Para 18 shooter 9mm anyone own one

[Beretta Lover]

I wanted to know if anyone had any actual experience with the Para 9mm wide body

Round count

mag issues

reliability

the one para I own has been issue free from the box

[Loves2Shoot]

the one para I own has been issue free from the box

Lucky man.

All kidding aside, a good friend of mine had a LDA widebody in 9mm. The range trip where I shot it, all 5 mags broke, and the frame or slide ended up cracking and he ended up sending it all back.

I've seen quite a big disparity in the quality and how long they last. Some work well and last forever, some are money pits in my limited experience.

[superdude]

i have one but rarely shoot 9mm through it (converted to 38 Super). have had some reliability issues with the old magazines if i loaded more than 10 rounds of 9mm in them. just bought a second one, mostly for the frame and magazines, and it will be largely 38 super (unfired yet). haven't tried the newer mags in 9mm yet, but will before long as 38 super brass is expensive and 9mm brass is free (pick-ups).

I mostly shoot 38 supers, and after 20,000 + rounds (major and minor) in the old one i have no complaints. however, it has been heavily customized with the frame and slide being the few original parts.

[Merlin Orr]

I guess I am the exception.... Had one... Never pulled the trigger that it did not go bang. Not once.

[Flatland Shooter]

Most of my Para mags were old (pre-ban) production and worked well. With extended base pads they held 20 rds. Bought a couple of the new ones and never could get them to work worth a hoot. Feeding issues and failure to drop freely. (Basically junk.)

If the Para magazines are an issue for you, you can get with Richard Dettelhouser at Canyon Creek. For a nominal fee he modifies your Para mag catch so you will be able to use STI/SVI magazines. Switched mine over earlier this year and I won't go back.

Bill

[Bryan 45]

I have no experience w/ the 9x19, but I've had a P16.40 limited for about 3 years. I don't shoot it every month, but probably have put 3-4,000 rounds through it. I haven't had any issues and I use the stock mag, follower and spring w/ Dawson +4-5 base pads. I can load 21 rounds in a mag and seat it w/ the slide forward.

Para may have a higher bad-to-good ratio on their pistols, but I sure can't complain about mine.

[Jaxshooter]

I have one with about 4500 rounds thru it. I can load 19 rounds in the magazines to start. I only load 18 if I am going to use it for a reload. I have never had a problem of any kind with mine. I have shot Win white box 115gr and 147 gr reloads in it.

[38superman]

I own a P18-9.

It functioned okay but was spraying ammo all over the landscape.

It produced groups that looked more like shotgun patterns than groups.

I sent it back to Para and they claim to have fit it with a new barrel and tested it for accuracy.

They sent it back to me with a target that showed a group less than one inch shot off hand.

I took the newly repaired gun back to the range and it still was shooting 6" groups off a sandbag at 25 yds.

In frustration, took the gun to Rusty Kidd in Atlanta.

He put a Scheumann match barrel and bushing in it.

He also told me that the timing was messed up on the gun when it left the factory.

The barrel was starting to come out of battery before the bullet left the barrel.

That explains the spraying ammo.

It doesn't explain why Para claimed it was fixed, tested it and sent it back to me when it cleary still had a problem.

It shoots great now that I put $400 of gunsmith work into a new gun.

Never again.

With all due respect for those of you that love your Para's, for me, never again will I go down that road.

Life's too short to dance with ugly women and troublesome guns.

Tony

Edited October 11, 2007 by 38superman

[sargenv]

I built a limited gun on a P16 and over the years have replaced almost all the parts save frame, barrel, slide, and um.. grips. It has the normal wear and tear of shooting a lot of ammo really fast and I have no issues with it.

I have a pretty much stock P18 LDA that is really fun to shoot. I have 5 or 6 - 10 round mags for it and I only shoot 9mm with it. I have probably 5k rounds thtough it and it does ok so long as I do ok. I've not had any issues with it save sometimes having it lock open with 1 round left. I've not spent the time trying to figure it out. Overall I find that it works pretty well and I won't be getting rid of it anytime soon.

[sschultz]

I just took my 18-9 LDA limited to the range for the 1st time. Shot a bunch of junk ammo and some reloads not one hitch. It is the most accurate semi-auto I have. I shot 3 differant mags with no problems. I probebly have 3 or 4 hundred rounds thru it.

[jkushner1]

Have two, both 100% reliable (one with normal hammer (older), one with bob hammer). I love my CZ's - If there were an SP01 ban, I would be shooting the Para 18.9's.

TY

Jkushner1

Devon, PA

[mpeltier]

I have one about two months old. I also have a p16-40 limited about two years old. The P16 was and is flawless from day one. The P18 had numerous issues starting with the first magazine of ammo thru it and took a bit of work to get reliable. The two problems were a constant failure to feed, which was caused by a tight and rough power extractor, and the slide would lock back with a round still in the mag (cured with a new slide stop). How this gun left QC is a mystery to me. I have scince customized both with the replacement fo most of the fire control parts and they are both great shooters now.

[Beretta Lover]

I don't understand why it is apparently so hard to get a wide body 1911 that just runs from the get go

Apparently I lucked out with the para wide body I bought on a lark that I have run a few hudred rds through (it sits in my safe with my other 1911, a SS).

It seems like everyone has issues with their 1911 race guns. I don't understand why there is a cottage industry for having the mags that came with your 2K 1911 to be fixed so they will just work. I dont understand why there are 1911s sold that require tuning (just to run), after they leave the manufacturer.

I'm bummed because I think the 1911 is the heat for matches, but i cannot find one wide body brand where people dont seem to have consistent problems.

Butyng the Para and essentially having to polish the extractor and relace all the internals does not sound like any kind of thing I want to have to deal with

[38superman]

Don't judge all widebodies by the failure of a few.

Many of the 1911/2011 guns run great.

My SVI is as reliable as gravity and it was from day one.

The biggest problem is usually the magazines.

I don't understand why any manufacturer would build a fine firearm and cut corners on the mags.

It has to be that pressure to keep profits up leads to the temptation to cut corners.

If you don't want to skimp on quality control for the gun, the logical place to do it is the magazines.

The gun and mags are a system that is only as strong as the weakest component.

Continuously dumping them on the ground and trampling all over them probably doesn't help.

Tls

Edited October 14, 2007 by 38superman

[Beretta Lover]

I agree

I think most shooters who are willing to spend 18-2300 on a blaster would rather spend another 2-300 bucks and be set up with mags that are reliable from the beginning.

I am

I guess some gun companies dont need to worry about sending out quality mags with their guns because they can just place that responsibility on the shoulders of their loyal customers

To that I say, "Don't be a firearms manufacturer" if we need a very skilled gunsmith to assemble your frames, slides, parts and mags so that they will operate with reliability, then you should be a parts manufacturer". Dont make a firearm that has to be corrected from the day it leaves the factory. Just sell the parts.

Maybe they just make magazines as a service to their customers, kind of like Wil$0n C0mbat says they do not really make any money on their holsters, they just make and sel them as a service to their customers (PS I have dealt with those people on their gunleather and they are willing to stand behind those products)

Parts production only has never hurt Caspian. They make great parts and they have other people assume the responsibility for fitting and assembly. Caspian does fine this way.