P.12 Alloy vs. Steel Frame
Peter Berlin
told that the alloy frame is not sturdy and should not be bought. infact
someone told me that a P12. alloy is not worth buying at all. Now I
realize that an alloy frame is proably not as tough as an all steel,
however is there such a difference between the two as not to warrent the
purchase of such a gun at all??? I plan to use the gun for carry but also
plant shoot it on the range, do I have to worry about it being an alloy
frame if I want to do a consdierable amount of shooting with it?????
Thanks for your help,
-------------------------------
Peter Berlin
Whittier Law, Class of 96
KE6HAC
"Dont Tread on Me"
John A. Landry
#I recently purchased a Para. P12. alloy frame(for $525.000) I have been
#told that the alloy frame is not sturdy and should not be bought. infact
#someone told me that a P12. alloy is not worth buying at all. Now I
#realize that an alloy frame is proably not as tough as an all steel,
#however is there such a difference between the two as not to warrent the
#purchase of such a gun at all??? I plan to use the gun for carry but also
#plant shoot it on the range, do I have to worry about it being an alloy
#frame if I want to do a consdierable amount of shooting with it?????
Peter,
I've had an alloy framed P12-45 for several years. It's true that ANY
alloy frame is not as strong as steel, but the Para-Ordnance is no worse or
better than any other handgun. Buying alloy is a choice you make to trade
long term durability for less weight. For a carry gun, weight is a very
big factor... esspecially at 12+ rounds (depending on the version you
have).
I have mine primarily for carry, but I do shoot it quite a bit. When I
first got it, I stupidly feed it a couple of boxes of +P Corbons. I
noticed a small crack in the frame around the cut-out for the slide lock
lever. Nothing that caused the pistol to malfunction in any way. I talked
with Thanos (a co-owner at Para-Ordnance) about it and he told me NEVER
shoot P+ ammo in the alloy framed model. He said you will ruin the frame
in short order! He said regular pressure ammo would pose no risk and you
should shoot to your hearts content. After making me promise never to do
that again, he promptly had the frame replaced at no charge! Talk about a
loyal customer now... that's me!
Since I like to shoot a lot, for extra insurance I installed a Kings full
length recoil guide rod which comes with a recoil shock buffer pad. I
asked the factory why THEY don't install a shock buffer system on their
handguns and I was told it's because the buffer pads need replacement after
every few hundred rounds and most users would never bother. This would
lead to malfunctioning and complaints. I've put untold thousands of rounds
through my P12 since having the frame replaced and installing the shock
buffer, and everything is still in perfect shape.
So go ahead and enjoy using it, but for long term piece of mind, you may
want to consider installing a shock buffer system. Although not required,
with that in place, you will probably wear the barrel out long before the
frame causes any problems for you. You've bought one of the best compact
45 ACP handguns on the market today... congratulations!
John
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Rob Carter
<pbe...@ix.netcom.com> says:
#
#I recently purchased a Para. P12. alloy frame(for $525.000) I have been
#told that the alloy frame is not sturdy and should not be bought. infact
#someone told me that a P12. alloy is not worth buying at all. Now I
#realize that an alloy frame is proably not as tough as an all steel,
Consider that steel _is_ an alloy -- you mean aluminum alloy, right?
#however is there such a difference between the two as not to warrent the
#purchase of such a gun at all??? I plan to use the gun for carry but
also
#plant shoot it on the range, do I have to worry about it being an alloy
#frame if I want to do a consdierable amount of shooting with it?????
#
Don't worry too much: Just think of the hundreds of thousands of weapons
that have aluminum alloy frames. Some people have bad experiences, some
people are old-fashioned, some weapons have flaws -- it's what you like
and feel comfortable with.
Rob
LOSTPUP197
already guessed, but they have their advantages(lighter weight for conceal
carry). Also important to note, Para-Ordnance will not warrantee the
frame if you shoot +P ammo thru it, and if something should happen after
shooting +P ammo thru it, it's on your bill. If you have not shot +P thru
it yet, DON'T. If you have, ..Oh, well. As far as I was concerned, I
bought the P12 w/steel. I was willing to sacrifice a little extra weight,
for a longer lasting gun since I plan on shooting alot thru it, as well as
loading it w/+P ammo for defense(I mostly use standard pressure ammo when
practicing, but occasionally use +P). It's probably too late for you to
worry about it now, but I would say you should have bought the steel
frame. Regardless of whether you have the steel or alloy frame, the P12
was an excellent choice. And despite some horror stories you may hear
about steel vs.alloy, your alloy frame should last you a while...just not
as long as a steel frame. And even though Para won't warrantee the frame
for +P, it can stand the pressures. Just not as well as the steel. Don't
worry about it blowing up in your face because chances are it won't(but I
won't guarantee that statement...never say never). Just don't routinely
use the +P's, but I would trust the alloy frame to load it with +P's for
defensive carry.
MTBARCH
#I recently purchased a Para. P12. alloy frame(for $525.000) I have been
#told that the alloy frame is not sturdy and should not be bought. infact
#someone told me that a P12. alloy is not worth buying at all. Now I
#realize that an alloy frame is proably not as tough as an all steel,
#however is there such a difference between the two as not to warrent the
#purchase of such a gun at all??? I plan to use the gun for carry but also
#plant shoot it on the range, do I have to worry about it being an alloy
#frame if I want to do a consdierable amount of shooting with it?????
I don't know who told you this, but it just aint true!
I have an alloy P-12 with at least a couple thousand rounds through it. No
problems whatsoever and the frame shows no unusual wear. It's tight and
shoots fine.
A friend is having similar results with his P-12.
Now if you were going to shoot IPSC, you would be better served by an all
steel pistol. For the average shooter, the advantages of an alloy frame
are worth the slight reduction in durability. For CC, the alloy P-12 is a
great choice. Enjoy your pistol and practice with it often.
Archie