High Cap Para

[getsome]

Got to shoot a friends 14 round magazine .45 cal Para 1911 Saturday and it was a blast....This was the first high cap Para I had ever seen and I was very impressed with how it felt and shot...I'd always figured the grip would feel huge on one and while wider than a single stack wasn't uncomfortable at all even with my smallish hands and the over all fit/finish of his pistol was very nice with a matt black finish and white dot rear/fiber optic front sights it was a very accurate and easy shooting pistol....I'm not sure if Para is still in business or not but not but I do wonder why some other manufacturers hasn't picked up on this design with all it has to offer with a wildly popular and proven 1911 design and 15 rounds of bang bang it has everything you could ever want in a pistol....Now I want one, dang this addiction!!!...:biggrin1:

[Bawanna]

Para is alive and well, somewhat misguided in my personal opinion but alive.

I have the double stack 14 LDA which I love very much. I have small hands but have no problem running it.

I have 2 single stack LDA's also. A compact officer size and a full size. Love em all.

A few years ago for unknown reasons Para got into the Green kick, and got away from stainless. So you could get blued or green.

The green was a horribly poor finish and wore off and peeled quite rapidly. Had an officer here with one, it looked like crap but shot well. They recommended an aftermarket finish since their finish was crap????

I don't know if they have seen the light and make stainless guns again or not, haven't kept tabs on the recently.

[Longitude Zero]

Full sized S/A and a Commander sized LDA. Both are great shooters.

[GLOCKROCKER]

Para is still in business. They moved their operations from Canada to N.C. a few years back. They did go through a period of putting out some sub-standard products, but from what I've read and heard they are back on the right track. I don't know what models they still offer in stainless, I think maybe the Elite might be. I bought my son a GI Expert shortly after they started production here. It broke the ejector at about 200 rnds so I replaced it with a Wilson Combat and it's been fine since. Decent entry level 1911, but I think in hindsight I would have went with a different brand. I went through a period of wanting a high cap LDA model myself but never acted on the urge. I do like that LDA trigger though.

[johnh]

I enjoyed the last Para I had quite a bit. It was a P18. Talk about no recoil. I was more aware of the slide moving than the actual feel of the gun going off. It was a sweet shooter. A bit on the large and heavy side though for a 9mm.

[BEARDOG]

Got to shoot a friends 14 round magazine .45 cal Para 1911 Saturday and it was a blast....This was the first high cap Para I had ever seen and I was very impressed with how it felt and shot...I'd always figured the grip would feel huge on one and while wider than a single stack wasn't uncomfortable at all even with my smallish hands and the over all fit/finish of his pistol was very nice with a matt black finish and white dot rear/fiber optic front sights it was a very accurate and easy shooting pistol....I'm not sure if Para is still in business or not but not but I do wonder why some other manufacturers hasn't picked up on this design with all it has to offer with a wildly popular and proven 1911 design and 15 rounds of bang bang it has everything you could ever want in a pistol....Now I want one, dang this addiction!!!...:biggrin1:

I have had my Para P-12 since back when they first came out, 1994 I think? It is a officers size pistol, with a Lt. weight alloy frame, and packs 13 rds of .45.
The grip is not really much different then any other double stack pistol, and feels great to me.
The other day when I was out 1911 shopping, and buying my Sig Tac Ops 1911. I had the opportunity to check a few of the new Para's. They looked good IMO. Check out the new Para Black Ops, nice!
http://para-usa.com/2013/firearms/tactical/blackOps1911.php

[jeepster09]

I am frustrated with Para right now....my LDA needs a sear spring and they are not available. I even talked to Para and they had no idea when they would be available....no one else has one and they will not take a regular 1911 spring.

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/jeepster09/IMG_0495-1.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/jeepster09/media/IMG_0495-1.jpg.html)

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/jeepster09/IMG_1009.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/jeepster09/media/IMG_1009.jpg.html)

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/jeepster09/IMG_0008.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/jeepster09/media/IMG_0008.jpg.html)

[Bawanna]

What is that on the end of the slide lock lever on the left one?

Never seen nothing like that before.

I gotta look at a schematic and see what a sear spring even looks like.

[jocko]

Para is alive and well, somewhat misguided in my personal opinion but alive.

I have the double stack 14 LDA which I love very much. I have small hands but have no problem running it.

I have 2 single stack LDA's also. A compact officer size and a full size. Love em all.

A few years ago for unknown reasons Para got into the Green kick, and got away from stainless. So you could get blued or green.

The green was a horribly poor finish and wore off and peeled quite rapidly. Had an officer here with one, it looked like crap but shot well. They recommended an aftermarket finish since their finish was crap????

I don't know if they have seen the light and make stainless guns again or not, haven't kept tabs on the recently.

My Para carry 9 was two tone with green lower and it chipped and pealed the first day out even, they redit it and of course it looked great out of the box but was worse even. No better LDA trigger ever made IMO but the gun just never functioned reliably. It want back 3 times. they sent me at leat 3 slide release levers, Their service was OK ut I had to pay every retrun back to them. that when they were made in canada and their service was in sereville, Tn. It was basicaly a gun smith shop, They had a nice display at the NRA exhibit but I never give mu the second look..Just sayin I think it is gonna take alot of time to regain Para's conficende. I bought mine back then as Todd Jarrett was their shooter, but he moved on not to long after that.

[b4uqzme]

I think Para has 2 things going for them:

1 - their LDA trigger is sweet. It's about as close to an all metal 45cal Kahr as you can get.
2 - they have one of the few double stack 1911's

In a single stack though, you probably have many better choices.

[jeepster09]

What is that on the end of the slide lock lever on the left one?

Never seen nothing like that before.

I gotta look at a schematic and see what a sear spring even looks like.

It has an internal laser, activation switch. Spring is item 47 which broke.

[Barth]

I've got small girl sized hands.
But I love my FS HK USP Tactical 45.
It's double stack 12+1.
Can't imagine a double stack 1911 would be an issue.
And I've been dying to try a Para LDA.

[AIRret]

What is the trigger pull of a PARA LDA?

Recently a LGS owner was telling me that the PARA LDA has the best out of the
box trigger period.
I've never tried one so I can't say.

My Husband has a STI 2011 tactical 4.0. The flush mag. carries 12 rounds and the extended mag. carries 14.
They have a special molded grip which allows dimensions just a little larger than a conventional 1911. I think it's .1 or .2 larger.
She's a sweet gun!

www.stiguns.com

[Longitude Zero]

My LDA trigger is very smooth and with a crisp break. Pull weight I have not tested. With LDA's the vast majority are great guns. I have seen some "hanger queens" that were just never right. Mine has over 1500 trouble free rounds thru her.