TFLers on TV: ParaUSA Gun Blog Shoot at Blackwater!

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NRAhab

New member
A while back, ParaUSA sponsored and hosted what amounted to a Summer Camp for a multitude of gun bloggers, including Say Uncle, Snowflakes in Hell, Call me Ahab (that would be me), View from the Porch, and your own Don Gwinn as well as a many others. As a part of that, Michael Bane and his film crew from Downrange.tv captured the entire event for posterity.

The resulting episodes are now available to view at Downrange.tv - in addition to being instruction and informative, they're also a lot of fun.

Side note: ParaUSA, Blackhawk, International Cartridge Corporation, and Crimson Trace really went out on a limb with this. Reaching out to bloggers and new media shows a definite committment to being on the cutting edge of information technology; I'm extremely proud to have been a part of it, and ParaUSA as the primary sponsor deserves a lot of credit for putting on this event.

Here's a full list of the bloggers in attendance:

  • A Keyboard and a .45
  • Call me Ahab
  • GunTruth
  • Maddened Fowl
  • Of Arms & the Law
  • SayUncle
  • Sharp as a Marble
  • The Armed School Teacher
  • The Smallest Minority
  • The View from North Central Idaho
  • View From The Porch

As far as the actual event goes, I came away from a class with Todd Jarrett as a much better shooter, and more importantly had a much better grasp of what kind of mistakes and bad habits I needed to avoid while shooting. By all means, any comments and commentary on the video are more than welcome.
 
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Tamara

Moderator Emeritus
It was an awesome class.

Todd Jarrett is not only an amazing shooter, but he's one of those rare athletes who can teach what he does.

I haven't watched all the videos yet. Hopefully there's not too much footage of me showing off my lousy shooting. :eek:
 
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George Hill

Staff Alumnus
I'd like to hear a range report on those custom guns.
How do they compare to stock guns sent to dealers?
What did you guys think of Para's handguns?

When a handgun maker puts out for an event such as this, the idea is to get out their name and their products. Obviously they want you to like them... and evidently you guys liked them enough to buy them. But would you buy a standard Para 1911?
 
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Tamara

Moderator Emeritus
George Hill said:
...How do they compare to stock guns sent to dealers?...

Obviously they want you to like them... and evidently you guys liked them enough to buy them. But would you buy a standard Para 1911?
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Well, I'd never dream of asking for a special gun or a special price because I was a "reviewer", and I'd probably react negatively were one proffered.

Best I can tell, George (and remember that I've been doing the gun sales game for many, many years and seen lots and lots of Paras), these were pretty much stock Paras except for the sights and markings. After all, it's not like they could slip in a tuned Wilson Bulletproof extractor, right? (And I know one of the gunsmiths at Para's U.S. facility in Sevierville, TN, down the road from where I used to live, so I checked behind the scenes and off the record...)

I've taken a dim view of Paras over the last several years, but I was forced to admit that this one worked just fine.
 
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NRAhab

New member
I really liked mine; so much that I ended up buying the product. Here's my review of the ParaUSA Gun Blog 9mm. Tam is right that it was basically a stock gun except for the sights and the grips; mine did have a "match" barrel, but I think that barrel comes standard on the regular LTC.

I will say that I was impressed enough with this gun to scarf up the first .40 S&W Para I saw after that, which happened to be a Para 16-40 Limited. While there are things about the Paras I don't like, overall I'm impressed with the quality of the gun from the factory.

W/regards to the LDA guns, I only shot one but a handful of rounds, most of my time was with the 9mm single action.
 
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Tamara

Moderator Emeritus
NRAhab said:
...mine did have a "match" barrel, but I think that barrel comes standard on the regular LTC.
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Yup, that was a standard 9mm LTC barrel. As 1911 makers like Para have learned, stamping "Match" on a chamber hood makes the gun extra sexxy. ;)
 
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George Hill

Staff Alumnus
and remember that I've been doing the gun sales game for many, many years and seen lots and lots of Paras
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Which is why I value your opinion, Tamara.
I'm not trying to get at Para buying off well known bloggers... which was a concern at first, but quickly dismissed. The Queen of Snark can't be had so cheaply. No, the reason for asking is much darker.
I am seeing and hearing from some very serious shooters that Para is actually starting to make some decent 1911's. This is a trend that is troubling me as I am reluctant to re-evaluate my long standing opinions. Dan Wesson is making great 1911's again... Taurus actually makes a 1911 that doesn't competely suck. HK has a .45 out now that fits human hands. KelTec is making a rifle that I want, and in .308 no less... and Magpul, the guys that sold handles for AR mags, has developed not just new magazines and stocks that rock, but a whole new rifle that rocks to a shockingly high degree. This is strange stuff... This is like a whole new world... a new Golden Age.
I only hope we don't have an Obama victory in November to screw all this up.
 
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