Para Ord for IDPA

Yup. I've used both a CCW (LDA, single stack, commander slide on officer frame) and an SSP (SA, single stack, full size). The former is my daily CCW piece, which is why I often use it in IDPA -- for really "practical" practice. Neither is really set up as a competition gun, but both work great. They're plenty accurate and 100% reliable.

Note that the LDA system is not the quickest. It is indeed very light, but it has quite a long trigger reset. Any of the SA or DA/SA pistols can be made to run faster, except in the most highly practiced hands. Also, you lack the second strike capability of a true DAO design. If you're familiar with Glocks, however, you'll know how to use the LDA, as they are quite similar.

While I don't shoot IDPA anymore (haven't in over a decade and never will again) I use a 9mm Para 18.9 LDA for USPSA and think it is one of the most practical and enjoyable pistols I have ever fired.

Uh, Krag, there hasn't BEEN an IDPA for a decade. Organized in 1996, first full season and Nationals 1997.

Jim - excuse me for having a "senior moment." Let's just say that I competed in it when it first began and was so pis...well, let's just say I decided to pursue a different game.

Tahoe - I agree, the XD feels a whole lot better then the Glock but neither feel as good as a Beretta. I have used all for USPSA matches and love them, but not as much as my Para LDA.

I shot an IDPA match with my P14 and some of the guys looked at me like I was from Mars, oh well. It works great, I shoot it well and that is that. I shot another with my glock also, and had fun.

I've shot my P14.45 in IPSC, IDPA, and steel matches since February. I never had problems before starting to compete. For the first two months I had very few failures.

In April I started having problems with the slide failing to go into battery, stopping three quarters of an inch or so short. I diagnosed the problem as a weak mainspring and/or running out of lube on the slide rails. The problem cost me respectable finishes in two matches, but I think I have it mostly fixed now with better lube and a new spring.

I also had problems with mags failing to feed, but I was using an extended baseplate with stock springs. Put the old baseplates back and mostly solved that problem.

Slide release broke a couple of weeks ago. Replaced it, but last weekend in the first match after the switch, the slide kept locking back over loaded mags. The problem got better near the end of the match, so hopefully it will break in soon.

The two worst problems happened in the IPSC and IDPA qualifiers. I'm mad enough that I'm looking for another classifier in the area, so I can qualify based on my shooting rather than my lack of gun maintenance ability.

I use a Para LDA P-18-9 for IPSC shooting, production class. Right now we're bonding. Trigger takes some getting use to.

Tenn - believe me, you're going to love it! I've got many 1000s of rounds through mine without a hiccup. Accuracy is on a par with the SA 1911s and recoil - well, there just isn't enough of that to talk about.