Do you own a Para Ord P-13?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I've got one that I took in as part of a trade on a firearms deal about 17 years ago. It's not as attractive as some 1911-types, but it sure is a good shooter, and one of the last I'd part with. Anyway, as you doubtless already know, Para Ordnance was bought out by Remington a few years ago. Some say that this was part of Remington's plan to break into the 1911 business, which they did do, with their R1 and an expanding line of 1911 models. So, one would think, no more Para, no more Para magazines.
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But, as they say on TV, "Wait! There's more!" I was perusing CDNN's website, www.cdnnsports.com, and spotted what I thought was a pretty good deal. This company sells many, many types of magazines at various prices with a lot of them running $25 or $35, so P-13 mags for $9.99 caught my eye! I figured I'd take a chance and ordered two of them. I was amazed to find that they are apparently original Para factory mags -- anyway it says "PARM5 P13 45 13RD PARA-ORDAN FACTORY MAG MAGOH/PAR" on the back of the packaging. You can read the front of the package in the photo. They are of high quality, and the price is right, so get a couple while you can. Item# PARM5. Needless to say, no more P-13 pistols, eventually no more original equipment mags.

I also ordered a package of 1911 recoil springs, 16 lb., and got 3 for $4.99. These appear to be original Remington equipment, and should prove to be good springs. Item #REMF500193.
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[bobthenailer]

I have P12 and a P14 ltd stnls
and my shootin buddy has two P12 one steel the other aluminum frame ,and a P13 stnls and he is looking for a P14 ltd.

[alamogunr]

I have a P12, a P13 and a Tac-Four. The P13 and the Tac-Four use the same mag. Sounds like I should place an order. I've never ordered from CDNN before. Does it take long to get them?

BTW, all three guns were made in Canada before the move to the US. The P12 was tuned by Cylinder & Slide. Doesn't work for carry though. With a loaded magazine it is HEAVY.

EDIT! Just ordered 2 of each size. I've already got a total of 6 P13 mags but that is the gun I prefer to shoot for fun and practice so I thought that a couple more would be OK.

Almost forgot! Thanks for the info DG

[Der Gebirgsjager]

You are welcome, sir. Honestly, I'm not familiar with what a Tac-Four is -- care to enlighten me? I was wondering if the mags would fit anything other than a P13, which to me is a double stack Commander -- but I can't recall any other pistols fitting that description. I liked the Para products, and have a P14 stainless, a P14 LDA black, the P13, and two 7:45 LDAs which might be my very favorite pistols. Well....I guess there are others I like as well! To answer your question, shipping is pretty fast. This was in the first order that I've placed with them in about 5 years, but I get their e-mail ads almost daily. For a while I was busy converting SKS rifles to use 30 rd. mags, and they sold what seemed to be the only highly reliable all-steel magazine. The only others that I found that were as reliable was TAPCO, but they're not steel and are 20 rounders.

[alamogunr]

The Tac-Four is a LDA Commander Stainless. My other two are blue(black?). I'm not sure but I think the Tac-Four was the first of the LDA models.

I like the Para's too. The only problem I have had was with magazine springs. Called Para and they shipped me about a half dozen. I wonder if Wolff makes magazine springs.

I should have mentioned it was about 15 years ago that I got those springs

[DougGuy]

I used the P13 when it first came out. Inherent problem was the mag springs. You can load a mag, press down on the top round, and it was very anemic shoving the stack back up, this needs to be SNAPPY.

The cure was removing the spring from a WWII 30rd Thompson SMG mag, and working it to fit and operate in the P13 mag. Two vendors made springs for the Thompson, one is silvery looking, the other has a blackish coating, use the silver one only. P13 mags can remain loaded fully for an indefinite period of time and they will work reliably once you mod the SMG spring to fit.

[alamogunr]

I just looked at the Wolff site. They have mag springs for Para Ordinance. I may just get some although the service packs look like a good thing also. Not sure I would ever need all those springs since I'm not sure how much longer I can shoot a lot. Might come in handy for my heirs.

Just out of curiosity, where did you find mag springs for a Thompson SMG mag?

[Larry Gibson]

I have a P14 Para. Got it back in '06/'07. Came with the light and 5 mags. Absolutely no problems with the pistol of mags. It does have a tight match chamber though which requires .451 bullets.....utterly reliable with those and accuracy is excellent. If .452 size bullets are used an occasional (mostly with military brass) failure to completely go into battery occurs. Running the rounds through a Lee FCD cures that.

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[Dieselhorses]

Used to have this-miss it!

[alamogunr]

I have a P14 Para. Got it back in '06/'07. Came with the light and 5 mags. Absolutely no problems with the pistol of mags. It does have a tight match chamber though which requires .451 bullets.....utterly reliable with those and accuracy is excellent. If .452 size bullets are used an occasional (mostly with military brass) failure to completely go into battery occurs. Running the rounds through a Lee FCD cures that.

Attachment 248651
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Larry, I had that problem a couple of weeks ago. I finally traced it down to not applying the taper crimp enough to completely remove the flare. Didn't miss it much and the failure was only occasional. It was in the P12.

[Green Frog]

I have one of the last P-14 frames that were sold separately for builders to use. Mine was built by a gunsmith friend of mine, almost to completion before his passing... in fact, it was on his bench when he went in the hospital for the last time. Mechanically all I had to have done was polish the feed ramp and chamber mouth for reliable function. Now I just need to get some finish on it.

As for mags, I’ve got 4 factory mags from the early ‘90s and have never had a minute’s problem with any of them in the 3 different guns they’ve been used in. I will look at this CDNN mags though... the price seems too good to pass on!

Froggie

[Larry Gibson]

Larry, I had that problem a couple of weeks ago. I finally traced it down to not applying the taper crimp enough to completely remove the flare. Didn't miss it much and the failure was only occasional. It was in the P12.

I originally thought that to be the problem also....but it wasn't. Chamber cast and measurement of the front diameter of the chamber showed some cases with the .452 bullet were just too large even with all the flare removed. The diameter was just too large the entire length of the seated portion of the bullet in the cases with thicker walls. As mentioned; sizing the bullets at .451 (what the 45 ACP bullet is supposed to be) or running the loaded rounds with .452 bullets seated through the Lee FCD solved the problem. The FCD actually sized the offending over thick cases down enough that the seated .452 bullets got sized down to .451. Functioning then was flawless.

[alamogunr]

I finally got around to checking the new magazines in the Para's. I only checked for spring pressure to lock the slide on an empty mag. The two CDNN mags for the P12 fit and would lock the slide back when empty. Same for the CDNN mags for the P13. The problem showed when I tried the CDNN mags in the TAC-FOUR. Neither of them would lock the slide back. I then tried the magazines I already had in the TAC-FOUR. Two of them would not lock the slide back and one was marginal, in other words it did not push the slide lock completely into the notch.

Does anyone have an opinion why the magazines would work in the P13 and not in the TAC-FOUR?

I'm thinking that I need to contact Wolff for some new springs.

[DougGuy]

Look to ISMI for chrome silicon springs, can get them for Para at Brownell's they are like ten bucks.