I have really enjoyed mine so far. I have a p14. My rear sight came loose at 1000rds and I contacted para. They sent me a new sight and I had it pressed in, then back to shooting with no problems. My only complaint is the lack of checkering on the front strap, instead they have vertical lines that don't do much for me so I put some skateboard tape over them and it fixed the problem.
I plan on purchasing a single stack lda(light double action) in the near future as a range gun. I am satisfied with the company, in both quality and customer service.
Have a Para Carry-9 that I really like, except for a couple of FTE at first I haven't had any problems with it. I think they're a well made gun and worth the money.
I have a Para LTC 9mm. It is great functionally and very accurate. The only problem I have with it is that the finish(black epoxy coat) is very thin. I have heard many others complain of the same thing. If you have a choice, go with stainless.
I have a p12-45, and love it. It is a doublestack .45 and I have never had a single problem with it. I carry it all the time and would buy another in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone.
I was real para fan and then it happened,my new p12 recoil spring broke after 18 rnds., I was mistified and sent it back...they warrentied it, but sent it back with 1911 spring confrigation instead of the orginal...not happy....then my p14 in 40 jammed with brand new factory mags...not happy....called para and rep said
"just pry the mag a little at a time till it feeds...don't think so...not on a 50.00 mag which would void warrenty....not happy...I am not a para fan anymore.....
I also have an LTC 9mm. The finish is beyond fragile. It's a range gun, never been carried, and you'd swear it was a truck gun that just rolls around on the floorboard.
It had a terrible break in period. FTF, FTE, light primer strikes, you name it... Para customer service was no help. Wouldn't return emails and always put me on hold on the phone. Once I hit the 300 round mark, I have had no problems since.
It's a nice shooter now, but I still shake my head every time I look at all the places the finish is coming off.
I have a p13.45 in stainless. Can't beat a .45 that holds 12 rounds. Never had an issue with it functionally, and considering I can shoot the glass out of a level from 30 yards, I think it's a keeper!
I also have a P13.45 Limited in stainless. Great shooter. Recently picked up a p10.45 limited for carry. Great shooting little gun. It is not stainless and it is showing a little wear on the finish but other than that it is an all around great gun. Put 100 rds WWB thru it today not a hiccup. Have heard horror stories about their service though but that never stopped me from getting one. They just "fit" my hands well.
I had a p16-40- great gun. Considering a GI expert these days. One more vote for Para, I suppose. My p16 had cruddy plastic grips, but that was easily fixed.
I have a P-18 that I have had for a little more than a year. I had to send it back to Para when I got it new. The gun would not extract a fire case at all. The fixed it finally. The trigger sucked so I had a trigger job done on it locally. It will extract about 97% of the time. So I am sending it off today for the final fix I hope. It has become something of a money pit, and I will never carry it because I cannot trust it.
I love the gun's looks, and it shoots very accurately. When it extracts now it is great fun to shoot. I won the Limited division at the steel match with it Saturday,but the malfunctions made second place really close, and it should not have been.
This is my first para and I don't imagine there will be a second one.
Todd Jarrett shot for para for years, and was known for fantastic gun failures at key momments. If Para's professional shooter cannot have guns that run that should have told me something.
My brother bought a new Para Warthog, traded it in on his Kimber Eclipse.
He had to send it back to Para twice before they "fixed" the problem. Neither the dealer, my brother, nor I was impressed with how they handled the situation.
We will never buy another Para. But I know there are many who love them and have had zero problems with them.
I carry widebody Paras, but I will not usually recommend Para-Ordnance products to people. I own and shoot several others, including one single stack and one widebody 9mm.
My carry guns were made in the early 1990s. They're so reliable they are boring. However, that's not usually the case with their more recent products.
My old Limited Division gun (a P14.45) was also ultra-reliable until the barrel link broke after who knows how many tens of thousands of rounds (I didn't keep track back then). It's had troubles since then and I won't trust it until I can get it "fixed" and can afford enough ammo to fully test it to my satisfaction.
New guns will have something called a "power extractor," which was a horrible solution to a non-existent problem. Some guns (mostly .45s) will work okay, but most that I've seen (especially 9mm) do not without significant gunsmithing.
I've never seen a Warthog or similarly-sized compact .45 function properly when it was new. I've seen many that had a variety of problems. Part of that is inherent with trying to make a .45 1911-ish gun that short, but there are additional QA/QC issues, not to mention the stupid power extractor.
P16.40s used in competition have a reputation for breaking frequently and at bad times. It is my opinion that the Para platform both in terms of design and materials is not suitable for the kind of punishment the .40 round can put on a gun. This is especially true since most USPSA shooters will use the lightest combination of recoil and mainspring that will allow the gun to function because it minimizes muzzle flip and allows the gun to cycle faster. You can't get something for nothing, because that beats the crap out of the gun over time. If you don't shoot much, it may never be an issue, of course.
There will also always be exceptions. There will be people who will get a Warthog or a P16.40 that functions flawlessly over the long haul. Good for them! The thing is, given the track record, I am not confident that it's more likely that you'll get a good gun rather than a bad one.
I had a Para 16-40 and I loved it! As stated in other replies the finish was terrible and scratched easily and the rubber grips were ugly BUT with that said it was awesome, it shot like a dream with not one FTF or FTE and accuracy was better than any other .40 I have owned. I regret selling it and miss it> S o my vote is YES the are sweet handguns!