BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

Para Ordnance 6.45 Stainless Steel Carry
By: Vaughn Johnson, 26 September 2005

Having been in law enforcement for the past twelve years, I feel safe in estimating that there still aren't that many of us that religiously carry a backup firearm on a daily basis. I've had this conversation with many of the officers that I work with, day in and day out. There probably isn't an excuse that I haven't heard as to why they don't carry a backup. I still haven't heard one that carries any weight with me.

Much like your body armor that you should be wearing every time you step outside of your house in uniform, your backup gun is added insurance that you set foot back INTO your house upon completion of your shift.

Early on, I worked for a state agency that didn't allow a secondary weapon. I was still new enough to believe that I was invincible and wouldn't have to worry about my primary sidearm failing me. When I started at the agency I'm currently with about nine years ago, I found the backup gun policy and quickly took advantage of it. I've been carrying one on patrol since then. A five shot .38 revolver was the first to accompany me on patrol, followed by a Glock 26 in 9mm. Neither are bad choices, but I have always yearned for a compact .45 that would fit the bill of a "hail mary last ditch weapon" and still be able to be concealed while in uniform. I mean, if you're going to a backup gun, your world has turned to brown and stinky. Why not go for the biggest auto-pistol cartridge you can find?

Fast forward to present day. Early this year, I was lucky enough to attend the SHOT show in Las Vegas and spent a good portion of my free time at the Para Ordnance booth. My experience with them up until that time had been minimal. I'd read some gun magazine reviews on them, but had never picked one up. Suffice to say, I quickly fell in love with the LDA (light double action) models that were displayed. These models have been referred to as "cocked and locked with the hammer down".

The Para Ordnance model that caught my attention was the 6.45 Stainless Steel Carry model. It had the looks of being able to hold up its end as a backup gun and still conceal well in uniform. The dry-firing of the LDA trigger sold me on it. I still hadn't fired a Para LDA pistol yet, and I knew at this point that I had to have this model. The suggested retail price was just shy of $1000.00. Ahem. Okay, I can afford the free catalog…moving on.

As luck would have it, I found Frazers Security & Police Equipment in Minnesota (800-352-7809 or fsandpe@comcast.net) that had one for sale on a gun sale website. To make a long story shorter, John is a retired cop from the area and likes to get cops the right prices on guns. I got a great deal on it and the purchase of the pistol came with a coupon for night sights to be installed at the factory. Well, John had the pistol sent away and when it was ready to be shipped to me, it was ready to go. How could I go wrong with that kind of deal? Customer service is top notch: email responses the same day and quick return phone calls if you don't get John right away. I've dealt with John many times since, so give him a call and drop my name.

After the pistol arrived in its heavy duty lockable case, I chuckled at all the extra stuff that comes with new handguns nowadays. Para Ordnance has a video of the LDA models, a trigger lock, an expended shell casing for those states that feel that is the cure-all to crime and the instruction manual. Normally, the Para pistols come with 2 magazines total.

The 6.45 gives away the magazine capacity in its title. Here is the good news: if you have 7,8, or 10 round mags from a Kimber, Colt, or any other single stack .45 magazine, it will work in the Para Ordnance (obviously, it will stick out from the butt).

If you lay the Para Carry down next to a full size 1911, you'd think it was a father/son combination….with the exception of the triggers and spurless hammer. There is a grip safety and a manual thumb safety on the left side of the frame. As an additional safety feature, there is also a small viewing hole in the top of the barrel allowing you to see if there is a cartridge chambered.

The pistol comes with black plastic grips that can be replaced with a variety of aftermarket types, but if you don't replace them, you'll still be pleased with the feel. The front area of the grip (as well as the slide) has what Para calls Griptor Grasping Grooves. It is best left to the accompanying pictures to explain what that means. Rest assured, it is a solid gripping surface and the best part is, if your little finger slips off of a Baby Glock, odds are good that it won't on this grip. Also, if you've ever been bitten by a .45 auto, have no fear, this one doesn't bite: no beavertail needed.

Night sights by Para Ordnance glow very brightly and are of the 3-dot dovetail variety, adjustable for windage only. I quickly found that my windage needed adjusted, as I was initially about 2 inches to the right. An allen wrench is included to make these changes.

It is important when lining up the 3 dots that you do exactly that. The natural point of this pistol makes your eyes want to line up the black portions of the sights and not the three dots. My take on this after shooting it for a couple of months now, is that it almost feels like you're dipping the nose of the pistol a little bit in order to line up the dots. May not have felt normal to me, but you can sure tell the difference in shot placement when you don't do it. After minimal practice on the range, it is now a normal process.

The Carry model weighs in at 30 ounces, empty. Add 4 more ounces for loaded with 6 and one in the chamber. No doubt you're thinking: man, that is heavy! Actually, I'm about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, and after an hour on my ankle, I don't even notice it.

I shot this pistol out to 25 yards. I would not be hesitant to take a shot at 25 yards with this pistol, but due to its short barrel I wouldn't be too quick to rely on a head shot from that distance. Shots to the upper chest area of a standard B27 police target were easily accomplished at 25 yards and in. Group sizes shrank as I got closer to the target. At about 10 yards and in, this little pistol will print one hole groups all day long.

The tight groups are thanks to the Para Ordnance LDA trigger system. The initial pull on the trigger barely requires any effort until the hammer stacks. When it hits that resistance, it is very much like firing a single action pistol = very smooth trigger pull. While I didn't have the equipment handy to weigh the trigger, I would put it between 6-7 pounds. Dry-firing the little Para, you would never think it was that heavy.

For the several hundred rounds I've fired through this little pistol, I haven't experienced a hiccup. I would wholeheartedly endorse the purchase of the Carry model to working cops and CCW-holding civilians. If you do some looking, you can find it for a few hundred less than MSRP.

Now that we've talked about the Para Carry pistol, what do I carry it in? On-duty I carry it in an Ankle rig by Michael's of Oregon, but I also carry it off-duty and this required another holster.

I don't remember how I happened upon the website of AKJ Concealco LLC of Rupert, Idaho, (http://www.concealco.com/) but I am happy that I did. I have always been a fan of inside the waist holsters and have always used this as my primary carry mode when in civilian clothing. It is in the spot where I expect a pistol to be, it is fast, and it is well-hidden. I've seen IWB holsters made of Kydex, nylon, or leather with all sorts of clips, loops, and j-hooks to hold them in place. I've tried many of these and with the exception of the ones with the slide on clip, they work.

AKJ (named after the owner, Andrew Johnson, no relation) has a design called the Readyline IWBA. It is an ambidextrous leather holster with a very interesting loop system. The front of the holster has a loop attached and upon initially looking at it, you think, man that is a goofy place to put a belt loop. Once you thread the rear loop onto your belt, put the holster into your pants, and get ready to thread the front loop, however, you instantly see that the front loop lays perfectly flat once threaded onto the belt.

This allows the holster to ride more on the midline of your hip, instead of in the kidney area. The rear loop attachment pushes the butt of the pistol into your body, helping with concealment and limiting the chances of printing against clothing.

AKJ molds holsters to a specific weapon type to allow maximum retention of the weapon. There is a molded sight channel to speed the draw and each IWB holster that AKJ makes has what they call "Frontal Fold-over Reinforcement". This is the reinforcement of the holster mouth to allow for easier reholstering.

Given enough publicity, this holster design could very well wipe out the J-hooks, clips and other loops styles that are currently used. According to their website, they're looking for stocking dealers.

About the Author:
Vaughn L. Johnson is a full-time deputy sheriff, SWAT sniper and firearms instructor in southeast Wisconsin. He has been a law enforcement officer since 1993, serving in city, township, county and state LE agencies. Vaughn is a member of AmericanSnipers.org, a non-profit group that supplies needed gear to U.S. military snipers deployed overseas. Vaughn enjoys comments and can be emailed through the link below.

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