Hi Guys, Been awhile since I've posted on this board. A few months back I put a deposit on a new P14-45 LTD. After reading a few posts of guys griping about Para quality I started getting worried about the deposit I had put down. I picked it up more than a month ago but haven't had a chance to shoot it till today. I am not new to 1911's but new to Para's, all I can say is WOW! I had nothing to worry about. Of the 4 1911's I own this one is the best out of the box in every possible way....fit, finish, reliability, trigger, and even goes head to head with my one high$$$$ "custom" in the accuracy department. It was an absolute joy to shoot today. I don't have the biggest hands around but I actually like the feel of the Para grip/frame better than my traditional/single stack 1911's. This gun is tight, the slide/frame fit is as tight as my other brand of 1911 that are known for their tight fit. The barrel to bushing fit is tight but the bushing to slide fit is only slightly tight (I can turn it with my fingers but easier with the bushing wrench), the barrel hood is tight in the slide, the trigger pulls at 6 lbs exactly everytime and is very crisp making it feel more like 4-5lbs (so much for complaining about series 80 safety design). Heres a quick rundown of my rangetime with my new Para:
1. Before going to the range I disassembled the pistol to completely clean it then lube it with FP-10.
2. I used the 1 stock 10 rnd mag that came with the gun and two new Factory Hi-Caps bought from CDNN.
3. I shot 250 rnds of Winchester Whitebox 230gr FMJ, I know thats not alot of rounds but my time was limited today. I plan on heading back to the range this coming weekend to put 500rnds of the same ammo through it.
4. I did NOT have one single failure out of the 250 rnds I fired, NOT EVEN a slight hiccup or hesitation. I cannot say this about any of my other 1911's (not even the high $$$$ custom which is named for a particular "ranch" that prides itself in defense/reliability). To say I am delighted would be an understatement, I was starting to think like those guys that say 1911's just can't be 100% reliable.
5. Amazingly the adjustable rear sight was adjusted perfectly for me and the Winchester 230gr ammo right out of the box!
Now I know that 250 rounds isn't enough to sort out some problems with a new gun but it has been my experience with new guns that alot of problems will surface within the first 100 rounds, heck, some of my guns showed problems in the first mag (like sights flying off, grip panels breaking, slide not locking back, failures to feed, failures to eject, firing pin stop broke on one 1911 on the 2nd shot!). Like I mentioned above, I will be taking it back to the range this weekend to put another 500 rounds through it, I will give an update to this post right after.
1. Before going to the range I disassembled the pistol to completely clean it then lube it with FP-10.
2. I used the 1 stock 10 rnd mag that came with the gun and two new Factory Hi-Caps bought from CDNN.
3. I shot 250 rnds of Winchester Whitebox 230gr FMJ, I know thats not alot of rounds but my time was limited today. I plan on heading back to the range this coming weekend to put 500rnds of the same ammo through it.
4. I did NOT have one single failure out of the 250 rnds I fired, NOT EVEN a slight hiccup or hesitation. I cannot say this about any of my other 1911's (not even the high $$$$ custom which is named for a particular "ranch" that prides itself in defense/reliability). To say I am delighted would be an understatement, I was starting to think like those guys that say 1911's just can't be 100% reliable.
5. Amazingly the adjustable rear sight was adjusted perfectly for me and the Winchester 230gr ammo right out of the box!
Now I know that 250 rounds isn't enough to sort out some problems with a new gun but it has been my experience with new guns that alot of problems will surface within the first 100 rounds, heck, some of my guns showed problems in the first mag (like sights flying off, grip panels breaking, slide not locking back, failures to feed, failures to eject, firing pin stop broke on one 1911 on the 2nd shot!). Like I mentioned above, I will be taking it back to the range this weekend to put another 500 rounds through it, I will give an update to this post right after.
