...and the award for the biggest piece of crap firearm goes to...

Big_Red

Big_Red

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Para Ordnance's CX745S. This award goes beyond just this firearm itself. I feel very strongly that Para Ordnance in general is producing sub par firearms. Add to that horrendous customer service and you have a fairly crappy overall experience.

Why am posting this? Because the brand new firearm which I purchased in November of last year is broken again. First time it was the thumb safety which fell out during the initial trip to the range. It took PO nine (9) weeks to get it fixed (they had to replace the entire frame). The second time was this morning. Today was the first time I took this gun to the range since getting it repaired. I put three rounds down range and the gun jammed. I cleared the jam and shot anther round...gun jammed again. It took me a while to figure why the spent casings would no longer eject and I could not believe my eyes when I realized that the extractor tip was broken off. This gun had a total of 203 rounds shot through it and the extractor broke.

There are no polite words that can express how I am feeling right now. I am basically stuck with a $900 paper weight.

There is no way I want to send this gun back to Para for another repair. I would rather pay a reputable gunsmith to get it fixed for me and perhaps get most of the parts replaced.

Does anyone know whether the internal extractor can be replaced with an after-market one?

Thanks.

BTW, those who own Para's and love them...good for you. There is nothing that anyone can say to make believe that Para is anything other than a huge soft and smelly turd.
 
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Have to say that initially I liked the Para products...I have three of them , all early "Gun owner" purchases. They sit in the safe these days after the hammer on my Carry 12 .45 sheared in half and fell off at the range. It was a primary carry gun for me, but after that I lost all faith in the firearm. Had it repaired ( took weeks and weeks) then took it down the range to fire it ...and the extractor broke.

Expensive for what they are and no comparison , quality and accuracy wise, to a Sig.
 
this thread has a little info: http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=194328

funny how the OP there said his extractor crapped out after ~200 rounds as well. that's insane.

one member posted this:

I had same trouble with a 40 Limited. Didnt want to send gun back or pay 75.00 for a new power extractor. My gunsmith sleeved the hole and put in a regular 1911 extractor and after 2000 rounds it has not failed once. He since has done this for several other Para owners. I love my Para but the power extrator was is a weak link in my opinion.
M.C.
Click to expand...
 
I had often thought about buying a nice P14.45 Limited but then I started to learn that a lot of the parts Para uses are compete junk. Hammers busting, safeties busting, slide locks busting, extractors... and on a bad day, frames and slides cracking.

Whether you get a "good" gun with them or not seems like a game of russian roulette. They probably do have halfway decent designs, but their QC and support absolutely suck.


-Mike
 
When I first started shooting I luster after a para because of the hi-cap. But since then I've heard so many bad reports I wouldn't even think about one.

Were they ever good? Anyone know if they've just gone downhill? Or were they always hit or miss quality?
 
atilla said:
this thread has a little info: http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=194328

funny how the OP there said his extractor crapped out after ~200 rounds as well. that's insane.

one member posted this:
I had same trouble with a 40 Limited. Didnt want to send gun back or pay 75.00 for a new power extractor. My gunsmith sleeved the hole and put in a regular 1911 extractor and after 2000 rounds it has not failed once. He since has done this for several other Para owners. I love my Para but the power extractor was is a weak link in my opinion.
M.C.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Thanks! It looks like I may not be able to use an after-market extractor without having some work done (sleeving the hole) first.
 
I only have experience with one early (1994) P-13 alloy framed Para. I only had a few hundred rounds through it when I thought I would have it worked on by a gunsmith to make it more "competition ready". After several recommendations, I brought it to Bob Javery and told him to do a trigger job, a reliability job, and replace anything he wouldn't want in his personal gun.

When I went to pick it up, I was handed a plastic bag with most, if not all, the original internal parts! [shocked] He told me there wasn't much of the original parts that were usable, so he just replaced everything!

The gun worked beautifully every time I took it to the range although I never did do any "competing" with it. I don't shoot it much these days, but will never sell it.
 
I had a Para P12 .45. Sold it at AAA Guns in West Springfield years ago. Hope no NESers bought it. <weak grin>

Prior to the sale, a pal had disassembled it, and was less than stellar at putting it back together. A trip back to the factory made it mostly right.
 
I almost bought a warthog in .45 but had second thoughts based upon posts like these.
Ended up with an S&W 1911 SC... I think I'm glad I did.

ace57
 
I briefly had a Universal M1 carbine, before I knew anything about guns, and then sold it in a hurry. Aside from the stories of them falling apart, the thing was just made in a way that looked cheap. No offense to anyone who owns one... That was a gun that actually made me feel a little sleazy.
 
Dude, that BITES! But thanks for sharing this info. It will help others avoid buying their product.

Rich
 
My brand new Para nite-tac 9 was completely useless with the two factory mags that came with it - I had to ship both back to Para.

So far, I'm not pleased at all with my Para purchase either and I'm hoping once it gets broken in - it won't break down.
 
God - I just had such the opposite experience with my Para 6.45 LDA Covert Carry - it was and still is a superb gun. The dealer where I sold it a few months ago only last week told me the person who purchased it absolutely loves it...It's a shame to see stories like this, because my experience was so positive and their firearms seem so innovative...Shame BigRed and I hope you get things ironed out...I'd post a copy of these threads to ParaOrd...
 
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drgrant said:
I had often thought about buying a nice P14.45 Limited but then I started to learn that a lot of the parts Para uses are compete junk.
Click to expand...

Nice ParaOrdnance is an oxymoron, in my limited experience with my P14.45.

Does anyone know whether the internal extractor can be replaced with an after-market one?
Click to expand...
If it is a standard M1911 internal extractor, any decent gun plumber can replace it for you. M1911 extractors are not drop-in items -- the tension needs to be tuned and the angle of the extractor hook may need to be tuned as well.
 
M1911 said:
If it is a standard M1911 internal extractor, any decent gun plumber can replace it for you. M1911 extractors are not drop-in items -- the tension needs to be tuned and the angle of the extractor hook may need to be tuned as well.
Click to expand...

No, it is not. Not sure why but Para decided to come up with a proprietary "power" extractor which is comprised of four moving parts.
 
Cross-X said:
Anything by Taurus or Keltec.
Click to expand...

I love my Raging Bull revolver. Taurus semi-autos... no experience.

Kel-Tec? Different story.

Para? Collossal pile of shit. My Warthog was THE single biggest pile of shit I have have ever owned, bar none.
 
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im always bummed to hear of so many people having crap luck with Para.

i got my Para SSP a few months ago from an NES member (for a fantastic price too!). i've put over 1k rounds through it thus far, and have had a total of (1) FTFire (dud primer). other than that, it's been nothing but reliable, and it's still more accurate than i am.

it appears i got lucky in this game of "russian roulette".

i HAVE shot a Warthog (buddy of mines). that thing was a "colossal pile of shit". i'm no marksman, but i can usually put down a respectable group inside of 15-25 yards. at 10 yards, i had a hard time keep rounds on paper! not to mention a number of failures to feed too! he's since sold the warthog (thank god!) i just dont think the 1911 frame was designed to be squashed into a tiny package like that.
 
i tryed a para 1911 in 9mm. It had a heavy trigger pull and was kinda loose. I would never buy one of those.
 
and in the catagory of worst gun under 100 dollars.... may I have the envelope please... RAVEN .25
 
Para 14.45 LDA Limited. I sort of wish I never bought it.

Perhaps a 1k rounds through it. It never 'broke' but it is super picky with ammo. Not to mention of you breath on it, there is a scratch.

It was the first and last Para I'll own until someone can prove their act has changed.
 
Big_Red said:
BTW, those who own Para's and love them...good for you. There is nothing that anyone can say to make believe that Para is anything other than a huge soft and smelly turd.
Click to expand...

Para and Kimber are two brands i would never purchase due to too many experiences/stories like yours.
 

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