Para Ordnance S1640 Limited Who has one?

[comviren]

The 16.40 Limited has alot of nice features and I assume it's a bit cheaper than the Tanfoglio Limited Custom HC, But I wonder if I can my hand around it.

I've held the 14.45 and thought it was too wide.  Does the grip size vary caliber to caliber or are they all the same? Is this a good start for an informal competition/target gun? What else is good about this pistol?

[FireBreather01]

I have two PO guns - a 1245 and a 1640. The grips seem to have the same circumference. If you have short fingers or meaty hands then they may be a bit much to get your hands around but I think it's really just a matter of getting used to them. Checkering or skate-taping the front strap may give you a better purchase on the grips. I have very long fingers so this isn't an issue for me.

I like the PO guns. They have an integral feed ramp - just like CZ's - a feature I really like. Mine are very, very accurate. In fact the 1245 is amazingly accurate for a 3.5" barrel and I think these are great guns for target/competition. Being all steel the guns are durable and heavy and really soak up the recoil.

If you like the idea of having 16 rounds of 40 in your hand without a reload then the PO is the only way to go!

[jwc007]

Quote:If you like the idea of having 16 rounds of 40 in your hand without a reload then the PO is the only way to go!

Not necessarily!  If one puts CPMI magazine extensions on a Tanfoglio magazine, those 15 round 10mm/40 magazines get 2 to 3 more rounds, which begets 17 to 18 rounds of .40.

[comviren]

By virtue of the Para being a 1911 based design Id get a better smithed trigger out of it right?

Grip tape looks so ugly on guns, maybe I could drop a couple bucks to get the frame checkered.  What sort of grips are available for the Para? I prefer wood to plastic any day and the thinner the better I think.

[FireBreather01]

Grips can be hard to come by for the wide bodied Paras. Try either Hogue or Carbon Creations, and remember that anything designated P14 will also fit the P16.

[Walt-Sherrill]

Quote:By virtue of the Para being a 1911 based design Id get a better smithed trigger out of it right?

No.   The EAA can be just as good, contrary to what the 1911 purists tell you.

[comviren]

I think the Limited Custom has a firing pin block, but I don't know if the s1640 limited has one too.  If both guns have firing pin blocks, which is easier to work around?

What about case extraction? Para has put its Power Extractor feature on their new s1640 limited guns.  I would assume the Tanfoglio would also have no issues about reliability. I wonder if "Power Extractor" really makes a difference or not.

What about the quality of barrels on both guns? Does the Para's 5 inch have any significant advantage over the Tanfoglio's 4 3/4 inch polygonal barrel?

Why does the Tanfoglio have optic sight mount holes? Aren't electronic sights illegal in standard division?

[GTO-Greg]

Quote:If both guns have firing pin blocks, which is easier to work around?

The Para will be easier to work around, since it is a series 80 firing pin block. The firing pin block and spring can be easily removed from the slide, and so can the parts in the frame, though you should add a spacer plate to replace the thingy (sorry for gtting technical... ) that would push up on the firing pin block in the slide. FWIW, my gunsmith did an awesome trigger job (3#) on one of my series 80 1911's and left in the series 80 parts, so it is possible to do.

Quote:What about the quality of barrels on both guns? Does the Para's 5 inch have any significant advantage over the Tanfoglio's 4 3/4 inch polygonal barrel?

I'd give the nod to the Tanfoglio's barrel, primarily based on my experience with my P16... Para used to get their barrels from Auto Ordnance/Thompson (I don't know if they still do), and the steel seemed kind of soft. I shot out the original barrel in less than 20K rounds (50/50 mix of jacketed and lead bullets). Replaced it with a BarSto and it went much longer than that.

Quote:Why does the Tanfoglio have optic sight mount holes? Aren't electronic sights illegal in standard division?

Theye are there just to make it easier to mount optics should you want to play in Open, but you are right about them not being allowed in othr divisions.

[jwc007]

Quote:If both guns have firing pin blocks, which is easier to work around?

The Tanfoglio Firing Pin Lock, as designed, will not affect the trigger pull of the Pistol, and hence not need to be worked around!  As designed, pulling the trigger releases the lock, rather than pushing up against a lock as most designs do.

It should be noted that this Firing Pin Lock was designed by the late Martin Tuma and is also present on the Swiss AT84 CZ Clones as well as the IMI MR Desert Eagle Pistols and any other current related Tanfoglio Pistols.