Para Ordnance 16-40 limited — Thoughts

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Salibas007

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Para Ordnance 16-40 limited — Thoughts

I have a chance to pick up a para ordnance 16-40 limited. It’s in a pretty good shape (has some handling marks) but flawless mechanically with a shiny super clean bore. Gun comes with 6 mags. This is a 1911 frame chambered in 40S&W.

I don’t know much about the brand. Is it a worthwhile purchase ? And what would be considered a good price ?
 
Quality may vary, depending upon when and where it was made. Whether (or not) it would be a worthwhile purchase probably depends upon how much you'll shoot it. The pistol, when new, came with one magazine and sold for about C$1000. A big factor in determining a fair price are the extra magazines; when new, those spare magazines probably cost the purchaser about C$100. each. (I assume that the magazines are OEM, or Mec-Gar, rather than USA brand junk.) The price of competing products has risen significantly, so the seller might even hope to realize a profit. Over time, however, quality control at Para-Ordnance developed a very bad reputation, so - given a sophisticated buyer - that fact negatively affects the resale value.

In the condition you describe, I'd guess that a fair price for the package would be about C$700. - C$1000.
 
They are great guns overall. Some have issues, but you cannot compare an STI to a Para.

Even if it takes (for example) 700 worth of gunsmithing work, it is still less than an STI and every inch as good once you get them running.
 
I had the stainless limited model...was a fine running pistol...mine ran without issue ..traded it on for 1200$ if I remember correctly..had 6 mags.
 
These were a popular option meant for IPSC standard division in the 2001-2006 era. I had a Para 14-45 limited which was the same pistol in .45 (I didn't know any better to buy the .40 at the time). When they came out there were very few options for a double stack standard gun and the Para had a lot of features to offer for the price point. They were extremely competitive against what a lot of people were using at the time which were single stack 1911s with 10-round magazines. The features/price was very attractive and the next step up to an STI/SVI was quite a bit more money. These worked fine but the frames/components, steel quality might not have the longevity of the more expensive alternatives if you were to put a lot of rounds through it. Fairly straightforward to upgrade as there were a lot of aftermarket parts available as well.

Mine runs fine after 20,000 rounds except for replacing extractors and the usual tendency to upgrade parts although I don't shoot it much anymore. Slide to frame is a bit loose (always was) and the notch for the slide stop peened a bit over time.

It was a good entry into standard division but I think its popularity dwindled a bit as IPSC production division became more popular.
 
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