Para GI Expert 1911
The GI Expert is a new entry level .45 1911 pistol from Para USA.
A 1911 for the 21st Century – it feels like an old friend, the one that the company armorer worked over for you to earn your Expert Marksman’s badge. Using new millennium technology Para has built you a production .45 that is silky smooth with a crisp, clean trigger that makes you the best shot you can be.
Caliber: .45 ACP
Barrel: 5 inches, stainless steel
Twist: 1 in 16 inches, left-hand
Action: Single-action, Semi-automatic
Sights: Dovetail Fixed, 3-White Dot
Receiver: Carbon Steel
Trigger: Medium length
Hammer: Skeletonized Spur
Magazine: 8-round with removable base pad
Weight: 39 ounces
Finish: Covert Black Para Kote™
Stocks: Checkered Polymer
Safeties: Slide Lock, Internal Firing Block, Grip
Additional Features: Lowered and flared ejection port, beveled magazine well, flat mainspring housing, grip safety contoured for spur hammer
The introductory MSRP is $599.
More info here.
This is a great gun, as far as features, accuracy and cost is considered. I was able to get one and scored dead center head shots from 25 yards, not using a benchrest.
Much better than the comparable prices Taurus PT1911 in accuracy, fit and finish.
The downside is that there seems to be bugs with the hammer for light primer strikes after about 100 rounds. Mine, along with several others who tried this gun are heading back to Para USA.
I ran across one of these at a dealer that was ordered in for another customer. The feel and finish is great as expressed all over but this particular one was being sent back to Para. I confirmed that upon release of the slide the hammer dropped. OOO NO! I was told the guy took it home before figuring this out. Good thing he didn’t have a full mag in it when he found out about the defect. Either way I expect production guns like this to have defects from time to time so this wouldn’t keep me from getting one. However I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the same problem around the web.
I bought one for myself and I like it. Only thing that I didn’t like is the plastic follower in the mag. It would prevent the slide release from actuating and you would have to drop the mag in order to release the slide. However a 3 dollar colt style metal foller and it works wonderfully.
Very upgradable gun.
Tehmino, I just purchased a Para GI Expert and noticed the same problem — you can’t release the slide on an empty magazine. When I contacted Para about this, they said that was “normal” for this particular gun, and that you were “always supposed to drop the magazine before releasing the slide.” Huh? They didn’t (or couldn’t) explain why it’s NOT normal for just about every other 1911-style pistol out there, not even the other Para 1911s I’ve look at. Oh well, except for THAT, it’s a great gun. – Michael
I have an Para LTC & just purchased the GI Expert. I also experienced the gun discharging when the slide was released. This occured after about 900 rounds. With dummy ammo (primer cavity filled with wax) the firing pin would strike the primer every time the slide was released. What really surprised me was the very poor quality of the MIM ignition parts. I replaced the hammer, sear & disconnector with quality parts. This resolved the problem. I wrote the quality problem off as a fluke. The GI expert killed that assumption as the quality of the MIM parts are just as bad. I,m not opposed to MIM parts, Kimber uses MIM parts and the quality is fine.
I test fired my Para GI expert today for the first time. At first everything was going fine for about fourty rounds, then failure to feed problems began. Some jammed bad enough that I had to press the front end of the slide against the bench to unload it. A couple of stove pipe jams also occured with live ammo. I also tried a couple of proven magizines w/o success. One hundred rounds of a mixture of fmjrn, lswc and fmjhp were fired. Type of ammo did not matter. Other than the jams, the gun worked ok.
I worked out the jamming problems with the Para GI Expert and & yesterday fired one hundred trouble free rounds with it. I’m very pleased with it now.
Bob H. What did you do to resolve the feeding issues?
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To correct the feeding problem with the GI Expert I addressed three concerns. I don’t know if one or all three resolved the problem.
1. Reduced the gap between the feed ramp & chamber throat. It was excessive. This is accomplished by emoving some metal from the feed reamp.
2. Reamed the chamber with a .45 reamer (designed for this purpose). The chamber bore was tight & required excessive pressure to chamber a round thus slowing the slide action during ejection.
3.The ejector was too long & began ejecting the empty case while it was still inside the chamber. Shortened the ejector to the point the case is ejected just as it began to exit.
I want emphasize a qualified gun smith should do the work. The gun can be destroyed if not done proper.
In reference to Para/Taurus I can tell you my Taurus 1911 has been through a 1000 rounds never one ftf. Has feed everything w/o hiccup form 6 different commercial and 3 different reloads types, Hardball, JHP and lead. I always steered away from Taurus but now am a fan.
Any semi auto handgun won’t let the slide close with the mag in it.
I just had the pleasure of handling one of these new guns at my local shop and have to say the trigger and overall fit of the gun blows away the entry level Brazil made guns by Springer and Taurus, it was almost identical in quality to the higher end U.S.A. guns made by Kimber.
Another plus is that they are supposedly assembled here in the new U.S.A. Para plant, (which I find hard to believe given the price).
The things I disliked were the overly rough, sand paper like finish that is supposed to mimic a dull parkerized G.I. finish and the week looking ultralight skeletonized hammer.
I agree with other posters that Para needs to work on the hammer and most people that have been around Paras awhile know that their extractors and ejectors are sometimes not up to the hype.
Other than that I think this is a great gun and should seriously give Springer and Taurus some hard competition in the entry level market.