Para Ordnance P14 upgrade suggestions

[MattFinals718]

I just won a stainless Para Ordnance P14 in a GunBroker auction. Looks like this is going to be my Christmas present to myself, and also my last handgun purchase before I move to Maryland. Aside from buying 14-round mags (because I can't buy them in MD, and there wouldn't be a reason for me to have a P14 if I didn't have its regular-capacity mags), I'm looking to crowdsource suggestions for the following upgrades that I'd like to make:

- Adjustable sights
- Ambi safety
- Grips

Anyone else own a Para and have suggestions for these?

 

[Biggfoot44]

Are you actually left handed ?

 

[rbird7282]

I have a P-14 and it might be my favorite handgun I own. As for upgrades, I like mine the way it is, the only thing I’d even consider changing are the grips.


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[Fushigi Ojisan]

I think dymondwood grips make it look more classy

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[slsc98]

…

Anyone else own a Para and have suggestions for these?

Two, actually. A P-14 which is what I started USPSA with back in the 80’s and a P-16 which I just had outa the safe at a steel challenge match first of November …

Hands down #1 priority for me - way ahead of anything you listed - is a trigger job. A custom gunsmith in Severn, MD tuned both my Para’s (everything on your list and more) and both triggers break like icicles at 2 to 2-1/2lbs. The P-16 is freakishly accurate …

I need to get the .45 out again now, also.


Congratulations!

 

[Biggfoot44]

To approach differently :

Is there anything particular in need of attention specifically with Para ? No , not really . As stock 1911(-ish) go , they're not bad .

You're left with the generalized outline of things 1911 that you might prefer to either extra tweak or customize .

 

[ted76]

I bought a used P-14-45 from the Gun Rack back in 2013.
It was already set up for USPSA matches by the previous owner.
It has an after market trigger and hammer, with about a 4# trigger pull, ambi safety and a high visibly yellow front sight .
The grips are stock. I also have a used Stainless P-12 that I got from South Mountain Arms, it is stock, as far as I know, but has nice 5# trigger pull.

 

[Stephen M]

This anecdote is ~20 years old, but my P14-45 needed to have the feed ramp polished before it would feed reliably.

Hammer and trigger are good upgrades, as others have mentioned.

 

[MattFinals718]

Thank you to everyone who has made suggestions so far. I've realized that I have a more urgent issue...who makes the best mags for Paras? A few sources I've Googled suggest that the factory 14-round mags are not so good. Should I get MecGar or another brand instead?

 

[rbird7282]

Thank you to everyone who has made suggestions so far. I've realized that I have a more urgent issue...who makes the best mags for Paras? A few sources I've Googled suggest that the factory 14-round mags are not so good. Should I get MecGar or another brand instead?

I’ve always had the best luck with factory Para mags but they aren’t the easiest to find and will be pricey. AFAIK MecGar makes decent mags.


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[MattFinals718]

I’ve always had the best luck with factory Para mags but they aren’t the easiest to find and will be pricey. AFAIK MecGar makes decent mags.


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Yeah, I've noticed. I just bought two (used and in OK condition) from a GunBroker seller, and they cost me $40 each (!!!!). Whereas Mec-Gars are available for $15 less.

 

[MattFinals718]

This anecdote is ~20 years old, but my P14-45 needed to have the feed ramp polished before it would feed reliably.

Hammer and trigger are good upgrades, as others have mentioned.

Interesting. I've had feed ramp problems with AR-15s before (e.g., combining an M4-style receiver with an A2-style extension), but didn't know that there are P14s which have that problem. Do you recall the approximate tolerances that were required to polish down the feed ramp for reliable feeding?

RE the trigger: One thing I forgot to mention in my post is that the previous owner apparently already installed an aftermarket trigger of some kind. I will definitely consider whether this one needs it, as I don't have any info on brand/pull weight.

 

[rbird7282]

Yeah, I've noticed. I just bought two (used and in OK condition) from a GunBroker seller, and they cost me $40 each (!!!!). Whereas Mec-Gars are available for $15 less.

$40 each isn't too bad. Hell most new double stack 9mm mags are around that price. (except maybe Glock)

 

[OMCHamlin]

I actually had to pull mine out of the safe and look it over to recall what I had done to it. Not all that much, I guess, looks like I cleaned up the trigger pull, it measures 3.8 lbs, clean and crisp (pretty sure I had to put a sear in, I recall it was an Ed Brown product). Changed grips to those shown, I think they are VZ Grips. I also changed the ambi safety to a better quality safety, can't recall the brand right now, but it was one that has a small square lug to engage the "off-side" lever, and a hidden extended pin (instead of the lever that gets trapped under the right hand grip panel), to retain the off side safety. I'm sure the issue I had with the factory one was that it was really slack between the right and left side levers, that's always the case, unless you get a really good one. By that I mean that there is excessive play (or slop) between the right and left safeties, and this one eliminated that.
Those few things + a bunch of MecGar spare magazines and a feed ramp polish, and that's all I did to mine, and man, I really lucked out, this thing is a "Hammer!" as far as accuracy goes, and at least the last time I took her out, she was very reliable, and I DO recall shooting a bunch of 200 Gr LSWC reloads through her, and that has choked many a lesser 1911 frames in the past.

Very happy with this Para, hope you are happy with yours, whatever you choose to do to it!

 

[MattFinals718]

Picked up the Para from my FFL today. Here are the first pics I've taken of it.

It's weird to me that it's taken me so long to get my first 1911.

 

[OMCHamlin]

Looks vaguely like a somewhat older model, nothing wrong with that, though! I love my long slide, wide body Para; it’s excess in every direction!
Here’s a thought; don’t do what I have (sometimes) done, function fire it a couple hundred rounds first, before you spend the first nickel on custom sights, grips, any of that. Deal with any functional reliability issues first. Then sights, then ergonomics and aesthetics.
Hope you love it!

 

[MattFinals718]

Looks vaguely like a somewhat older model, nothing wrong with that, though! I love my long slide, wide body Para; it’s excess in every direction!
Here’s a thought; don’t do what I have (sometimes) done, function fire it a couple hundred rounds first, before you spend the first nickel on custom sights, grips, any of that. Deal with any functional reliability issues first. Then sights, then ergonomics and aesthetics.
Hope you love it!

Yep, it's definitely an older model, which is a general trend in my collection (most of my handguns are 1990s vintage). I have this (slightly superstitious) belief that I never buy handguns where the grips are held on with hex screws.

And thanks for the tip! Quite frankly, given what I spent on this gun, and also the mags (it didn't come with any 14-rounders because it was shipped to me from a state with magazine capacity restrictions), I'm probably gonna need to hold off on customizing for now, anyway. I still have a massive Christmas shopping list to complete for the people in my life, too.

 

[OMCHamlin]

LOL, I hear you! Merry Christmas!

 

[slsc98]

Here’s a site I monitor occasionally for my P14 and P16 parts, when they come up (looks like they have “P” and “M” mags in stock):

Gun Parts & Firearm Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts

Numrich Gun Parts Corporation, America’s leading supplier of current and obsolete gun parts, accessories, and military surplus since 1950.

www.gunpartscorp.com

ETA: one important note; not all the extended base pads you’ll see in stock there will work with all (“P” or “M”) mags - some will prevent the mag from seating fully (being engaged by the mag catch). I only mention so you might add one or two of each type and make certain they function 100% with whatever mags you desire, before you load up on a score or more

 

[Magnumite]

Nice pickup, OP. You’ll like it. You have decent useable sights.

Paras tend to have generous clearances in my experience. My formula for inexpensive improvements is a fitted barrel bushing and a good trigger job. You have a medium to short trigger and it will do nicely.

The VZ grips mentioned by a previous poster I will second. If you choose an ambi safety the premium nes with the hammer pin retention for the right side paddle are the best..but start at $125 and go up from there. All the tongue and groove types will loosen up in time. If you are right handed, as alluded to early in the thread, you may want to skip the ambi. If the present thumb safety doesn’t do it for you and you are right handed, get a good single side thimb safety. FWIW, fit the thumb safety (ambi or single side) when the trigger job is performed. Changes in the lockwork will affect thumb safety blocking lug fit.