![\"para](\"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Para-Black-Ops-2-1024x683.jpeg\")
<\/div>\nSo what is the Para Black Ops?<\/h2>\n
This is a Para USA Black Ops in .45 ACP. Para made some double-stacked versions, but this is a single-stacked one. It comes with two 8-round magazines, or it did when it was new.<\/p>\n
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- MSRP: $1257.00 (way back when you could buy one new)<\/li>\n
- .45 ACP<\/li>\n
- 5\u201d Ramped Barrel<\/li>\n
- Trijicon\u00ae Tritium Night Sights<\/li>\n
- Stainless Steel Frame & Slide<\/li>\n
- EGW HD Extractor<\/li>\n
- Integral Accessory Rail<\/li>\n
- Beaver Tail Grip & Ambidextrous Thumb Safety<\/li>\n
- Skeletonized Match Grade Trigger<\/li>\n
- IonBond PVD Finish<\/li>\n
- VZ Operator Machined G10 Grips<\/li>\n
- Two 8-Round Standard Magazines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
There are a couple of things about the Black Ops that I really like. The frame and slide are stainless. The fit is tight. The VZ grips have serious teeth which makes the gun easy to control. The front strap is smooth, but the back strap has aggressive checkering.<\/p>\n
On top of the slide, there\u2019s a thin flattened line. It connects the Trijicon sights. The PVD finish on the stainless is somewhere between blue and black, with a hint of grey.<\/p>\n
![\"para](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/div>\nProblems for Para<\/h2>\n
As I mentioned before, Para USA was bought by the late Remington conglomerate. Before becoming Para USA, Para was Para Ordnance\u2014a Canadian gun company. Regardless of the chain of ownership, buyouts often mean production issues.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had some work done on this gun. I picked it up for a review more than five years ago. This was during the time that Remington was cannibalizing Para for its own 1911 pistol development, and some parts of this gun were dubious, at best. The trigger needed some work. That\u2019s a bit of an understatement. The first time I pulled the trigger, it went back\u2014but didn\u2019t come forward. My gunsmith worked on it, and now it’s flawless.<\/p>\n
While he was working on it, he snapped the ambidextrous safety. It snapped when he engaged it. The safety that came on the gun was injection-molded steel. Like I said\u2014dubious. I replaced it with a milled Nighthawk safety. After a bit more work, it works as it should.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAfter its repairs, though, I\u2019d put this up against any production 1911. I\u2019ve carried some really nice 1911s\u2014Dan Wessons, a Springfield Armory TRP, even a Christensen. Some of those guns\u2014maybe all of them\u2014looked better than the Black Ops. I\u2019m not a huge fan of the winged skull logo, for example. The engraving is chintzy and the aesthetic seems like it is trying too hard. But the damn thing shoots straight.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nPara Black Ops\u2014Performance<\/h2>\n
Accuracy with the Black Ops is predictably reliable. The trigger breaks clean, right at four pounds. The reset, as it is on good 1911s, is easy to feel. The weight is an asset for control.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nShooting slowly, I can run one-hole groups from 25 feet. For years, I\u2019ve carried a variety of sub-compact and compact 9mms. While they are easy to carry, easy to shoot, and provide reasonable accuracy, they don\u2019t leave me feeling cocky like the Para does.<\/p>\n
From 25 yards, my groups spread a bit, but they\u2019re still respectable. My defensive times seem faster, but it is because I carry this strong-side OWB and I\u2019m just faster from that style of carry. But the Para is easy for me to hold down, and that allows for a rapid engagement of multiple targets. You may miss it in the image below, but there’s that shell is still on its way up.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nPara Mags<\/h2>\n
And on that note, the mags, which are marked as Para, hold 8 rounds. They have a slight protrusion–a small bumper. I’d definitely recommend 8-round mags for a gun like this, even if it does add a smidge to the overall length. The standard 7-round 1911 mags will work in the Black Ops, too. And if you want even more capacity, there are some other options listed, too.<\/p>\n
There was a double-stack version of this gun made, and GMW has some of those Para mags listed<\/a>. The double-stack 1911 is an interesting concept, but I can’t get a comfortable grip on one.<\/p>\n
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