Para owners ?s

[bigun]

Originally Posted by QuarterHorse

You'd probably gasp at the thought of my carrying a Taurus too? 2000+ rounds, zero issues.

I've heard the same stories of Kimber, S/A, etc, and horrid customer service with Kimber several times.

There are good ones and bad ones, every brand has 'em.

Actually my only experience with a Taurus is a older 669 4"Stainless .357 and I was more than impressed. It may seem like I'm a gun snob but believe me I've owned a lot of differant guns, over 150 at the last count the ones I like stay around the others fall by the wayside. And there are only a few I wish I had back Namely my pre B model CZ75 and a minty Ithica 1911A1 both I let go in a moment of weakness.

[NDB_MN]

Damn Bigun your sentences are hard to read. They go on forever almost without punctuation!

That said, I've been around several forums and I'm having a hard time finding good things said about Paras. The best double stack 1911s by popular consensus seem to be the STI 2011s. But thems be pricey, and I dunno if they make em short. I'm sure Para puts out plenty of good guns or they'd be out of business.

[SVThuh]

I've never owned a Para, but I have shot quite a few. I will never own one. I had one of their LDA's ND once at the range (thankfully) when I hit the slide release. Finger and foreign objects no where near the trigger. Thank god I have good muzzle control and it was pointing in a safe direction or I could have taken my friends head off. I have shot a few of their top end fullsize models also, and needless to say, I was anything but impressed. With one of them, I could hardly hit paper with it at 7 yards... And this was a NEW gun... Got frustrated, picked up my 220 and shot out the bulls-eye. The other fullsize Para that I had experience with was accurate enough, when it actually fed the ammo. Ball, SWC, HP's.. Nothing. At least 3 to 4 FTFeeds per mag. The thing would have been more effective if you threw it.

That being said, I just bought my first 1911. I looked for a good deal everywhere and was open to just about all the brands out there. Even looked at some Para's to give them a second chance. Glad I thought twice about it and settled on my TRP operator.

If your in the market for a nice concealable double stack, look elsewhere. If your looking for a nice concealable 1911 variant, pick up a springfield or kimber. If your going to risk your life on something, make sure its something you can always trust without a doubt in your mind.

[R Dub]

Well I've owned four Paras and still have three of them. The first I had was a P14-45 I used in IPSC Limited Division. Well over 10K rds through it. Other than normal wear parts..springs & extractors, never had any problems with it. When the double stack .40s made their debut in IPSC I realized I was out capacitied. Sold it and bought a Kimber single stack and switched to Limited 10 Division.
Bought a Para LDA Companion when they came out. It was my carry gun until I bought the Para Tac S - commander size LDA. They both have functioned flawlessly. Last year I bought a 9mm Para P18-9 Limited that I use in IDPA ESP Division and have used in IPSC Limited when I want to play around and score minor power factor. It has functioned perfectly.
Experiences with any firearm will vary. Mine with Para Ord has been good.

[QuarterHorse]

Originally Posted by R Dub

Well I've owned four Paras and still have three of them. The first I had was a P14-45 I used in IPSC Limited Division. Well over 10K rds through it. Other than normal wear parts..springs & extractors, never had any problems with it. When the double stack .40s made their debut in IPSC I realized I was out capacitied. Sold it and bought a Kimber single stack and switched to Limited 10 Division.
Bought a Para LDA Companion when they came out. It was my carry gun until I bought the Para Tac S - commander size LDA. They both have functioned flawlessly. Last year I bought a 9mm Para P18-9 Limited that I use in IDPA ESP Division and have used in IPSC Limited when I want to play around and score minor power factor. It has functioned perfectly.
Experiences with any firearm will vary. Mine with Para Ord has been good.

Sigh of relief, although I do realize I'm on a SA site, all the negatives on this one particular site still scared me a bit. I just field stripped mine and cleaned it up. This weekend I'm going out and breaking 'er in for a carry piece.