Posted: 2/10/2014 5:50:38 AM EDT
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For some reason Para just does not even register in my 1911 consciousness- It's the brand that I just forget about when I go looking at 1911 pattern pistols. I seem to remember some bad press way back when it was Para Ordinance, but honestly I don't know if that's relevant anymore or not. There's a guy at work that swears they give Springfield or any other reputable make of 1911 pattern guns a run for the money...What say ye? I'm not too hung up on 'traditional' 1911 features like internal extractors and what not, so that's not an automatic demerit in my eyes. I'm attracted to Sigs and S&W, etc just as much as anything else. |
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I have worked on a lot of the doublestacks prior to the last 12-months' production of a "whole new Para", which I have not seen outside of a gun case.
Based on the ones I've seen, I would not recommend them if you can get something else instead. The barrel fit was routinely sloppy across the board and they are filled with crappy parts and saddled with a proprietary extractor that either doesn't work at all, or doesn't work very long. If you have to have a double stack, they fill that role OK, but plan on having to replace a few things at some point. I have yet to look into their new production guns but I would be surprised if they were dramatically better. |
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my high cap .45 was a ParaOrd and made from their "gunsmith kits"... basically all I used was the frame, all internal parts were Ed Brown aftermarket... trigger from Gun Craft... the disconnector is about .060" too far aft (measured from the slide stop hole) and rides at a pretty sharp angle..., the sear spring locating slot is too far down the frame, and requires an exceptionally long spring... to get a consistent trigger, had to ream the hammer and sear holes, and replace factory pins with precision drill rod....heated and swaged the mag well.. bar stock Caspian slide, and Clark barrel... at the time it was the cheap way to go high cap .45
shown complete with Ft Benning red clay on it 
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I think the new guns are a lot better than the old guns, which isn't saying a ton. They still seem to have QC issues, but now at least seem to bend over backwards to fix them if you have issues. They've given up on the execrable "power extractor," which is the single best thing they could have done. I think the higher-end models use an EGW extractor, and an Ion Bond finish (although I prefer the nitriding).
I bought one of the P14 experts with the nitrided finish. Parts fit is average for a production gun, loose tolerances but functional. Lots of trigger slop, and the thumb safety is "spongy" in the disengaged position. However, function has been good, and if I ever get around to installing new fire control parts, it could be a pretty solid gun. Only downside is being stuck with their sight cuts due to the difficulty in machining a nitrided slide. |
| I just finished reading the write-up about the "new" Para in this month's NRA magazine. (American Rifleman, or whatever it's called.) I think it's notable that the factory sent numerous examples of their 1911's to be evaluated by a group of shooters and that the evaluators experienced several stoppages which required the services of their factory rep to fix. If I were Para, and I knew I was goign to be judged based on how my guns worked over the course of a long weekend, I'd do my best to ensure that the judges only received the cream of the crop. I have no direct experience with anything Para, but reading that story made me go "Hmmmmm." |
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I had a P13/45 for a while.
It functioned fine with after market mags, factory mags not so. Only complaint I had was the frame kept getting surface rust(parked finish, blued slide). Had to keep it lightly oiled. Shot good but I would not depend on it for my life. Ended up getting a Springfield xd45 for carry and traded the para on a browning x bolt. Next 1911 will more than likely be a Sig of some sort. |
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They don't get a lot of love here, especially from the 1911 purists.
I have an older P12 LDA that works fine, and my son has a Para Carry that he likes. I do find when shooting the Carry that it's not forgiving if you limp wrist it. That said, I've had no overwhelming desire to buy another one. My next 1911 will be something more traditional. |
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Quoted:
For some reason Para just does not even register in my 1911 consciousness- It's the brand that I just forget about when I go looking at 1911 pattern pistols. I seem to remember some bad press way back when it was Para Ordinance, but honestly I don't know if that's relevant anymore or not. There's a guy at work that swears they give Springfield or any other reputable make of 1911 pattern guns a run for the money...What say ye? I'm not too hung up on 'traditional' 1911 features like internal extractors and what not, so that's not an automatic demerit in my eyes. I'm attracted to Sigs and S&W, etc just as much as anything else. There are guys, I am sure, who will tell you the same about Llama, or that their Lorcin is the most accurate gun ever, or that their VW bug is faster than any big block chevy street car. This guy at work has probably never owned any other guns. 
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