  The New Executive Agent is aimed straight at the concealed-carry market, with lots of custom features.  The Elite Hunter has a 6-inch barrel to help wring all of the performance out of its 10 mm chambering.  The Pro Custom is a 9 mm double stack comes with an ambidextrous safety and provides an 18+1 capacity.  The Black Ops Recon has an accessory rail for mounting lasers and/or weaponlights.  Chambered in .45 ACP, the Back Ops Recon has an MSRP of $1,299. |
Para USA
http://www.para-usa.com/
By Brian Jensen
If you know innovative 1911s, then you know Para USA, formerly Para Ordnance. It has taken the 1911 places where it has never been before, including double-stack, high-capacity magazines and even gave it an innovative Light Double Action trigger.
A few years ago the Canadian-based company moved operations to Charlotte, North Carolina, and at the SHOT Show I saw five new pistols it is introducing. Here’s a look at what Para USA will be rolling out, and they range from a concealed-carry version to a hunter’s version.
Called the Executive Agent, the first pistol I saw was a gorgeous, baby 1911 with a 3-inch barrel for the concealed-carry market. It has a compact, anodized-aluminum frame with a bobtail cut we see so often in 1911 concealment guns. The custom features include a nicely upswept beavertail, VZ Grips and night sights, to name a few. The stainless steel slide has an Ion Bond finish that provides a tough, evenly blackened look. The single-stack magazine holds seven rounds and it is chambered in .45 ACP. With an MSRP of $1,399, it’s pretty reasonable considering what you get.
On the other end of the company’s introduction spectrum is the Elite Hunter, a 6-inch-barreled, all-stainless steel 1911 chambered in 10 mm. This gun is designed for the hunter who wants a potent cartridge for game, using a slightly longer barrel to increase sight radius, bullet velocity and improve terminal performance. Sights are adjustable at the rear, with a fiber-optic up front. This one also comes in that tough Ion Bond finish, and the MSRP is $1,249.
Nine millimeter fans don’t despair. The Pro Custom 18.9 is chambered in your favorite cartridge and has a 18-round capacity. It has a government-size barrel and fiber-optic front/adjustable rear sights. Its integral mag well, front slide serrations, ambi safety and VZ grips make it a real looker.
I was happy to see Para USA has re-introduced a 4.25-inch model in the Black Ops Recon, which provides 14 rounds of fight-stopping .45 ACP in an all-steel gun. With a light rail, night sights, Ion Bond finish, it has an MSRP of $1,299. Other custom touches are an upswept beavertail, skeletonized trigger, ambi safety and VZ G10 grips. (And, yes, I want one.)
Finally, I saw a gun one of my coworkers began yearning for as soon as he heard rumors–the full-size Black Ops, a re-iteration of the P-14 with a load of custom refinements. Features include Ion Bond finish on the stainless steel frame and slide, beavertail, light rail, night sights, skeletonized hammer and trigger, ambi safety, front and rear cocking serrations, and VZ G10 grips. MSRP is $1,299.
All guns from Para USA are made in America, and from what I saw, the craftsmanship is solid. The company stands behind its products with a lifetime service policy for any defects in the gun. All the new guns I looked at had stainless steel and frames (excluding the Executive Agent) and the Ion Bond finish provides a very pleasing, if not businesslike black look. I look forward to what I discover next from Para USA.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the article and the new products!It would be nice to know WHEN they are scheduled to hit the market.Thanks!
Would love the 10mm
So what is new here? Para is just mixing and matching stuff they already do, and generally don’t do very well. Having owned 7 PO pistols I think that Para doesn’t need new models they need some quality control.
Yet you’ve bought/owned seven.
YES a 10mm! Oh how I want one….
It’s drivel (the word) Interesting comments
Lemme see if I got this straight… 5 new models, but they still do NOT come out with an actual C-Bob, despite the overwhelming popularity of this config and the fact that the DWs, S&W, Sig, and others sell like hotcakes. Instead, they DO come out with this ridiculous abortion of a “C-bob-short”, aka Executive Agent, with a full bobbed grip mated with a teeninsy 3″ bbl –looks completely absurd and unbalanced, and despite the fact that the GRIP is the hardest part to conceal vis a vis printing, NOT the barrel/slide? Good luck with that, Para. I’ve never seen more stupid crap in my life from a SHOT show, and I’ve seen a LOT of stupid crap. However, have to say I do like the longslide 10mm
uh…did you pick that Agent up? Perfect balance – and thats an Ed Brown bob-tail…I reckon old Ed knows a thing or two about 1911s. Anyways…the thing most unknowledgeable folks says is WHA? 3 inch barrel? That doesn’t help conceal it! Well – duh. The point is getting it on target….quickly. Try pulling a 4.25″ from an ITWB holster – I bet that 3″ comes out and up quick.
The agent looks like a slim hawg. What’s the difference? Can you finally get custom grips?
I absolutely love my Para Ordnance pistols, a P12 that I’ve had forever and the Black Ops, which I purchased in December. Very slick.
I purchased one of Para’s first P14′s, never had a problem with it other than feeding wadcutters. My next 45 will be a PARA, a Warthog or a P12 if I can find one.
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