Question about a Para for duty/off-duty.

[1911fuzz]

How is everyone doing? I have been absent from the forum for a long while. Anyway, I recently purchased a NIB Para GI LTC. I was wondering if this is a duty ready/off duty ready weapon? Anything you suggest doing to her first besides maybe a break in period? Any hints or info is appreciated.

[Combat_Vet]

Does your agency allow the use of privately owned weapons and is it on your approved weapons list?

I'm not familiar with that specific pistol, but I would recommend replacing the sight with a dovetailed night sight. Shoot the crap out of it, maybe change the grips and qualify with it if your department & armor approves the weapon.

About the only parts I change on a duty pistol is ditch the full length guide rod if it has one, make sure it has night sights and replace the grips. If it doesn't have a magwell, it gets one.

Good luck with the Para!

[mchj74]

Why ditch the full length guide rod?

[19112474me]

Originally Posted by mchj74

Why ditch the full length guide rod?

im wondering that as well. i have many 1911's and both types of guide rods work well. Only thing that comes to mind is if the weapon is blued, the stainless guiderod could reflect ambient light enough to blow your cover if you were trying to sneak up on a perp

[Runt7680]

Originally Posted by 19112474me

im wondering that as well. i have many 1911's and both types of guide rods work well. Only thing that comes to mind is if the weapon is blued, the stainless guiderod could reflect ambient light enough to blow your cover if you were trying to sneak up on a perp

[reedfry]

I agree with Combat_Vet regarding replacing factory sights with night sights (actually, my agency requires night sights on duty weapons). I only wish the weapon I purchased for duty carry (the PXT 14.45 Tactical) offered a fixed rear sight instead of the adjustable one, as I feel a duty weapon does not need the precision of professional shooters. I am also issued an AR-15, a shotgun, and a less-than-lethal shotgun. Of course, these weapons are more appropriate when time/situation allows.

Fixed night sights are, in my opinion, sufficient at lethal force encounters requiring immediate duty weapon use. Otherwise, fight your way to either cover or more appropriate weapons.

Combat_Vet: why replace the full-length guide rod? Is this, in your opinion, a reliability issue? I recently purchased a double-stack 1911 fo a duty weapon (formerly carried SIG) and am not aware of a problem with this.

[SMMAssociates]

reedfry:

About all the FLGR really gives you is a little more weight up front. Look at the bottom picture in this set: http://www.m1911.org/interact.htm, showing a fully compressed recoil spring in a standard (short guide rod) 1911.

The claim is that it keeps the spring from bending and not climbing onto the guide rod properly, but I think about all you gain is the ability to not care which end of the spring goes on the rod first....

About the rear sight.... The older Para Novak-style sights, including the ones that are "stepped" for "against a table edge" slide racking, are windage adjustable, but if you tighten them down properly (a little Loctite helps), adequately reliable for about any "combat" use. True target-style adjustables (and, IMHO, fiber optic front sights) probably aren't a good idea.

IMHO, if you bought the gun NIB with an FLGR, leave it alone. It'll probably be fine. If you bought it NIB with a standard guide rod, that probably will be fine, too....

All of that said, I bought a 6" S&W M19 "Combat Magnum" back in 1968, with adjustable sights. The thing really is a target piece, but I bought it as a duty gun (rent-a-cop) because that's all I could get at the time. (BIG target grips, but I'm big, too .)

However, I set the sights up one afternoon back then, and they're still exactly where I put them. That's after several years of wearing the thing on duty (couple nights a week, actually, all night) and taking endless divots out of the steering wheels of three different cars.

IMHO, if the sights aren't outrageous, and you're not doing concealment with the gun, the sights should be OK anyway. Concealment, you'll tear up the cover garment, at best.

However, DO make sure the rear sight on the Para is locked down. The rear sight holds down the spring that handles the drop safety, and if the sight comes off, the spring goes off into never-never land. I won't admit to knowing how to do that ....

I'm not a great believer in night sights or lasers, but would prefer the latter - an excellent training aid, and something you might be able to take advantage of in situations where you can't use your sights normally, but need them. Night sights may be useful in odd situations where your target is well lit, but you can't see your own sights, but I wonder. Meantime, here in OH, we have a "duty to retreat" issue that makes such shots interesting in a Civil Court environment later on....

Regards,

[1911fuzz]

Thanks for the info everyone. I a regulated to a Block 22 for duty. However, for my off duty armed security gig and for off duty carry I can carry pretty much anything from a major manufactor as long as I can qualify w/ it. I plan on getting night sights on it and shooting the pee out of it before it gets holstered up. Take care.