Para Ordance GI

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3leggeddog

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Just handled one these at the local GS , Looked like a tight fitting gun. Any feed back out there on these?? Thanks guys ....
 

Cheesewhiz

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I don't beat up on guns very often and I don't repeat "I heard" stuff but I do know that the finish put on Para's is the worst I have ever seen put on a gun. Seriously, just look at one at the gun rental counter at your LGS, I think the paint starts peeling off after the first shot. There are also compatibility issues with some 1911 parts.
 

Al James

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Call me crazy but I wont own any pistol made in Canada. They wont let thier own citizens own pistols freely but they can produce them and sell them to us? No thanks. What do we make and sell to Canada that our own citizens cant own?
 

revhigh

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3leggeddog":3mksdn71 said:
Just handled one these at the local GS , Looked like a tight fitting gun. Any feed back out there on these?? Thanks guys ....

For a base gun, stick with Springfield ... the frames and pin locations are exactly the same as the generic 1911 model. That can't be said about every gun manufacturer, just because 'it's a 1911'. I trust ONLY Springfields and Colts.

REV
 

ADP3

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Para recently moved to Pineville, NC just South of Charlotte. I do not know if it was just a corporate HQ move or manufacturing has come South too.

Best Regards,
ADP3
 

Al James

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ADP3":3hous9kj said:
Para recently moved to Pineville, NC just South of Charlotte. I do not know if it was just a corporate HQ move or manufacturing has come South too.

Best Regards,
ADP3

Well then I may consider one. Unless it is a move to circumvent importation tariffs like Glock, Sig, CZ, etc. I still do not like the idea of a pistol being made in a country that does not allow thier own citizens to own them and if the money from the sales of that gun go to such a nation. I'm not on board.
 

miniman

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wow kinda tough on para. my buddy got one and it shoots just as good as my springer.and we shoot about 200 rounds so far and the finish is still there .and anyone willing to make and sell for what a working man can afford is ok in my book.it feels real good in my hands we could always use more 45s.me and my 45 will surive. :wink:
 

No.1Nick

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miniman":1y0xuqts said:
wow kinda tough on para. my buddy got one and it shoots just as good as my springer.and we shoot about 200 rounds so far and the finish is still there .and anyone willing to make and sell for what a working man can afford is ok in my book.it feels real good in my hands we could always use more 45s.me and my 45 will surive. :wink:

Wasn't this the basic thought of William Ruger when he started making guns in the first place, making a gun that a working man could afford for about a months salary? (maybe a weeks, I forget!)
 

revhigh

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Anthony Williams":peap60rg said:
Wow, I see my ol' pal Revhigh is an oarsman on the ship of fools :roll:

Hey, hey, wait a minute Anthony ... I didn't say there was anything wrong with the Paras, just that you can count on the SA's and Colts to be exactly true to the generic 1911 design. Maybe the Para is too !

I just shot a .40 Para 1911 last weekend and it was a nice gun with a good trigger ... I'd still stick to the two I mentioned for 1911's. The LDA Paras have one of the worst triggers known to man. Deny that !! :D

Good to see I can still bring you out of the woodwork, Anthony ! LOL

REV
 

3leggeddog

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revhigh":1q9xl38g said:
Anthony Williams":1q9xl38g said:
Wow, I see my ol' pal Revhigh is an oarsman on the ship of fools :roll:

Hey, hey, wait a minute Anthony ... I didn't say there was anything wrong with the Paras, just that you can count on the SA's and Colts to be exactly true to the generic 1911 design. Maybe the Para is too !

I just shot a .40 Para 1911 last weekend and it was a nice gun with a good trigger ... I'd still stick to the two I mentioned for 1911's. The LDA Paras have one of the worst triggers known to man. Deny that !! :D

Good to see I can still bring you out of the woodwork, Anthony ! LOL

REV

I did look at the GI Expert model in the store. Im just looking for now!
 

sparks701

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Cheesewhiz":2ewpyxqw said:
I don't beat up on guns very often and I don't repeat "I heard" stuff but I do know that the finish put on Para's is the worst I have ever seen put on a gun. Seriously, just look at one at the gun rental counter at your LGS, I think the paint starts peeling off after the first shot. There are also compatibility issues with some 1911 parts.

They make the GI in stainless now so you don't have to worry about that anymore if you like the stainless look.
 

BADBUBBA

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Aug 8, 2009
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Waco Texas
I wanted to buy the gi expert but i could not find one.
so i bought the springfield 1911 gi instead. havent had a chance to
shoot it yet. :cry:
 

pappyd

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Call me crazy but I wont own any pistol made in Canada. They wont let thier own citizens own pistols freely but they can produce them and sell them to us? No thanks. What do we make and sell to Canada that our own citizens cant own?

Okay, Al, I've gotta do it. You're crazy.

Para is not the Canadian gubmint. Why do you want to punish Para because of their gubmint's rules about gun ownership. That's a pretty tough stance - holding a private company responsible for its government's laws. To each his own, I guess.

But they either have moved, or are moving, production of certain guns to the U.S. The GI Expert was to be their first model produced in the U.S., along with their evil black rifles.
 
Joined
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if they are moving manufacturing to near me, I'm an hour drive below there... then at least for me that is a reason to keep them on the radar. helping the 'local' economy is a good thing... then again if S.C. can get FAL (plant in Columbia) to start selling their rifles direct to citizens of the State getting around the Fed government... well all heck will break loose.
 

sargents1

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3leggeddog":2y4ska33 said:
Just handled one these at the local GS , Looked like a tight fitting gun. Any feed back out there on these?? Thanks guys ....

I read a writeup on one in American Rifleman (...I know, they can't say enough good things about any gun, no matter how bad it is...) and in this writeup they dutifully talk it up as a good deal. But if you look at the numbers in the test results table they show that its a 500$ + gun that shoots 4-5in groups at 25yds. Oh and they mention that the finish starts to wear off after a few trips in and out of the holster.

If all that is true, and with gun magazines you never know, that would lead me to look elsewhere. You could get a P345/ P90 (new or used) for less money and people say they are 2-3in@ 25yds accurate. I have shot a P345 and it was pretty nice. This leads me to believe at least half of the things that are written about the Ruger 45s.

All that being said, if you can try before you buy then you will have a better chance of making an informed decision.

Cheers,

PS if you do get one, let us know how it turns out.
 

revhigh

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sargents1":1io916gk said:
its a 500$ + gun that shoots 4-5in groups at 25yds. Oh and they mention that the finish starts to wear off after a few trips in and out of the holster.

Gee .... that sounds GREAT, I think I'll go right out and buy one !!!! :roll:

REV
 

Yosemite Sam

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My Rock Island 1911-A2 (hi-cap) is proving to be one of the most accurate guns I've got, even with the stock GI sights. It has an amazingly tight bushing and barrel-to-slide lockup. It was $465 and has a Parkerized finish. The single stack versions are available on GB for $380 (GI) to $430 ("Tactical") shipped. I have no connection with that seller, but I'm very happy with my gun...

FWIW, Springfield's PW* series frames are cast in Brazil. Paras frames have a bad reputation, but I'm not sure how well earned it is. They seem to be one of those brands that the 1911-o-philes of the web have "just decided" is of no use, for some reason. I was under the impression they had only moved Customer Service to the US, but maybe I'm wrong. I haven't followed them since I sold my LDA 7.45...

1911s are probably the most difficult guns to get objective opinions about, I've found. Everybody has an opinion, and there are many guys out there that simply dismiss anything that isn't their brand.

That said, the color finishes on Paras do suck, badly. I think you could do better with Krylon, or one of the bake-on finishes from Brownells. My old Para was stainless, so this wasn't an issue.

-- Sam
 

3leggeddog

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Yosemite Sam":2ecq4pvo said:
My Rock Island 1911-A2 (hi-cap) is proving to be one of the most accurate guns I've got, even with the stock GI sights. It has an amazingly tight bushing and barrel-to-slide lockup. It was $465 and has a Parkerized finish. The single stack versions are available on GB for $380 (GI) to $430 ("Tactical") shipped. I have no connection with that seller, but I'm very happy with my gun...

FWIW, Springfield's PW* series frames are cast in Brazil. Paras frames have a bad reputation, but I'm not sure how well earned it is. They seem to be one of those brands that the 1911-o-philes of the web have "just decided" is of no use, for some reason. I was under the impression they had only moved Customer Service to the US, but maybe I'm wrong. I haven't followed them since I sold my LDA 7.45...

1911s are probably the most difficult guns to get objective opinions about, I've found. Everybody has an opinion, and there are many guys out there that simply dismiss anything that isn't their brand.

That said, the color finishes on Paras do suck, badly. I think you could do better with Krylon, or one of the bake-on finishes from Brownells. My old Para was stainless, so this wasn't an issue.

-- Sam

Thanks for your opinion, I find them to be very objective and straight forth in the past!
 

treefarmernc

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
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Location
Western NC
Call me crazy but I wont own any pistol made in Canada. They wont let thier own citizens own pistols freely but they can produce them and sell them to us? No thanks. What do we make and sell to Canada that our own citizens cant own?

The GI Expert along with other models are made in NC. Production has been moved from Ft Lauderdale FL where they have been for the past couple of years.
Here is a link explaining it more in depth.
http://www.ammoland.com/2008/10/31/para-usa-relocating-from-canada-to-charlotte-north-carolina/
 

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