P13, spur of the moment

P

PJ11B3VF7

New member
What can I say. I was at the local gunshop, looking for a Glock 30, and I saw a used P13 with 3 hi-caps for sale for $400. I picked it up and what can I say I got impulsive and put money down on it.

Now that I'm home. I'm starting to wonder. I've always preferred glock and Beretta. Have absolutely no experience with any 1911 style gun so now of course I'm wondering did I do the right thing or not?

What do you think? Any advice in furthering my 1911 education. :)

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Walk softly and carry a big stick (Yeah I know I stole it)
 
You did the right thing i got a P13 that ill never get rid of no matter what ,they will bury me with that one!Ive had it for 4-5 years and got it when they first came out in stainless. It is one of my most accurate guns ive owned .Much better accuracy wise than the glocks.Im not putting the glocks down but they will never be as accurate as a well tuned 1911.I have put over 15,000 rounds through mine and have not had any problems with hangups or anything,thats one great thing about the Para ,they feed like greased owl **** they just dont stop as long as you keep your mags in good shape Ive put as many as 1500 rounds without a hangup in between cleanings.Although i dont recommend going that long in between cleanings i was trying to see how long i could go without a jam ,I gave up trying by the way.
Hopethis helps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Dont look back. You have a better gun in my opinion. I had a Glock 30 and could not get used to the small grips.

I have a nice 1911 compact stainless that fits perfectly

judge Blackhawk
 
Thanks gentlemen, a couple of further questions. How is Para Ordinance's customer service. If I somehow damage my hi-caps can I send them to Para Ordinance and will they fix them. BTW, this may be a stupid question, bt does anyone know if the frame is steel or alloy. Like I said, I'm a complete novice when it comes to 1911 style guns. :(

Duuh, just came back from their website http://www.paraord.com. I have the black alloy one. Hmm, there's a gunsmith in the area who retired from the AMU (Army Marksmanship Unit) that does phenomenal work on Berettas. One of the things he does is put steel caps on the slide rails to tighten slide to frame fit. I wonder if he can do that to my P13. Damn, I love furthering my education.
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Walk softly and carry a big stick (Yeah I know I stole it)

[This message has been edited by PJ11B3VF7 (edited February 17, 2000).]
 
Yea they got great customer service when i dealt with them i sent them a fully modified pistol and they still fixed it at no charge!
Ive only heard good things about thier support policy too!But you want need it much Ive owned 3 over the years and have only had 1 case where i sent it back and my dad has 4 of them in his collection right now and has never had a problem out of any or a jam i might add!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 1911 is my favorit pistol and always will be i`ve been shooting and collecting them for 5 years now and always see another one i want to add to the collection !!

Killer
 
Para ord makes both steel and alloy frames. I have one of each. The color of the bare metal at the feed ramp should be a good indicator or get a magnet off of the fridge and see if it sticks.

My alloy frame is going in to get a ramped barrel installed as soon as I have enough green stamps saved up because the alloy batters too much feeding hollow points. (I think galling is the metallurgical term.)
 
PJ11B3VF7,

A P13 with 3 hi-cap mags for $400? If the gun is in good condition (my experience is that they are very prone to rust unless you keep a constant eye on it -- and I have the stainless steel model), then you got a great deal.

I'm new to 1911 type pistols and while I do not like it for carrying purposes (a little large to conceal and if carried cocked and locked, the cocked hammer can snag on cloths), it has become my number one home defense gun because the 1911 design is one of the best and has stood the test of time.

With regard to fixing the hi-cap mags, I believe that might be against the law. The wording on this is a little fuzzy but the way I understand it, it appears to be illegal. If I were you, I would try to get a couple of spares. With half a dozen hi-cap mags on hand, I would have two loaded in the Winter/Summer, two loaded in the Spring/Fall and keep two completely fresh. Additionally, I wouldn't load them all the way, leaving one or two rounds out to reduce the pressure on the springs. With 23 or 25 rounds of .45 on stack (11+11+1 or 12+12+1), you should be able to handle anything that'll come your way.

IMHO, it was a better choice than the Glock.

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Share what you know, learn what you don't -- FUD.
 
Repairing a pre-ban (11+ round capacity) magazine is perfectly legal. You can buy all of the parts from Brownells.
 
As to the purchase of the P13 it sounds like a good deal especially since the hi-caps were included. The hi-caps generally run $50-70 a piece. I have to admit that my first experience with Para Ord customer service wasn't as nice as everyone elses. I purchased a P13 while in college a few years back so things may have changed. The P13 I received was unreliable and the only way I could contact Para was via mail to Canada (No Telephone # at that time). Needless to say the response times were horrible. When I finally sent my gun in to an authorized repair facility the guy kept my gun 2-3 months and claimed he couldn't test fire it because it kept raining (N. Cali) and the only range facility that he had access to was outdoors. Months later and many calls later, I received my P13 back. The pistol was still unreliable. After seriouly examining the problem and talking to some local gunsmiths they recommended a heavier recoil spring 20-22 lbs. This solved the problem immediatly. It now regularly goes through thousands of rounds without a hitch including odd grain wad cutters. I also had a reliablity package, trigger, and beavertail grip work done since. The pistol is now one of my favorites and is presently my HD choice until I can obtain a shotgun.

Point: I feel that Para customer service was seriouly lacking at the time especially since I only had the pistol for a couple of weeks when I reported the problem. Lee

[This message has been edited by Bender (edited February 18, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Bender (edited February 18, 2000).]
 
Libertarian - I am under the impression that all Paras have ramped barrels as the come from the factory. Both of my alloy models do. If you are talking about a factory Para frame, I suspect your is as well. I would be curious to know if Para has made or currently makes pistols without ramped barrels. God bless. Hugh
 
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