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NEWS TO ME...................
partisan
Member Posts: 6,414
I'm almost embarrassed to ask this, but I need some "expert" info. I was in a big box gun store and they had a Para Black Ops with a 14 round mag, and Trijicon night sights. I didn't know Para made a single action 1911, and have never heard of any 1911 with a 14 round mag. I guess my next big surprise was that the pistol felt really comfortable in my hand, and I have average size hands. I have seen them (since) on GB auction side for about $1050.00. Has this pistol been reviewed by any gun mag? I have a subscription to 4 or 5 different magazines, and have never seen one in any mag. Are they any good? Are they worth the $1000+ price? Thanks for any insight on this pistol.
Comments
We have two of them in our display case, they are excellent pistols and really do feel comfortable in the hand. Para got their start producing double stack frames years ago and then jumped into the 1911 market. They used to be made in Canada, but in the past year or two, they relocated down south someplace. They are a rock solid 1911 in my opinion. We have sold lots of Paras and never had one come back with a complaint. Kimber made a higher capacity 1911 some years ago and I believe Springfield and Rock Island do as well.
I hate to bug you, but since you are the only one with any info, could you tell me why the same pistol with the 8 rd mag sells for about $8.00 more than the 14 rd para?? Thanks, and I promise I won't ask anymore questions!!
I will tell you, that it has been utterly reliable, and is super accurate. It will hang with my two Wilson Super Grades, and Wilson Protector, in the accuracy department. While I can shoot it well, and it is fairly comfortable in my hands, the single stack feels much better in my hand.
quote:I hate to bug you, but since you are the only one with any info, could you tell me why the same pistol with the 8 rd mag sells for about $8.00 more than the 14 rd para?? Thanks, and I promise I won't ask anymore questions!!
It is basically the supply and demand scenario. A lot of purist, don't see a double stack, as a 1911 platform. A lot of folks, more than not, want the original single stack, that they used to have in the service. There are also, mor aftermarket goodies available for the single stacks, like magazines, grips, and mag well's. There is also the fact that some brands are priceier than other's, like Colt, Kimber, Baer, and Wilson. I am not saying that you are getting more gun, but some names draw big money. That said, I will tell you that with the Wilson, name, you are getting more gun for the money($4K+ for a Super Grade), and you can tell by just racking the slide once. However, no time soon, am I looking to get rid of the Para, or any of my Colt's.
Best
I'm almost embarrassed to ask this, but I need some "expert" info. I was in a big box gun store and they had a Para Black Ops with a 14 round mag, and Trijicon night sights. I didn't know Para made a single action 1911, and have never heard of any 1911 with a 14 round mag.
Its a double stack version, and Para has been making them for years.
In fact, while Para wasn't the first company to build these, I believe they were the first one to mass-produce them, and company basically built its name and market presence on them. There was a time when they didn't even build whole guns, just offered double-stack frames!
Now they also make "conventional" single stack 1911s, ones in 9mm and .40SW, as well as subcompact ones and ones with their light double action trigger.
quote:I guess my next big surprise was that the pistol felt really comfortable in my hand, and I have average size hands.
Well. . .you're the only one, then! [;)] (joking!).
I've shot this, have average sized hands, and while I don't consider the grip to be "uncomfortable", I do find it somewhat "baseball bat" like, and prefer something else. But this is subjective. If you like it, great.
quote:I have seen them (since) on GB auction side for about $1050.00. Has this pistol been reviewed by any gun mag? I have a subscription to 4 or 5 different magazines, and have never seen one in any mag. Are they any good? Are they worth the $1000+ price? Thanks for any insight on this pistol.
These guns have been out for probably 20 years now. I'm sure they've been reviewed by gun mags many times. . .it just happened a long time ago!
Are they good? Sure. If you want a double-stack 1911, they're one of a small number you could look at. (STI is another company that has these, and I think Rock Island now offers one). IPSC-type shooters love these because they make "major" in a platform with a good single action trigger, and offer 14 rounds, and I think that's probably where most of the sales go.
For concealed carry, IMO these are too heavy/bulky, but if you otherwise like the gun, I don't see anything wrong with having one for defense/service use.
Are they worth the price? Again, its up to you to decide if they're worth $1000 *TO YOU*, but I think the build quality on the Para guns (which are now made in North Carolina) is excellent, customer service is excellent, and I don't know anyone who has one that doesn't like theirs. I don't think a $1000 price tag is out of line considering what you get, and considering what the rest of the marketplace for 1911s looks like.
Personally, I don't own one, and have little interest in this sort of platform, but if I were in the market for a double-stack .45 1911, I wouldn't hesitate to get one.
It did come with the night sights and two eight round mags. It also has an adjustable trigger, which is so nice to begin with, I couldn't imagine needing to adjust it. With that said, I added two things the "Black Ops" model didn't have. And what it does have I didn't like so much. I added the Hogue wrap around grip and an extended slide release by Wilson. Mine has the knurled front strap but not as deep as the Black Ops model. I find deep knurling to remove skinwith a lot of shooting. I'd just as soon keep the skin on my hands. And overall, the Hogue grips give better traction all the way around the hand than the deep knurled front and back straps.
My $.02 is start with the more basic Expert model and have the aftermarket customizing done the way you like. But, if you want those bells and whistles, get the Black Ops model.
We have two of them in our display case, they are excellent pistols and really do feel comfortable in the hand. Para got their start producing double stack frames years ago and then jumped into the 1911 market. They used to be made in Canada, but in the past year or two, they relocated down south someplace. They are a rock solid 1911 in my opinion. We have sold lots of Paras and never had one come back with a complaint. Kimber made a higher capacity 1911 some years ago and I believe Springfield and Rock Island do as well.