New Acquisition -- Para Ordnance P14.45 LDA

[grumman581]

Well, I came across a Para Ordnance Stainless P14.45 LDA the other day on Armslist and ended up buying it for $680 today. As it turned out, it was one of the ones make in Canada instead of in the US. It looked basically new, so I had no complaints about it. Unfortunately, it was apparently manufactured back when they only included a 10-round magazine with it even though it is supposed to be able to handle a 14-round one. If figured that was not a problem since I already had a 14-round mag that I had bought for my stainless Para "Warthog" a couple of years ago. Don't remember the brand of the mag, but since there is nothing written on it, I'm thinking that it is a Pro-Mag. From the photos that I've seen on the web, it appears that Mec-Gar actually puts some writing on their mags.

So I get home and try to insert the 14-round mag into the P14 and it just will not lock in there. I hit it, I bang it, no luck. The 10-round locks perfectly and I cannot tell any difference in the holes, catches, etc on the mag. Before I called Para or tried buying another mag, I figured I would ask here. Maybe the plastic baseplate is a couple of mils too thick and not allowing it insert in the mag-well far enough to lock?

Time to break out some really fine wet & dry sandpaper and take a bit off the top of the plastic baseplate, I guess...

Anyone encounter this before?

Also... The recoil spring feels a bit heavier than the ones on my other M1911s. Is there a way to measure the recoil spring force so that I can determine whether a previous owner maybe upgraded it so that he could be firing .45 SUPER in it?

[Lloyd Smale]

I had the 9mm version. It was a darned good gun. I couldnt complain about reliability or accuracy. Only complaint i had was the double stacked mag. the grip was just big enough that it bothered me. Not that i couldnt shoot it well. Just that many years of standard 1911s made it not feel right in my hand and it was a gun i was shooting comp with.

[Larry Gibson]

Love my Para14. Suggest you take the plastic base off the mag and see if the body will lock into place. If so it is the base that needs a bit off. If not then a bit off the bottom of the notch should do it.

Larry Gibson

95040

[grumman581]

I tried disassembling the mag last night. I replaced the baseplate with the one from the actual Para mag that does work, but the problem was still there. I then tried just inserting the mag's tube in the gun without the spring or baseplate and it would lock. I then tried sliding on the baseplate while the tube was locked into place and there just wasn't room. The tube is not so far up there that there is no room whatsoever to slide a baseplate on, but there is not enough room to slide this baseplate on. So, I suspect that a small amount of filing could be done to the top edge of the baseplate and it will be enough to make it work. It doesn't look like it will take too much, so the structural integrity of the baseplate should not be affected too much. And if I screw it up, well, it's a plastic part that should be cheaper to replace than if I had filed on the metal tube and screwed that up. :)

[W.R.Buchanan]

I had a 16/40 LDA and I liked the way the gun shot. However running it was a complete PITA.

On the LDA versions you must have the grip safety engaged in ordered to rack the slide. PERIOD! With me when trying to lock the slide I had to rotate my hand just far enough to engage the slide lock that the pit of my hand disengaged the safety just enough to lock the slide and not allow it to move.

This feature drove me nuts!

Also we found out after a trip to the gunsmith that you had to have the safety depressed in order to re install the slide. This occurred after 3 1911 guys couldn't get the gun back together to save their arses. The gunsmith stumbled onto the fix or it would have been sent back to Para.

The single action Para's don't have this problem.

If you can work around this issue the gun will perform for you. But if you are using the gun in a school setting doing clearing drilsl etc, it will cause problems.

I traded mine for a NIB Glock 21 SF

I still have 2 brand new in box Mec Gar mags for a Para 16/40 if anyone is interested.

[grumman581]

I already have a few SA M1911s and this LDA model seemed a decent price (i.e. he was asking a lot less than I saw either new or used selling for), so I decided to get it. It's not often these days to find a M1911 in stainless for less than $700. The trigger has a good feel to it -- definitely better than the triggers on the Glocks that I own. Probably because it is metal instead of plastic. Of course, I prefer a standard M1911's SA trigger, but this one is nice in its own way also. I also have the full size G20 and G21 -- each have their place.

Probably the only fault with the LDA is that since it *looks* like a M1911, you are inclined to treat it like every other M1911 that you have and you can't do that. It's "different" -- not necessarily worse (or better), but just "different".

Since it was made in Canada, it's the first one from there in my collection. "Bang, bang, eh?" :)

[W.R.Buchanan]

I actually liked the trigger and it was easy to get used to. The reset is different, but no objectionable. As far as it's usage the trigger is a lot better than any Glock.

Like I said my only complaint was having to have the grip safety depressed in order to run the slide. I even considered pinning the Safety..

I had traded my CZ40P which I had $300 in for the gun and then traded it back to the same guy for the new G21 so I couldn't bitch since I made $300+ on the deal. Also I shoot the G21 a lot better than either of the other guns so for me it was a win win.

I have considered a .14-45 SA however and if I get a 1911 it will likely be one of those. But I am definitely keeping the G21.

Randy

[square butte]

Had a P13 magazine that had the same problem when all the rest of the 13 rounders worked. As mentioned above - Shaved some off the top of the base pad and it functioned perfectly.