Thoughts on the Para SSP
- Thread starter gmoore123
- Start date
My advice is to AVOID the single stack Para 1911's. Mine had the slide stop peening after less than 100 rounds! A common enough problem with several members here experiencing the same thing. Additionally, the finish was crappy and started to wear off after a couple of months and only two trips to the range. I was mightily disappointed with it given how much I paid. I ended up trading it in towards a stainless STI Trojan (a much better firearm by far) and lost almost 45% in trade value. YMMV so Caveat emptor.
I own a Para SSP and I concur with some of the comments from locgo. Having said that, I sent my Para back to the factory and they installed a new slide and barrel and after a lot of fine tuning it is a very reliable, accurate pistol. It took a lot of time on my part to fix the headaches that Para caused by replacing the parts, but it turned out ok in the end. I think they put a forged slide on it because I have had no peening on the replacement slide.
my buddy brough a brand new one of the same model above and the plunger tube that holds the springs for the safety and slide stop detent fell off.... was not staked on properly.... he sent it in for warrenty replacement and 6 months later we are still waiting. he had to use his ruger P85 for a match for crying out loud because of it.
I was set to buy a Para SSP back in the day. An acquaintance picked one up but had an issue with it with the firing pin safety. The bit in the frame kept popping up and jamming the pistol. The fix for that was to get rid of the firing pin safety junk in it altogether. I had the chance to pick up the same one from him after the fix as he was disillusioned with it by then but declined. I'm making it a personal principle to avoid Para pistols.
My .02, your mileage may vary....
NAA.
My .02, your mileage may vary....
NAA.
- Location
- North of Toronto and South Carolina
I have an SSP. It has minor issues. Before you dump on Para too hard, take a look at the dedicated 1911 Internet forums. Every brand has quality issues.
I think that the major issue is that too many companies are trying to produce too many 1911s to meet a competitive price. That said, any 1911 is a blast to shoot and every shooter should own one. At least one.
I think that the major issue is that too many companies are trying to produce too many 1911s to meet a competitive price. That said, any 1911 is a blast to shoot and every shooter should own one. At least one.
FWIW, I bought a Para SSP when they first came out. The Kool Aid was sweet as it seemed to offer a lot for the money. Before I continue I will say the SSP I owned was reliable and accurate but it shot low out of the box. When I contacted Para customer service I was served a Wedgie and it was insinuated that I didn't know how to sight a pistol properly despite me telling him that I didn't have the same issues with my Sig 220 or Colt 1911. His answer was that it would 'rectify' itself after 500 rounds!!! Meh, I replaced the rear sights with a set of Novaks and solved the problem myself. I noticed the slide peening after a couple hundred rounds. The burr raised was sharp enough to slice a finger or thumb!! My second call to Para customer service resulted in another Wedgie. I was told the peening was considered 'normal' by Para despite me telling him my 20+ year old Colt that had fired thousands of rounds and did not exhibit the same amount of peening the SSP did after 200 rounds. The reply I got was Para will stand behind the pistol if it exhibited a failure. I was then asked if my pistol was failing? When I said 'no' I was told to contact them when it failed. After I stated that this wasn't satisfactory for me I was offered a free 'dressing' of the slide if I sent the pistol in to them at my expense. I declined and used it sparingly for a few years but I got sick of looking at it and 'flogged' it at a huge loss. My .02 cents is not to buy one. There is normal and there is Para-normal....I was not sad to see them move out of Canada. 
I won't go into the troubles some of my friends have had with their LTC's.....
I won't go into the troubles some of my friends have had with their LTC's.....
I had a Para LTC and it was a beautiful pistol (at least to me).
Accurate and reliable. Then the ejector broke (I could see a MIM flaw).
I contacted George (Para rep) and he sent me a new one in the mail.
No big deal, things happen. I sold it when the finish started to come off slightly (I knew it would get worse).
Why they don't duracoat their guns is a mystery to me. How much harder (or $$$) could it be to use a proper finish?
Accurate and reliable. Then the ejector broke (I could see a MIM flaw).
I contacted George (Para rep) and he sent me a new one in the mail.
No big deal, things happen. I sold it when the finish started to come off slightly (I knew it would get worse).
Why they don't duracoat their guns is a mystery to me. How much harder (or $$$) could it be to use a proper finish?
