination of two of the company's signature-style guns—the Monolith and the Stinger. This pistol contains an all stainless-steel frame that features a full-length dust cover aiding with recoil for the .45 ACP cartridge. It also has a foreshortened slide and shortened grip frame. Additional features include Rolo Night Sights, rear-slide grip serrations for assistance with the tight slide, Cocobolo stocks, and a high beavertail grip safety. And since it is a custom gun, the pistol can come in different calibers other than .45 ACP as well as different finishes including Blue or Les Baer's Dupont S finish.
Defensive gun use is defined by uncertainty. You don’t know when it will happen, how far away the threat will be, how many threats you will face or what position you will be in when it begins.
In 2025, Turkish manufacturer Derya Arms opened a new facility in Florida, enabling the company to produce a number of new products domestically, such as its new OBone suppressor.
The cycle of operation is the mechanical sequence of events that it takes to fire one shot out of a firearm. If one of those steps fails to take place as designed, there is an interruption in the cycle of operation and the gun stops firing.
The Colt Model 1911 pistol and its derivatives are among the most iconic military handguns ever made. But in 2026, does the M1911 still hold up as a quality defensive arm?