My para expert has fairly regular malfunctions where it fails to go fully into battery.

It stops about 1/4" shy.
If I just tap the slide it always closes up the rest of the way with no resistance.

It happened once today with a round of 230 gr fed fmj, and a handful of times with my cast lead 230 gr gr reloads.

Until today it had never happened with factory ammo, so I had never worried about it. When I finish up the last of this ammo, i will feed it a diet of strictly fmj.
While it's only happened once with fmj, it happens all the time with lead. (Clean barrel)

Has anyone else ever had this happen?
It has happened with factory para mags (para labled mec-gars?) And a Chip McCormick power 10 mag

Do you have a PXT extractor or a normal series 80 one? Or your recoil spring may be too weak. These are too common
issues with the smaller slide Paras. EGW sells a replacement extractor and recoil assembly. I haven't had a chance to try my Warthog out yet but it has the PXT
extractor, I left it in because it seems to extract ok and go into battery fully when doing it by hand but I did replace the recoil assembly with an EGW.

happens to my para tac four stopped carrying it for that reason. Not even sure if para will do anything since they have changed hands so many times since I bought it. I have herd a big time 1911 smith is in my neck of the woods Carniak Customs so may give them a cal see if they can work some magic on it. Mine always happens after 100-200 rds range session all different brands of ammo.

Things to check:

First see exactly the position of the cartridge that stops short of going into battery.  Does it hang up on the extractor, at the nose of the bullet, or does the case catch on the hole in the breech face through which the firing pin passes?

Insure that the bottom edge of the extractor doesn't have a sharp edge to catch the case rim, and make sure that there is a very slight bevel at the top edge of the hole through which the firing pin passes IF THE CASE CATCHES THERE.  Also check your recoil spring...regularly replacing recoil springs with fresh 18# springs helped my guns a great deal (18# is extra power for government size 5" guns, IIRC, 22# is extra power for commander sized guns).  I use Wolff springs and replace them frequently.

Also check magazine springs, the magazine springs have to generate sufficient power to push the stack of cartridges up quickly enough during the extraction/ejection/forward cycle of the slide.  If you have weak springs, the rounds may not yet be in proper presentation position for the slide..again, extra power Wolff springs make a giant difference.

I have used Para pistols for 3 gun shooting, and as my carry pistol for decades, but my pistols are all Canadian made pistols, and they run great.  If I didn't have complete confidence in the pistols, I wouldn't have used one as my duty pistol for decades...

If you still have difficulty with the pistols after trying all the suggestions in this thread, I would consider sending the pistol off to somewhere like Cylinder and Slide along with some detailed information about what it does, type of ammo used, and what you need done.  My guess is that the suggestions in this thread have a 98% chance of solving your issue before having to send your pistol off to a smith..presuming you have enough minor gunsmithing skill to do things like beveling the bottom edge of the extractor.

Check YouTube videos for assistance, but remember that some times idiots post bad suggestions on YouTube, just like anywhere else on the internet.

Remove the recoil spring, measure it against a new one. How much shorter is the one taken from your Para when measured against a new one? If you don't remember the last time it was replaced, do it before anything else. Don't try multiple ''fixes'' at the same time as you have no idea what fixes the issue.

"it happens all the time with lead."  Lead is usually fatter and can hang up on the feed ramp, so not surprising.  A stouter recoil spring as suggested may give it some extra oomph.

I always run a couple pounds heavy with hardball ammo.  It is my standard thing to do with any .45acp 1911.

I am also in the solid guide rod fan group.  Whether or not you argue if it is needed, when you work the slide, it is smoother.  That is enough for me.

Plated and powder coated projectiles are so damn cheap, why would anyone want to keep using lead?  I stopped over a decade ago.  Just received 2000 more projectiles, postman was a bit pissed.