[LDAguy]

First off, I am a police officer and a SWAT team operator. I have a stainless Para LDA 16.40 law enforcement version (bobbed hammer). I've had the pistol for almost 2 years now, and have loved every minute of it....until : I was getting ready for work one night and was checking my equipment. I racked the slide on the LDA and dry-fired it. When I racked the slide to the rear again, the Firing Pin Stop fell off the rear of the slide and on to the floor !!! The firing pin had not reset. I put the Firing Pin Stop back in place and pressed the plunger under the slide and the firing pin popped back in to place and held the Firing Pin Stop in place as it should. I thought everything was OK, but I racked the slide several more times and the Firing Pin Stop fell out again. I then sent the pistol back to Para for repair, which was very fast. I had the gun back in exactly 1 week, including shipping time. I shot the gun approximately 150 more times, and the same problem occured. What the Hell ??? Has anyone heard of this before ??? How can it be fixed ??? That is rediculous !!! An $800 pistol that won't shoot after factory repair work.

Well...I sent the gun back a second time and they replaced the extractor and the firing pin stop. I took it to the range this past Saturday and it would not fire more than two shots without failing to extract the spent cartridge !!!!!

I called Para today and spilled my guts to them, and they finally agreed to send me a new pistol !!!! I am so relieved.

 

[maggiedog]

I had some great results with a P-10. I really appreciate how much gun I got for the money I spent.

 

[Raul Avila]

sorry to hear about your problems. I to had some minor problems with my P-13 but the factory made it right and they did it quick so I am still verry satisfied.

 

[bountyhunter]

I have a 1640 LDA LTD. Mine showed up with an assortment of "minor" problems (if there is such a thing on a brand new $900 gun) which I fixed. I have never head of a sticking firing pin.

I would suspect you have a problem with the series 80 style firing pin safety hardware. There is a plunger in the slide that has to raise up to allow the firing pin to come forward. It is definitely possible to push the plunger in, then push the firing pin forward and then release the plunger to "freeze" the firing pin forward. That's how I dis assemble it to work on the extractor. It holds the FP and spring forward and in place while I take off the stop plate... which your gun is doing spontaneously. BTW: this is a VERY dangerous condition as you will have a fully automatic machine gun with no OFF switch if the firing pin freezes sticking out of the breech plate.

I am genuinely surprised they could not fix it on the first try. Glad to hear you got a new gun.

 

[bountyhunter]

Well...I sent the gun back a second time and they replaced the extractor and the firing pin stop. I took it to the range this past Saturday and it would not fire more than two shots without failing to extract the spent cartridge !!!!!

In fairness to Para, maybe they did fix the first problem. This one sounds like an extractor with too little tension or the face not contoured properly. Para's extractiors are cast and on mine, I had to re-tension it a couple of times because it "set in" after the initial bend. Has been working OK since then for a long time.

 

[Dangerous1]

First, for a general perspective on the LDA system, I suggest that you read my post on this forum dated 8-21-03. Although everything I stated there was true and accurate, some forum members were less than kind with their responses to my comments. Perhaps I should have mentioned then that I had been manager of the Para-Ordnance repair facility for over 5 years.

As to the specific problem encountered with your LDA 16.40, I have seen this situation several times, although mostly with the smaller LDA models. Without examining the pistol I cannot be 100% sure, but I strongly suspect that the plunger lever was improperly disengaging from the drawbar as the trigger was pulled. If this disengagement happens, the plunger (firing pin block) prematurely retracts and prevents the firing pin returning from its forward or strike position. With nothing to hold it in place the firing pin stop then falls out as the slide moves rearward.

An alternative cause of this situation might be excessive peening of the firing pin due to improper timing of the firing pin block safety linkage. This is a condition I saw frequently on the LDAs and when excessive, distortion from the peening can cause the firing pin to drag resulting in misfires, or to freeze up at any point of its travel. I recommend all LDA owners periodically check firing pins for signs of this out of spec condition.

As to the failure to extract problem on your twice-repaired gun, it was probably due to a poor fitting of the replacement extractor by the service tech.

 

[bountyhunter]

First, for a general perspective on the LDA system, I suggest that you read my post on this forum dated 8-21-03. Although everything I stated there was true and accurate, some forum members were less than kind with their responses to my comments.

Yeah, I have noticed that if you post something unpopular, the people who slap the "troll" label around here are the Fastest Guns in the West. If it's any consolation, it's been done to me more than once and I have about 4000 posts on this forum. I guess their definition of troll must be anybody who says something that somebody else doen't like.