Manufacturer, Model: Para-Ordnance, Warghawg WHX1045S
Serial Number: P1900** (redacted)
Caliber: 45 ACP
Finish: Stainless Steel
Magazine Capacity: 10 rounds (double stack)
Purchase date, price: 5/4/08, $944.74 with tax.
During my research for an ultra-concealable autoloader, I was rather certain the proper choice was a CZ RAMI in 9mm, but even the best laid plans can be disrupted by "something shiny".
The shiny, in this case, was the Para-Ordnance Warthawg. The Warthawg has the same magazine capacity as the RAMI, shoots a larger caliber (9mm vs. 45), and had the familiar and oh-so-comfortable 1911 feel. It was also about twice the price of the RAMI.
Over the years, I've read good things in the gun rags and shot a friend's full-size 1911-ish LDA pistol some years back. I ended up buying the Para.
When I arrived home, I field stripped the Warthawg and gave it a quick once-over. Finding proper lubrication from the factory and nothing amiss, I re-assembled the pistol and prepared for my range trip the following morning.
During my drive to the range, I pondered recoil. Would this be like shooting 357 Magnum from my pocket Taurus revolver, with the pistol attempting to become airborne after each pull of the trigger? Would the grip on the pistol make the fleshy bits between my index finger and thumb sore afterwards?
At the range, I was quite pleased with the pistol's performance. With my Remington UMC 230 grain ball ammunition, recoil was quite manageable, yet entirely different than a full-size 1911. I tend to describe the traditional 1911 recoil as a "push", while I'd describe the recoil of my CZ-75 P01 (medium size alloy frame 9mm) as a "snap". The Warthawg's recoil characteristics felt more like my 9mm carry pistol than a traditional 1911. The Warthawg also had moderate, although completely controllable, muzzle flip.
I had no problems wrapping my meaty paws around the double-stack magazine, although I experienced "finger dangle" due to the short grip. Para ships the Warthawg with a flush-fit magazine and a magazine with a base plate extension. I found the baseplate to be too small for my large fingers, insofar as it placed my ring finger in a squished position between the bottom of the grip and the baseplate. I felt more comfortable with the flush magazine, having my index and middle fingers fully seated on the grip. A small portion of my ring finger made contact, with my pinkey finger dangling in the breeze. Is it proper shooting etiquette to stick one's pinkey out, as if drinking a spot of tea?
I was able to shoot this pistol effectively from the Weaver stance as well as right and offhand. Accuracy was perfectly acceptable for a pistol of this size and sight radius, and I experienced no stoppages in my 100 round test.
This pistol conceals amazingly well in my Wild Bill's Covert carry, even with shorts and a tucked-in polo shirt.
The Warthawg suffered from some cosmetic issues on the exterior control surfaces (grip safety, slide stop, safety, etc) insofar as they had some minor pitting and a brownish/gold appearance. I was slightly bothered by these flaws, especially given the price of this pistol. Also, my stable of $400-$500 CZ pistols have conditioned me to expect Tritium sights. The Warthawg's sights appear to be non-luminescent white paint.
When I arrived home, I field stripped the pistol and immediately noticed what I thought was damage caused by the slide battering the frame. I found a thin ledge of frame material hanging into the top of the magazine well from the deck just in front of the disconnector. I also noticed a horrifying amount of frame and frame rail wear.
My wife discovered an issue with the grip safety. It seems to function perfectly when pressed "dead on", but it catches if there is the slightest amount of lateral pressure. The grip safety can be driven into a fully-engaged position with the application of additional force, at which point it makes a cheap sounding popping noise. See my lovely wife demonstrating the safety issue here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4FVqmby6Rc
I snapped some pictures and posted in the Gunsmithing & Repairs forum. I contacted Para-Ordnance and spoke with a woman named Dee, who was somewhat surly and completely unhelpful. She stated that Para-Ordnance does not offer any warranty of any kind (more on this later), and the only help she could offer was to have someone look at the damage, if I paid for shipping. She was completely uninterested in looking at my photographs or offering any advice or insight.
I escalated these issues to George Wedge, who seemed to be the go-to guy at Para, at least from the forum and blog posts I read. I sent George an email with some pictures and he called me to explain the metal l I found was actually remnants from the manufacturing process, which should have been removed at the factory. He said the material had been work hardened and was significantly harder than the frame material. He could only imagine that pieces of this material worked free while firing and caused the wear around the disconnector, ejector and frame rails. Based on the pictures, he wasn't certain if the pistol would be repairable or not. George did seem genuinely interested in resolving the issue, and seemed to take the failure on Para's part rather personally.
George offered to send a UPS Next-day call tag. I explained that this pistol was purchased with a specific upcoming trip in mind. George said the pistol would likely be at the repair center (which appears to be a residence in Tennessee) for several weeks, which meant I would have $944.74 less in my bank account and a UPS Call Tag receipt for "Metal Parts" in my wallet during my trip. I asked George if replacing the pistol might be a better option, and he said he was unsure if Para even had any in stock.
George explained the pitting and stains on the pistol's control surfaces as "porosity in the plating". I wouldn't expect one to use the term "porosity" or "plating" to describe the parts of a $945 pistol designed for sweaty, on-body carry.
Overall, I think the Warthawg is a solid design with poor execution, manufacturing and support. After this experience, I do not consider Para to be a contender in the "upper middle class" 1911 neighborhood they claim to live in. When spending about $1000 on a pistol, one does expect a written warranty. At this price point, I also expected to find some sort of luminescent sights, true stainless steel controls and friendly support. Proper quality control, unskipped manufacturing steps and fully functioning safeties are requirements on any pistol, regardless of price.
References & More pictures:
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=361447
Serial Number: P1900** (redacted)
Caliber: 45 ACP
Finish: Stainless Steel
Magazine Capacity: 10 rounds (double stack)
Purchase date, price: 5/4/08, $944.74 with tax.
During my research for an ultra-concealable autoloader, I was rather certain the proper choice was a CZ RAMI in 9mm, but even the best laid plans can be disrupted by "something shiny".
The shiny, in this case, was the Para-Ordnance Warthawg. The Warthawg has the same magazine capacity as the RAMI, shoots a larger caliber (9mm vs. 45), and had the familiar and oh-so-comfortable 1911 feel. It was also about twice the price of the RAMI.
Over the years, I've read good things in the gun rags and shot a friend's full-size 1911-ish LDA pistol some years back. I ended up buying the Para.
When I arrived home, I field stripped the Warthawg and gave it a quick once-over. Finding proper lubrication from the factory and nothing amiss, I re-assembled the pistol and prepared for my range trip the following morning.
During my drive to the range, I pondered recoil. Would this be like shooting 357 Magnum from my pocket Taurus revolver, with the pistol attempting to become airborne after each pull of the trigger? Would the grip on the pistol make the fleshy bits between my index finger and thumb sore afterwards?
At the range, I was quite pleased with the pistol's performance. With my Remington UMC 230 grain ball ammunition, recoil was quite manageable, yet entirely different than a full-size 1911. I tend to describe the traditional 1911 recoil as a "push", while I'd describe the recoil of my CZ-75 P01 (medium size alloy frame 9mm) as a "snap". The Warthawg's recoil characteristics felt more like my 9mm carry pistol than a traditional 1911. The Warthawg also had moderate, although completely controllable, muzzle flip.
I had no problems wrapping my meaty paws around the double-stack magazine, although I experienced "finger dangle" due to the short grip. Para ships the Warthawg with a flush-fit magazine and a magazine with a base plate extension. I found the baseplate to be too small for my large fingers, insofar as it placed my ring finger in a squished position between the bottom of the grip and the baseplate. I felt more comfortable with the flush magazine, having my index and middle fingers fully seated on the grip. A small portion of my ring finger made contact, with my pinkey finger dangling in the breeze. Is it proper shooting etiquette to stick one's pinkey out, as if drinking a spot of tea?
I was able to shoot this pistol effectively from the Weaver stance as well as right and offhand. Accuracy was perfectly acceptable for a pistol of this size and sight radius, and I experienced no stoppages in my 100 round test.
This pistol conceals amazingly well in my Wild Bill's Covert carry, even with shorts and a tucked-in polo shirt.
The Warthawg suffered from some cosmetic issues on the exterior control surfaces (grip safety, slide stop, safety, etc) insofar as they had some minor pitting and a brownish/gold appearance. I was slightly bothered by these flaws, especially given the price of this pistol. Also, my stable of $400-$500 CZ pistols have conditioned me to expect Tritium sights. The Warthawg's sights appear to be non-luminescent white paint.
When I arrived home, I field stripped the pistol and immediately noticed what I thought was damage caused by the slide battering the frame. I found a thin ledge of frame material hanging into the top of the magazine well from the deck just in front of the disconnector. I also noticed a horrifying amount of frame and frame rail wear.
My wife discovered an issue with the grip safety. It seems to function perfectly when pressed "dead on", but it catches if there is the slightest amount of lateral pressure. The grip safety can be driven into a fully-engaged position with the application of additional force, at which point it makes a cheap sounding popping noise. See my lovely wife demonstrating the safety issue here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4FVqmby6Rc
I snapped some pictures and posted in the Gunsmithing & Repairs forum. I contacted Para-Ordnance and spoke with a woman named Dee, who was somewhat surly and completely unhelpful. She stated that Para-Ordnance does not offer any warranty of any kind (more on this later), and the only help she could offer was to have someone look at the damage, if I paid for shipping. She was completely uninterested in looking at my photographs or offering any advice or insight.
I escalated these issues to George Wedge, who seemed to be the go-to guy at Para, at least from the forum and blog posts I read. I sent George an email with some pictures and he called me to explain the metal l I found was actually remnants from the manufacturing process, which should have been removed at the factory. He said the material had been work hardened and was significantly harder than the frame material. He could only imagine that pieces of this material worked free while firing and caused the wear around the disconnector, ejector and frame rails. Based on the pictures, he wasn't certain if the pistol would be repairable or not. George did seem genuinely interested in resolving the issue, and seemed to take the failure on Para's part rather personally.
George offered to send a UPS Next-day call tag. I explained that this pistol was purchased with a specific upcoming trip in mind. George said the pistol would likely be at the repair center (which appears to be a residence in Tennessee) for several weeks, which meant I would have $944.74 less in my bank account and a UPS Call Tag receipt for "Metal Parts" in my wallet during my trip. I asked George if replacing the pistol might be a better option, and he said he was unsure if Para even had any in stock.
George explained the pitting and stains on the pistol's control surfaces as "porosity in the plating". I wouldn't expect one to use the term "porosity" or "plating" to describe the parts of a $945 pistol designed for sweaty, on-body carry.
Overall, I think the Warthawg is a solid design with poor execution, manufacturing and support. After this experience, I do not consider Para to be a contender in the "upper middle class" 1911 neighborhood they claim to live in. When spending about $1000 on a pistol, one does expect a written warranty. At this price point, I also expected to find some sort of luminescent sights, true stainless steel controls and friendly support. Proper quality control, unskipped manufacturing steps and fully functioning safeties are requirements on any pistol, regardless of price.
References & More pictures:
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=361447
Not at your misfortune, but that is funny.
