DougGuy
08-06-2016, 06:36 AM
A friend brought a Para Expert .45 ACP by the house, it had ceased to function. He called on the phone and said the trigger would move but nothing else would happen.
Upon arrival, took the slide off and the disconnector was stuck in the down position in the frame and would not pop up. This gun had been fitted together or should I say crammed together with cast parts, as cast, and the disconnector and sear were a collection of burrs and hangnails on every single 90° edge on both pieces. The bottom surfaces of the disconnector were SO rough, it had become stuck, between the trigger and the spring, the spring unable to push it back up into position.
I took a very fine file and dressed every surface and every corner on the disconnector and the bottom of the sear legs, and it works smoothly now like a brand new 1911 SHOULD work. Disconnector is snappy and pops up and down smoothly.
This same gun had ceased firing once before when the slide stop physically fell out of the gun and became lost in the grass at the firing line. There wasn't enough tension on the plunger to provide even the slightest resistance against the slide stop. The thumb safety falls into position loosely and just feels limp. It works, but since the same spring that didn't hold any tension against the slide stop holds an equally lamentable amount of force against the safety, the safety comes right out with the slightest tug.
It gets better.. The barrel on this particular gun accepted a .4445" pin gage halfway from the chamber to the muzzle before it stopped. This is the bore diameter, riding on top of the lands. One member here owns the same Para USA model that the barrel was so tight in, I had to order a .4415" pilot to be able to throat it so it would plunk handloads. .4415" to .4445"? That's a LOT of difference. Most 1911 barrels will take a .4420" .4425" pilot and the older looser WWII era barrels will take a .4430" but there is no excuse for how sloppy the barrel is in a new production 1911. The rifling looked like it had 200,000 rounds shot through it and had less than 500.
Two critical failures that caused the gun to cease fire in less than 500 rounds? Due to poor quality castings and even poorer workmanship cramming these things together before they are sold to the general populace?
I'm not knocking Para USA as much as I am putting this out there as a courteous HEADS UP to Para owners, fellas you MAY want to be taking a close look inside at the innards of the gun you are staking your life on if you are carrying one of these in the box stock as-issued condition. There was really nothing wrong with my friend's Para Expert, nothing that a little time with a file didn't fix. The investment cast parts are fine. They just need to be gone over and smoothed, filed and stoned, so that they do not on their own, create a problem that would cause the gun to quit firing mid string or to drop critical parts of itself out at the firing line.
Just sayin'...
Upon arrival, took the slide off and the disconnector was stuck in the down position in the frame and would not pop up. This gun had been fitted together or should I say crammed together with cast parts, as cast, and the disconnector and sear were a collection of burrs and hangnails on every single 90° edge on both pieces. The bottom surfaces of the disconnector were SO rough, it had become stuck, between the trigger and the spring, the spring unable to push it back up into position.
I took a very fine file and dressed every surface and every corner on the disconnector and the bottom of the sear legs, and it works smoothly now like a brand new 1911 SHOULD work. Disconnector is snappy and pops up and down smoothly.
This same gun had ceased firing once before when the slide stop physically fell out of the gun and became lost in the grass at the firing line. There wasn't enough tension on the plunger to provide even the slightest resistance against the slide stop. The thumb safety falls into position loosely and just feels limp. It works, but since the same spring that didn't hold any tension against the slide stop holds an equally lamentable amount of force against the safety, the safety comes right out with the slightest tug.
It gets better.. The barrel on this particular gun accepted a .4445" pin gage halfway from the chamber to the muzzle before it stopped. This is the bore diameter, riding on top of the lands. One member here owns the same Para USA model that the barrel was so tight in, I had to order a .4415" pilot to be able to throat it so it would plunk handloads. .4415" to .4445"? That's a LOT of difference. Most 1911 barrels will take a .4420" .4425" pilot and the older looser WWII era barrels will take a .4430" but there is no excuse for how sloppy the barrel is in a new production 1911. The rifling looked like it had 200,000 rounds shot through it and had less than 500.
Two critical failures that caused the gun to cease fire in less than 500 rounds? Due to poor quality castings and even poorer workmanship cramming these things together before they are sold to the general populace?
I'm not knocking Para USA as much as I am putting this out there as a courteous HEADS UP to Para owners, fellas you MAY want to be taking a close look inside at the innards of the gun you are staking your life on if you are carrying one of these in the box stock as-issued condition. There was really nothing wrong with my friend's Para Expert, nothing that a little time with a file didn't fix. The investment cast parts are fine. They just need to be gone over and smoothed, filed and stoned, so that they do not on their own, create a problem that would cause the gun to quit firing mid string or to drop critical parts of itself out at the firing line.
Just sayin'...