Para Ord....... what do you think

[fast97rs]

Hi everyone... im a little new to auto pistols... and to the site and was wondering...

What does eveyone think about the quality of the Para Ord. 1911 style pistols.....?

I've never owed a 1911 and really like the Para's becuase of thier hi-cap hand guns....

Im looking to buy one of thier full sized pistols to shoot Comps/tourneys.... and a small one for CCW (i was looking at the Warthog for this)... both have to have hi-cap magazines though....

And be around the $600 range....

 

[critter]

I have 2-both full size: P-14 and P-16 (not the new LDA models). I love them. They are 100% reliable, VERY accurate and easy to shoot. No complaints here!

 

[Smoke]

I'll echo critter's comments.

I have two P14, one P16, and a P13.
I also owned a P14 LDA but traded it off for one of the single actions.

All have been flawless with the exception of the P13 that had some mag spring issues. Changed the springs and it's worked ever since.

I like Para Ordnance. You'll hear a lot of negative things about them but it has not met my experience.

Smoke

 

[Marshall]

I sure love their double stack grip feel!

 

[fast97rs]

OK GUYS... im gonn go get a pair!

Thanks for the help!

P.S.
Last question? Heard they rattle alot... is that true?

 

[Smoke]

Mine don't rattle at all.

 

[bountyhunter]

P.S.
Last question? Heard they rattle alot... is that true?.

The magazines rattle pretty loud when loaded to capacity.

 

[Ford]

I had a P14-45. It was ok. I didn't like the feel of the gun. The gun was to wide for me. It was never 100% reliable with hollow points or semi wad cutters. It may have just been a lemon. I have heard good things about them from others.
Oh and the range I shoot at rents them. Most of the ones I have handled from them where pretty loose.

 

[Bainx]

Just finished polishing the feed ramp of a P10 bound for overseas duty.
The rest of the gun was high quality but, the feed ramp was rather rough.

 

[Ala Dan]

Para's .45 caliber SSP

Wait a minute gentlemen: Yep, she's a single stack; but
absolutely LOADED with features that I like:

full length guide rod, flared ejection port, beavertail grip safety,
match trigger, combat target hammer, stainless steel barrel and
controls, stainless magazines, cocobolo double-diamond wood
grips, 3-dot low profile sights, and price = $599 NIB.

PS: forgot to mention the extended safety.

Must admit, I haven't shot one yet; but if they shoot as good
as they look, well we will call it a WINNER!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[bnormal2]

If you want the most bang for your buck look at a dan wesson pointman aussie. Way better gun than the para's and it comes in 45, 9mm, 40, 10mm and 38 super. Your getting a stainless steel gun with double serrated slide, full length guide rod, adjustable sights, beavertail safety etc... It's anyone else's gold cup. Unlike the para the ramp won't need to be polished or the slide for tha matter. The factory adjustable trigger is set to 3.5# with no creep straight out of the box. Best shooting 1911 out of the box on the market for the price.

I sold both my para's for dw's and wouldn't buy anything else in a high end 1911. Course that's just my humble opinion.

 

[JCM298]

I have two Para's: a Carry 12 and a C6.45. I like them both. I bought the Carry 12 first because it felt good in my hand and I liked the LDA.

Last month, I found the C6.45 at a price I could not pass up, so I bought it. It is a little better for CCW because of the single stack design. It is also LDA.

Both guns are accurate and I've had no problems with either,

John

 

[IRONFIST]

I have owned a stainless P14-45 "limited" for quite awhile and have been very impressed with it. This gun doesn't rattle at all, and is very reliable. I have "melted" my gun and polished different parts. It is striking in looks and is VERY comfortable to carry. The wide-body feel can be hard for some folks to take, but I can live with it knowing that I have 14 shots in the pistol if things go south. That all being said, I will probably be trying to trade this pistol for an HK USP in .45 caliber. The reason for the trade is that I like a rail on the frame so that I can run a light at night.

 

[P95Carry]

Bought a lightly used P12-45 but - gotta say - disappointed!

Unreliable .... does not cut it. Feels great, trigger is a dream but - get too many failures .. and so far haven't gotten to sending it back. I do plan after speaking with Teddy Jacobson, to do a spring job, which will include mag springs.

 

[JMag]

I've owned my Para Limited for years and it's the most accurate pistol I own. It has never bobbled with a variety of ammo. I've added a Dawson fiber optic front sight and some nice S&A wood grips; she looks great, too!

I love the hi-cap 1911 concept. A single-stack LARGE 1911 makes ZERO sense to me. They are just too big for only 7 or 8 rounds per mag. Plus, I find that with my large hands the widebody frame just fits better.

Based on my experiences with a Springer Loaded and rangetime with a Kimber not long ago, I'll keep bragging about my Para. However, everyone should own a least one Colt 1911; I just have not been in any hurry...

My two cents.

 

[JCM298]

P95Carry,

I had mag problems with my Carry 12, which is an LDA version of the P 12. The 12 round mags would not lock the slide when they were brand new. Before I even shot it, I ordered and installed Wolff springs.

Since the switch, I've put 850 rounds of factory and reloaded ammo through it with no problems at all.

Info on the 1911 Forum indicates that Para double stack mag springs are weak.

The single stack C6.45 has worked without any problem,

John

 

[fast97rs]

Thanks guys....

All this has left me a little confused...

seems some like thiers but don't love them and others just hate them...

I am totally lost!

Is there anh other brand that has the same hi-cap mags?

 

[bnormal2]

One more thought about hi cap 45's. The glock is more reliable and lighter to carry than a 1911. You just have to get past the feel of a plastic gun. A glock 36 makes a nice carry gun with 12 round capacity with a pierce extension.

 

[Smoke]

The magazines rattle pretty loud when loaded to capacity.

hmmmmm...lets see I have 4 Para 14 rounders, 2 Para 10 rnd, 4 Generic 14rnd, 2 Para 13 rnd, and 4 Para 16 rnd.....not a one of them rattles when loaded or even when half full.

Ala Dan

That SSp (and the Commander sized LTC) are giving me fits. These guns are gorgeous, however I'm just a little leary of the Power Extractor. Heard too many bad things and haven't had the op to handle one myself.

bnormal2

I sold both my para's for dw's and wouldn't buy anything else in a high end 1911

I don't consider Para's or DW to be high end 1911. Both are good value guns....mid range.

fast97rs

seems some like thiers but don't love them and others just hate them...

No, I love mine. I'm a bit of a Para fanatic. I also own Colt's, Kimbers and Springfields but really like the Para's better. My 2 P14 Limited guns have 5 thousand and 2 thousand rounds through them. One gun busted a mag catch at gun school (I replaced the other before it could cause problems) and have zero failures on both. Now that Para is in the Single Stack - Single action business; I'm considering trading a few of my other single stacks for a new LTC.

Smoke

 

[cratz2]

Well, my favorite gun shop owner says that he has to send more Paras back than any other 1911s (as a line) that he sells. But he is a fan of Paras, esp for a cheap competition gun.

They guy I bought my 14/45 Ltd from had another 14/45 Ltd as well as the 9/18 Ltd and a 40/16 Ltd and a couple of the smaller guns. He tweaked them all and the four Ltds had super light trigger jobs but I myself never witnessed any of those guns fail EVER!

Some have commented about soft steel... don't know if there might have been a bad batch or what, but all of his guns had very high round counts and were still going quite strong so my admittedly limited experience wouldn't indicate soft steel.

The newer series of more standard 1911s are very nice... I'd strongly consider buying one but the double stacks are wider than I would ideally want, at least for carry. A single stack 6+1, 7+1 or 8+1 1911 has served a great many people very well for a whole lotta years... I'd rather have the thinner gun for carry.

 

[Lt. G]

I own four, (4) of them. The four are all LDAs. All are excellent weapons and are scary accurate. I have both double and single stack. Both are great.

Look at all of the posts again, then go out, find a friend or a range that rents them and SHOOT them. Form your own opinion.

I've found that if you were to go on internet opinions, ALL guns, ( no matter the brand), are junk/ trash.

 

[Marko Kloos]

I have a Para LTC, and I'm very pleased with it. Function so far has been 100%, extraction and ejection are very positive, the gun is accurate, and it carries well thanks to the alloy frame. Can't ask for much more in a carry 1911, especially for $599 brand new.

 

[fast97rs]

thanks guys......

Lets keep the original topic going....


But i would like to add..... does anyone know a place in South Florida that rents Para's? I would love to shoot one before i buy it......

P.S.
How is the Customer service on Para's? I just want to know......

Thanks again guys! I really appreciate it!

Jorgy

 

[JCM298]

fast97rs,

I had a problem with the 12 round mags that were supposed to come with the gun. George Wedge sent me an e-mail and asked me to call. He sent me two new 12 round mags at no charge. I can't complain about that.

The few questions I've had have been promptly answered either on the phone or by e-mail.

The only thing I dislike is that parts can't be bought from Para. You must use Brownell's, Dawson, etc, for nearly everything,

John

 

[NordicG3K]

I've got two Paras. The first is an all-steel P12 that I had customized. It's a little sensitive to bullet nose configuration, but once I figured out what it liked it runs like a dream.

The second is a P16 Limited converted to 10mm. I had my smith install a Scheumann bull barrel, cut out the slide stop notch and put in a EGW oversized firing pin stop. That, along with a Wolff 23lb spring, makes it a sweet shooting 16-shot 10mm!