Hey whats goin on. i was in my local gun shop. and tried holding botht he para ltc and the 1911pd. they both felt about the same too me. anyone have any opinion on whats better than the other. ex(performance, accuracy). Just wanna get an idea of what people think. Is it really worth droppin 150 more for a 1911pd? or that just gunna be money wasted.
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para ltc vs smith 1911pd
- Thread starter Divine Decree
- Start date
1911pd has a scandium alloy frame so it will be much lighter then the Para LTC. You will probably notice a little more recoil from the pd because of the weight factor. The pd is great for carry since it is lighter, it won't weigh you down as much. If I were in your shoes I would decide weather or not you need/want the reduced weight and take it from there.
IMO I like the S&W better then the Para. I think you are getting just as good a gun if not better, for a cheaper price.
IMO I like the S&W better then the Para. I think you are getting just as good a gun if not better, for a cheaper price.
actually both the guns are the exact same weight (28 oz). Thats why i'm unsure if there is any real reason to pay 150 dollars more for the smith.
thanks for your opinion though
thanks for your opinion though
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My bad I forgot the LTC was aluminum frame. I still like the S&W, but both are good guns. I am not sure how Para's customer service is, but S&W will give you the lifetime warranty (not sue what Para does) and they generally have great service.
I've owned both and I have to give the nod to the S&W. Not that the Para is bad by any means. Both seem to have their good points and their bad points. But the first time I held and shot a S&W 1911SC I just felt that S&W had finally gotten a new semi-auto pistol right. Of course, it was a copy of the Colt 1911, but it still was good.
Firing Pin Safety
You may want to do some research on the different firing pin safety systems each gun uses. The Para uses a trigger activated safety like the Colt series 80 guns. The S&W uses the Swartz system which works off the grip safety (newer Kimber guns use a similar system). Both systems have their pros and cons. At the risk of starting a huge debate, my research led me to believe that the Para / Colt system has a better track record so far as reliability goes. If the gun is for CCW I personally would lean toward the Para. Having said that, I'm sure S&W would work with you if you had any problems.
Here is a link to Hilton Yam's thoughts on 1911's for LEO use. Hilton is a LEO firearms trainer in Florida and a popular 1911 gunsmith: http://www.10-8performance.com/id8.html
Jim
You may want to do some research on the different firing pin safety systems each gun uses. The Para uses a trigger activated safety like the Colt series 80 guns. The S&W uses the Swartz system which works off the grip safety (newer Kimber guns use a similar system). Both systems have their pros and cons. At the risk of starting a huge debate, my research led me to believe that the Para / Colt system has a better track record so far as reliability goes. If the gun is for CCW I personally would lean toward the Para. Having said that, I'm sure S&W would work with you if you had any problems.
Here is a link to Hilton Yam's thoughts on 1911's for LEO use. Hilton is a LEO firearms trainer in Florida and a popular 1911 gunsmith: http://www.10-8performance.com/id8.html
Jim
For those who are not familliar with the Swartz Safety, this thread from TheHighRoad has a good schematic of it.
WARNING! Excess drool warning for those who like old Colt semi-automatics.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=199595
WARNING! Excess drool warning for those who like old Colt semi-automatics.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=199595
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I personally can't shoot the LDA trigger guns. It's a great concept but because of the way I shoot, I pin the trigger, the LDA reset is too long. However, it def. has some advantages such as being able to prep the trigger more between shots. I prefer a standard or traditional single action trigger but that is just my experience. Check out the LDA trigger and you may just love it. It's def. a great concept.
Pete
Pete
I'm not a big 1911 fan having bought and sold my only 1911 in the span of about two weeks and 60 rounds, but I am surprised that no one has mentioned the internal vs. external extractor differences between Para and Smith. Which is better?
Chris
Chris
I just purchased a Para LTC mine must be a different variation cause its all steel and single action pistol shoots well put 100 rds thru it so far no seriuos problems.Oh and it's ss with very good sights
Frankly, it just doesn't matter. Sometimes the internal extractor tension isn't set up correctly at the factory. But that can be fixed quite easily and once it is fixed, it will run basically forever.
The lda's are nice but outside my price range. no big problems then on either gun it looks like
IMO it doesn't matter much. S+W seems to have gotten the external
extractor thing "done right" unlike kimber. A buddy of mine who beats
the ever loving snot out of his S+W 1911 eventually lost an extractor, but
we're talking years of abuse here (including WOLF, and lots of +P) and many
thousands of rounds (the gun is 10K plus rounds through it, easily).
They're both fine guns, but IMO a person is going to fondle
one or the other and just like it. The LTC I handled seemed to have
a shorter trigger. It seemed to weigh a -little- more than the 1911SC (what
it used to be called before SW changed the number). I've actually
fired the Scandium Commander, on several occasions. The gun is deadly
accurate with those novaks on it, although I can say it's not a gun you're going to go
to the range with and dump many hundreds of rounds downrange
with in one sitting, due to the increase in recoil. It's not awful, but
it's definitely an order of magnitude more recoil than a standard full size
carbon steel 1911 is. If you're buying it for the hell of it, I'd say no, but
as a CCW rig, I'd say a big YES. At 30 ounces or so its pretty manageable for that purpouse.
-Mike
