7.45 LDA

It's tough to win three times--and tougher yet to do it three times in a row. That's true of anything worth winning--the World Series, Super Bowl, an Academy Award, etc. In the world of guns, the awards given by the readers and staff of Guns & Ammo draw the respect of the industry--not to mention the consumers who spend the dollars to support it. Amazingly enough, a Para-Ordnance pistol has taken a trophy for three consecutive years.

In 1999, G&A readers offered the 14.45 LDA the "Handgun of the Year" award, and in 2000 they gave the same award to the 7.45 LDA. Now, for the first year of the new millennium, Para-Ord's designers came up with a handgun that garnered G&A's Editor's Award , a plum bestowed on what the editors feel is the most innovative design of the year. For three straight years, Para-Ord's held a winning hand. And that, sports fans, is an impressive record.

This impressive track record could only happen through better ideas, soundly executed. As a matter of fact, that could serve as a capsule description of Para-Ordnance in general. The Canadian-based firm has been producing guns for a relatively short dozen years. Before Para-Ord made pistols, it sold a frame kit that permitted the end user or custom pistolsmith to assemble a working pistol with the Para kit and GI or aftermarket parts. The resulting gun was a spitting image of the beloved M1911A1---until you picked it up or looked at it from the rear. At this point, you could see that the frame or receiver was much thicker than that of the standard Colt. That was because there were twice as many cartridges in the magazine. Para-Ord's first "better idea" was a nifty way to deal with the arguably limited capacity of the grand old gun. The kits, which are still available, sparked a lot of imitation. Properly put together, the gun looked like a 1911, handled like a 1911, probably smelled like a 1911, but held twice as many rounds.

So when the Para-Ord guys decided to build their own guns, they simply came out with a factory version of the kit gun. In time, the line evolved into a variety of similar guns that differed in size and caliber. They got as small as the chunky little 3-inch P10.45, and included factory chamberings of 9mm and .40 S&W. There may have been other calibers on a custom (kit) basis. Along the way, the company made its own parts and sharply upgraded everything from the types of materials used (aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel) right down to the slick interlocking boxes in which the pistols were shipped.

In a remarkably short period, Para-Ordnance became a major player in the handgun market, enjoying a deserved reputation for quality. Everything looked good for the energetic new enterprise. But president Ted Szabo and VP Thanos Polyzos were not temperamentally inclined to rest on their laurels. There was a big chunk of the pistol market they weren't reaching. So they went after it...

Rightly or wrongly, there were lots of handgunners who viewed the Para-Ordnance line as being a bit dated. While Para-Ord's pistols were as good as anyone's and better than most, they were still like all 1911 derivatives in the trigger system. Simply stated, the company's single-action pistols were trapped in a double-action world. Never mind that they were high-quality guns with high-capacity magazines and made fine personal defense or competition arms.

"State of the art," however, mandated police pistols with the same high-capacity magazines, but also multiple trigger modes and all kinds of other doodads. And if you want to sell pistols in big numbers, you simply have to come up with a gun that's competitive in the law enforcement market.And by 1998, every major police agency in the country either required--or allowed--some form of double- action auto.

The author's favorite LDA is the Para-Companion, which is abbreviates the "1911" format almost as much as the Para-Carry.

Para-Ord's challenge was straightforward: How to get the big police buyers to beat a path to its door. The solution was simple--build a better mousetrap. And that's what Para-Ord did. The innovation that changed the course of handgun devel- opment is indeed a better mousetrap; the LDA (Light Double Action) trigger system.

Let's look closely at the concept. Single-action triggers are static; pressure doesn't cause the system to do anything but release and fire the gun. In autos, cocking usually occurs as the slide cycles. In a double-action system, trigger pressure causes the hammer to come to full cock, then releases it to fire the gun. Those two functions literally define the term " double action." Customarily, a DA system requires deliberate, sustained effort to activate. The advantage? The shooter is less likely to accidentally or negligently discharge the pistol in a pressure situation. This is why relatively few agencies allow their officers to carry a single-action autos like the 1911.

The only efficient way to carry a single action is to cock the hammer and place the thumb safety "on"--cocked and locked. Many of today's service guns try to get the best of both worlds with a first-shot double action, followed by a subsequent-shot, single-action arrangement. This was the most common system used in the myriad of pistol models that competed in the so-called "Wondernine Wars" of the 1980s. However, such guns have complicated operating procedures.

These conventional double-action pistols contrast sharply with other guns which came into great popularity in the last decade with one form or another of a DAO (Double Action Only) system. Para-Ord's LDA is a form of DAO; the trigger pull is the same for every shot. It's also an uncommonly short and light DAO pull. While there is an external, conventional looking hammer on the gun, it never cocks in the conventional sense. When a shot fires and the slide cycles, the hammer follows the slide to a down (at rest) position. It might have been possible for the designers to use the basic LDA principle for the first shot and conventional single action for the remainder. But that's not the route Para-Ord took. By design and choice, the LDA's trigger system is the same for every shot.

In making the decision to do this, Para-Ordnance created what really amounts to a new system, and new shooters take to it like a duck to water. I was suspicious about my personal ability to really get into the entire LDA thing, but several sessions at the range have shown me that there is considerable potential there.

Like many older cops, I once used revolvers extensively and learned to shoot double action with the superb Smith & Wesson DA triggers. But the LDA is completely different in both weight of pull and length of the trigger stroke. As best as I can weigh the triggers on three different LDAs, they run somewhere around five to six pounds--less than half the weight of a typical DA revolver. Further, the trigger seems to travel roughly half the distance of that of a revolver. Also, Para-Ord literature tells me the pull weight can be adjusted downward if the shooter desires.

LDA pistols come with a grip safety and a manual safety. You can carry the pistol safely with the manual safety on, sweeping to the down position with the thumb of the right hand as part of the draw stroke. In this regard, the presentation of the pistol is exactly the same as with a conventional 1911. The LDA trigger pivots from a position in the top of the trigger guard, while a 1911-style gun (including conventional Para-Ord pistols) uses a trigger that slides back and forth. A shooter's finger is in much the same spot on both types of triggers, but the pull is different. It moves when you press it through its arc, but it fires very quickly. Go out to the local gun store and dry-fire an LDA. You'll be impressed, but you won't fully appreciate the system until you actually live-fire the gun.

In shooting fast repeat shots with this trigger, you develop a shooting rhythm and a recoil recovery technique that's very quick and smooth. It's unlike any other DA trigger system grafted onto the 1911 format--such as the Seecamp or Caravelle squeeze-cocker--nor does it bear any resemblance to the late and unlamented Colt Double Eagle.

The first gun to bear the LDA designation was the 14.45. It's a big gun with Para-Ord's widebody frame. My sample is one of the early ones, and has been fired a great deal since I got it. This model is the one that Para- Ordnance markets aggressively to police agencies. It makes a great package for uniformed police officers. A 14.45 LDA with two spare magazines and one round in the chamber gives an officer 43 rounds of .45 ACP power.

The gun would most likely be carried in a secured holster with the safety on. There's nothing like it on the market. No wonder it was singled out for "Handgun of the Year" in 1999.

14.45 LDA

But the 14.45 LDA is a big gun that presents a carrying problem for some non-uniformed types, and a shooting problem for those with small hands. For these handgunners, Para-Ord came up with a slimmer, lighter gun that gave up a little firepower and gained a lot more portability. The 7.45 LDA has the same smooth, short DAO mechanism as it widebody brother, but it's fitted into a single-stack frame.

The 7.45 LDA comes with typical 1911 wooden grips and uses the same type of single column magazine that's so widely available. After all my years of shooting a single-stack 1911, I think I prefer to use the 7.45. This single stack was a first for Para, and the marriage of the slim grip and the LDA trigger was a winner. G&A readers must have thought so too--they named it "Handgun of the Year" for 2000.

After the 7.45 hit the market, the only model lacking from Para-Ord's LDA lineup was something a shooter could tuck away out of sight and go about his business. In short, a carry gun. So the company came up with an abbreviated model with a 3-inch barrel and a short butt. It's called the Para Carry (or 6.45 LDA). Another single-stack pistol (this one's got 6+1 capacity), it's a natural for hideout holster, fannypack or purse. The shooter gets that same short and sweet action, safe DAO trigger and snag-free sights.

So many "just right" features spells a major innovation, so Guns & Ammo bestowed the "Innovation of the Year" editors' award on the Para Carry in 2001.

This was a fast and furious review of the three guns that put Para-Ordnance in the winner's circle during the past three years. In a way, though, it does the company a disservice. There are many other models that fill other needs and do other things. For this writer, the best Para of all is the Para Companion (C7.45 LDA). This is a short butt, single-column (7+1) LDA .45 with a 31/2-inch barrel. It's slightly larger than the 2001 winner, but a little better suited to my hand. It's my pet Para, but it hasn't won anything. Yet...

For information, contact Para-Ordnance Manufacturing Inc., Dept. GA, 980 Tapscott Rd., Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1X 1C3; (416) 297-78855; www.paraord.com.