Para Ordinance 14-45

[phantom22]

A friend of mine has a Para 14-45 that he has never been able to fire a full magazine through without issues. The main issue is light primer strikes. About one in five rounds will fail to detonate. He has tried multiple different ammo types with the same issue.

He has replaced the springs on the magazines as well as tried aftermarket mags. He also had a gunsmith replace the hammer spring to no avail. At this point I'm thinking maybe a headspace issue where the rounds are seating slightly too deep. Would a new barrel make a difference. Any other ideas? Should he just get rid of it? (That's my suggestion after all the problems he's had.)

The kicker is that he has two Auto-Ordinance 1911's that cost less for the pair than the Para and they have both performed flawlessly.

[Preacher Jim]

Have him check head space and firing pin

[dogdoc]

New barrel if headspace. My p14 is rock solid but I fitted a match barrel to it. Not too expensive to do

[skrapyard628]

I dont own a para, but I believe they have a firing pin block (80 series). If it does have a block, remove the firing pin and the block and look for any peening on the pin and block. Its possible the firing pin is getting hung up on the block.

[ioon44]

With the barrel out of the gun, how far does a loaded round drop into the chamber?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

All of the above is good advice. I have two, one P-14 and one P-14LDA and both work flawlessly. But if I had the problem you've outlined I would start looking as advised, with a new barrel being last since it's the most expensive, and I'm sure one of these fixes would solve the problem.

DG

[Burnt Fingers]

I don't own a P14, I wish I did, but I have shot them. I can't remember if they have a mainspring like a standard 1911. If they do I'd look there.

[Preacher Jim]

I just remembered another thing to check movement of extractor had several 1911's I had to clearance extractor as it was hitting cartridge and holding slide back once in a while. Drove me nuts till I took it out and clearenced it. If you can move extractor forward next to hammer it could be your problem.

[edp2k]

You said that the hammer spring was replaced and the new one propels the hammer with good force.

Try the following:
unload the gun.
close the slide, and cock the hammer.
put an old-school pencil in the barrel with the eraser end toward the breach (a BIC pen will work also).
hold the gun with the muzzle up at a 45 degree angle.
fire.
if the pencil/pen does NOT fly across the room a good 6, 10, or 12 feet, then there is something wrong with the
firing pin and/or FP safety.

FYI the firing pin on a 1911 will fly forward and protrude from the breach face a good 1/4 inch or more
when it is fired without a cartridge chambered.

Keep in mind that para-ord 1911s have a FP safety exactly like a series 80 colt.
the trigger pushes an L shaped lever that pivots on the hammer pin and
pushes up on the FP safety in the slide.

If the take the slide off and, with the hammer down, pull the trigger, you should see
the little lever try to push up above the top of the frame surface.

I'll bet there is a burr, edge, or gunk/junk/swarf/chip in the FP channel and it is retarding the FP and/or spring.
remove the FP plate, extractor, FP, FP spring, FP safety, and FP safety spring.
clean, inspect everything.
Using a probe, poke around in the FP channel and FP safety hold looking for raised edges and/or foreign bodies.

[phantom22]

Thanks for the replies. I will have him bring the gun to my house to check for the things listed as well as trying the pencil/bic test if nothing more than for the fun of it. I'll report if we find anything. Thanks again!

[Rick459]

remove the firing pin block from the slide and test fire it. that's more than likely the culprit. if he then decides to want to remove the whole firing pin block system make sure he buy's a spacer block from Brownell's to replace the two piece linkage in the frame. if you just remove the two piece linkage in the frame the sear will have too much side play and you will get doubling when firing the gun. the spacer block from Brownell's come's in three different thickness get the thickist one and if it is a little too thick use use a file and sand paper to thin it. HTH.
Rick

[Boogieman]

I dont own a para, but I believe they have a firing pin block (80 series). If it does have a block, remove the firing pin and the block and look for any peening on the pin and block. Its possible the firing pin is getting hung up on the block.

If the trigger doesn't have enough over travel the blocking pin is not raised far enough to fully clear the firing pin.

[edp2k]

If the trigger doesn't have enough over travel the blocking pin is not raised far enough to fully clear the firing pin.

Which is proven or dis-proven by trying the pencil-flying test.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I have two P14-45's and a P12-45. Always very reliable, I have stoned/polished the '80 series' firing pin block parts on mine, 'JUST BECAUSE'. That is where I would start. My first is/was an early Canadian aluminum frame and all 3 just run with about any bullet and load that gets the lead out the barrel.

[Boogieman]

Not entirely ,if the blocking pin partly raised the firing pin will push it up and pass by it. this will weaken the firing pin strike. It may still the pencil out of the bore. My 2 Colts Get the pencil test every time their cleaned.

[edp2k]

If that's the case then the pencil will not fly 6 to 12 ft., like I stated above :)

[phantom22]

So we tried the pencil test and the pencil flew across the room a good 10 feet. Took the whole thing apart and cleaned it (again), plunk tested several different rounds with no apparent difference in the seating in the barrel. Took it to the range and would have 5 to 6 light primer strikes in every magazine.

We found out that the ones made in Canada were generally good while the ones made in NC were regarded as garbage. Guess where this one was made.

So rather than sink even more money into this gun, he took it to a gun show. Several people had no interest in it just because it was a Para. It's reputation preceded it. He finally found an interested party and was able to make a straight trade for a bolt action .223 he's been wanting. All in all he lost quite a bit of money on that gun, but the saga is finally over.

[Green Frog]

My Para is built from one of the last of the Canadian steel-frame kits. I know I’m late to the show here, but I’ll mention for future readers that mine needed just a little touch to throating so it would feed and seat properly from the magazine. Mine was the one of the last projects from the estate of a gunsmith friend... it was literally on his bench being final tuned when he went into the hospital for the last time, and his Kart barrel and custom slide that he was using needed just a tiny little tweak that he would have done if he could.

Bottom line, don’t give up too soon. If everything else is OK, a little change can make a huge difference.

Froggie